Playwrights' Cove (2020)

In 2001, The Necessary Stage (TNS) launched Playwright's Cove, a development and mentorship programme aimed at nurturing, processing and platforming contemporary playwriting for Singapore theatre. Many of its participants are well-known practitioners and educators today, including Jean Tay, Ng Yi-sheng, Natalie Hennedige, Kenneth Kwok and Matthew Lyon.

The return of Playwrights’ Cove in 2020 is part of TNS' effort to consolidate and boost its skills development and creative exploration programmes through the launch of the TNS Devising Platform.

Playwrights' Cove is a five-month playwriting training and mentorship programme led by Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma for 10 selected participants.

Each playwright completed a play by the end of the programme, and had the play read before a public audience.

The participants of Playwrights’ Cove 2020 presented their newly developed works as free online play readings from 17 to 20 December 2020. Each playwright had their play read and directed by veteran and emerging Singapore practitioners. They were either pre-recorded in The Necessary Stage Black Box or via Zoom. Each performance slot featured two plays streamed to a public audience via Zoom, followed by a post-show dialogue with the playwrights, facilitated by Haresh Sharma.

Resident Playwright: Haresh Sharma

Participants: 
A Yagnya
Aswani Aswath
Euginia Tan
Isaac Lim Jue Hao
Jaryl George Solomon
Mark Benedict Cheong
Mohamed Saleem s/o Abdul Hadi
Rajkumar Thiagaras
Shireen Abdullah
Teo Pei Si

Production Stage Manager: Natasha Lau
Videographer: Shabil Samsul
Project Manager: Natasha Fathin

(Source: Synopsis and Credits from The Necessary Stage Website and Youtube)