The Radicalisation of Mrs Mary Lim-Rodrigues premieres in September this year as part of Wild Rice’s 2026 season! But what you may not know is that Mary has been on a really long journey before making it to the stage.
The play was first commissioned by Singapore Repertory Theatre in 2021, then developed as part of Michelle Tan’s Writer-in-Residence tenure at Centre 42 in 2022–23. A work-in-progress version of the play was showcased at the 2024 Singapore International Festival of Arts. In 2025, Wild Rice committed to presenting this independent work as part of the company’s championing of new local plays.
For an independent playwright, building and premiering a play often means stringing together different opportunities, navigating a winding series of developmental milestones, and bringing together a whole village of people and resources. It’s easy to get caught up in the buzz of a premiere, the reviews and the finished work, but audiences rarely get to see what came before. How, really, does a play get made?
On Saturday, 3 October 2026, playwright Michelle Tan, dramaturg Juliet Chia and moderator Thomas Lim will come together for an exclusive conversation about the unseen work of shepherding Mary from idea to stage. The artist sharing will explore the people, processes and pathways that have shaped the play along the way.
This artist sharing is presented by Centre 42 with support from Wild Rice.