Writer-In-Residence 2026/2027

From April 2026 to March 2027, playwright Thomas Lim is joining us as our Writer in Residence. This 12-month residency spotlights and platforms the Writer in Residence through presentations of his works, and engagements with younger writers and the public.

As part of the residency, Thomas will also participate in the New Scripts Garage, offering dramaturgical support and feedback to scripts from the open call. 

Not too long ago, someone asked for me for an interview as part of an article profiling emerging playwrights in Singapore. I declined as it felt like I had overstayed the status of being ‘emerging’ — partly because of the opportunities that I have had, and partly as a function of the amount of time that I have spent making theatre.

I have never really imagined or thought of being at this mid-career stage, a kind of strange zone where there is work that I have done and can no longer change, and work that I have yet to do. In the past year or so, I often find myself looking back at the body of work I have been a part of, trying to make sense of the patterns, to see what or who has emerged.

The “emerging Thomas” seemed to like writing in multiple, sometimes made-up languages. In the key visuals of the main season shows, there is always one actor that is not featured. I also seem to gravitate to odd numbers (3 and 5 in particular) for the number of actors required.

Of all the patterns that have emerged from the past decade of practice, the one that I have been thinking a lot about is at which point of the process do I let the work meet the demands of producing and production. “How many actors does this play need? When will this go on? Where will the performances take place? How long should the run be? Will there be an audience for this?”

Looking back, it seems that those conversations tend to happen rather early on and inevitably exert their influence and thinking on the work. 

I begin this residency with a curiosity of working at a different pace, time, and rhythm. It is my intention to treat this as a space that temporarily suspends professional practice, and to delay conversations about cast size, the “producibility” of the work, what rating it will receive, how long the run should be... And I think there is no better place to do that than at Centre42.

The timing of this programme also coincides with a final research project (on playwriting) that I am doing as part of a Master’s programme. There is quite a bit of resonance between my research and the spirit of new writing development at C42, so that is something that I am very excited to be working on and sharing in the course of the year.

During this term, Thomas will be embarking on some projects and participating in some of the Centre's ongoing new writing development programmes. Look forward to his engagements:

• 20 May - 1 July: Playwriting Research Project (LASALLE MA final research component)

Thomas brings together twelve participants—most of whom do not identify as professional writers—to explore collective playwriting. Through a series of workshops, the group will collaboratively develop a new play, examining how authorship and storytelling can emerge through shared creative processes.

• May - November: New Scripts Garage

Involved in the reading and selection cycles as part of Centre 42’s New Scripts Garage, supporting the evaluation and development of new scripts.

• 30 June 2026: Work-in-progress sharing: Playwriting Research Project 

Developed as part of Thomas’s MA Arts Pedagogy & Practice at LASALLE and his 2026/27 residency at Centre 42, this sharing presents work from the collective playwriting process. A key focus of the session is to receive feedback from fellow practitioners and engaged audiences to further shape and develop the work.