Editorial Team
20 July 2010 Today feature: Pages 1 and 2.
Matthew was born in England, but was cast out of the country when it became clear he didn't like football and preferred coffee to tea. After setting up and running the A-Level Theatre Studies and Drama course at Raffles Junior College, he is now teaching Theatre at the School of the Arts. Matthew has acted, directed and written for the stage in Singapore. He lives in a glass house with broken windows. He has been a member of the Inkpot team since 1999.
At various points in his life, Kenneth has been an arts educator, arts writer, or arts administrator (sometimes simultaneously) and he currently heads the National Arts Council's Arts & Youth department as well as the Strategic Planning team. Yes: he loves the arts. He is also a reserve member of the Legion of Super Heroes as Wear-Many-Hats Lad. He has been a member of the Inkpot team since 1999.
On a dark and stormy night, Malcolm decided to try his hand at ballet before rheumatism set in, and signed up for lessons at a local school. For two years, he worked on his sautés and développés while his teacher tried not to look. Modern-dance classes later inspired nightmares of Martha Graham, who would admonish him to dance from his vagina. Since then, he has been convinced that he is neither a turner nor a jumper and is glad to leave the dancing to others. He has been a member of the Inkpot team since 2000.
Writers
Yi-Sheng is a full-time writer of poetry, plays, reviews, news and corporate flash. His books include the poetry collection last boy, the non-fiction book SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, and a novelisation of the film Eating Air. Occasionally, he also reviews for The Straits Times and The Substation Magazine and models for life drawing classes in the nude. And yes, he knows that it's probably a bad idea to be a playwright as well as a critic, but understands that the theatre scene here needs more of both. He's also got a professional blog at http://lastboy.blogspot.com, and is listed in Wikipedia in Swedish. Plus he won the Singapore Literature Prize (English category) in 2008. Woohoo! He has been writing for the Inkpot since 2005.
Stephanie trained at the Laban Center (UK), has a BA in Anthropology/Arts History and a Ph.D. in Contemporary Dance. She was the Artistic Director of Canberra Dance Theatre (1978-2001), was awarded the first Choreographic Fellowship at the Australian Choreographic Centre and an ACT Lifetime Achievement award, and has received Australia Council funding over several years for choreographic projects. Tasmanian born, she lives in Singapore, lectures at Singapore Management University and is a dance critic, writer and editor of Shifting Sands: Dance in Asia and the Pacific (2006) and Beyond the Apsara: Celebrating Dance in Cambodia (2009). She is also the series editor for the Routledge Celebrating Dance in Asia and the Pacific series. She has been writing for the Inkpot since 2006.
Vivienne is surprised that she likes her 9 - 5 desk job as an online journalist (though it's 9.30 - 6.30 in her case). It leaves her plenty of time to do her own thing (like write reviews) yet still gives her a deluded satisfaction that she is a productive working member of society. The monthly paycheck is also a huge plus, as it feeds her gargantuan consumer appetite for all things beautiful and useless. She used to act, still tries to write, and desperately wants to exercise more. She has been writing for the Inkpot since 2007.
A young lawyer who has already sold her soul twice over: once to her future profession, and a second time to her government. When not enmeshed in the web-like intricacies of the law, Karin enjoys riding, climbing, tennis, a night out with friends, belting out a catchy song and having a good hearty laugh. She is addicted to anything Quite Interesting, and follows British comedies and satire with a passion that her friends can only shake their heads at with tolerant amusement. She is also quite the incorrigible theatre buff, and has been writing her own personal reflections and reviews on the plays and shows she's caught on her own blog for several years before joining the Inkpot team in 2009.
Michelle Tan is a Theatre Arts and French Studies graduate from Brown University, where she focused on the areas of playwriting and production. She is currently based in Singapore after her recent stint in Sydney where she worked as Assistant Production Coordinator in the Really Useful Company. Her love for theatre began during her magical years at Victoria Junior College and has since taken her around the world, though she is now glad to be home (truly). Michelle joined the Inkpot team in 2011.
Naeem Kapadia is a graduate from the London School of Economics and is currently a finance lawyer based in Singapore. His amateur acting credits include essaying the role of Sang Nila Utama in Act 3's Singaporeana Kool! staged as part of the Singapore Festival of Arts and a political rebel in Chong Tze Chien's P.I.E. presented by the Singapore Playhouse London during his undergraduate years. He has directed student drama productions in London and Singapore and also served as a theatre critic for the LSE student newspaper, The Beaver. Naeem returned home in 2011 after spending six years finding himself in London and Paris and maintains a theatre review blog. He likes collecting out-of print editions of plays and also enjoys gourmet food, travelling and cooking. He joined the Inkpot team in 2011.
When she was at junior college, Clara Lock picked Theatre Studies over Economics and has never looked back. Despite realising that she was not made for the spotlight, Clara grew to love writing about it. She also loves travel and dreams of making the world her home. View her portfolio here. She joined the Inkpot team in 2012.
Tan Sock Keng is the quintessential armchair critic: having gained an interest in theatre late in her life, she has never been personally involved with the stage. However, she believes an open mind and receptive heart will make up for her lack of practical experience and theoretical knowledge (besides a very basic Perspectives in Theatre class in school). She is a History undergraduate at the National University of Singapore and her other interests include politics, sports (more watching than doing, again), contemporary art and Ryan Gosling. She joined the Inkpot team in 2012.
Germaine is a freelance dance artist and writer. She graduated from Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, where she performed in works by Kerry Nicholls and Martha Graham. Prior to that, she trained at the Crestar School of Dance and Singapore Ballet Academy, and has performed with the Singapore Dance Theatre and the Washington Ballet. She was mentored by leading UK dance critics at Resolution! Review and was a regular contributor to londondance.com and English National Ballet's Dance is the Word blog. She joined the Inkpot team in 2012.
Jocelyn studied theatre and performance research in Singapore and Europe, and hopes one day to continue seriously pursuing those interests as an academic researcher. A founding member and current Vice-President of the Song and Dance (SoDa) Players - a registered musical theatre society in Singapore - Jocelyn has trained in music and dance since childhood. She has also pursued her interest in theatre production work by stage managing for her university productions and with professional companies like the Singapore Dance Theatre. Jocelyn currently freelances and teaches at LASALLE College of the Arts. She joined the Inkpot team in 2013.
Selina spends a third of a day as a civil servant, and the rest of her time working on her handstand in yoga or trying to keep her balance in aerial circus. She laughs too much, reads too much, and wants to run away all the time. She joined the Inkpot team in 2013.
Adeline is an arts writer who has contributed to Life!, The Straits Times and Artinfo. Post on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/chiahta. She joined the Inkpot team in 2014.
Much thanks always to our first Inkpot Theatre and Dance editors Arthur Kok and Sherrie Lee.