SAGA SEED THEATRE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Jean Tay graduated in 1997 with a double-degree in creative writing and economics from Brown University, USA. For her fiction, she has won the Weston Prize for Fiction from Brown, as well as NAC's Golden Point Short Story competition in 1995. Plays produced include “Water from the Well” (1998), “The Knot” (1999), “Plunge” (2000), “Everything but the Brain” (2005, 2007, 2013) , “Boom” (2008), “Sisters” (2013) and “Senang” (2014). Jean also wrote the books for the musicals “The Admiral’s Odyssey” (2005), and “Man of Letters” (2006).
Jean's plays have been performed in Singapore, US, UK, and Italy. She was nominated four times for Best Original Script for the Life! Theatre Awards, and won for “Everything But the Brain”. Her play “Everything but the Brain” is currently used as an 'O' and 'N' Level literature text for secondary schools.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Saga Seed Theatre was born from my conviction that new voices and stories need to be given a platform to be heard, and writers need a supportive environment to learn and grow. In the early years of my career, I was only able to work as a playwright because of the support that I received from various mentors and artists, who gave me the space to grow and develop my work. At this point in time, I feel increasingly called to be a mentor, enabler and champion of emerging writers in the local theatre scene. As a mentor, to support and help as writers in developing their scripts. As an enabler, to provide a platform through Saga Seed Theatre to facilitate their relationships with directors and actors and other players needed to bring their plays to fruition. And as a champion, to be an advocate for them and actively create avenues for them to continue to grow as artists.
Theatre is one of the most collaborative art forms I know, and the script is only the beginning of the journey. It is only possible to bring one's writing from the page to the stage with a team of open-minded, generous fellow artists, with each one bringing their own strengths and expertise to the room, and also humbly opening conversations and dialogues where each can learn from and be challenged by each other. I hope that Saga Seed Theatre can be a nucleus to bring together artists from different backgrounds and disciplines, who are willing to learn from and share with each other, in an open and nurturing environment.