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MANAGEMENT TEAM
Casey Lim
Executive Director
A trained musician and Director of Photography, Casey Lim has been acting, directing, designing and creating digital images for more than 20 years. He is one-fourth of collective TAFY (Two-And-Fifty-Years) which founded the Centre in 2014. Casey’s decision to head the centre as its executive director is a testimony of his commitment to the arts in Singapore. He is looking forward to working with, talking and listening to artists and practitioners in Singapore and beyond.
Ma Yanling
Company Manager
Yanling grew up immersed in the performing arts as a hobby, and things took a serious turn towards arts management when she joined the Singapore Arts Festival team 2010-2012. Armed with a marketing degree from the National University of Singapore, several years of experience in the local advertising and creative industry, and some on-stage time as a performer, she hopes to make good her skills in promoting local arts. Yanling joined Centre 42 as its Marketing & Communications Manager when it was first established in 2014. She oversaw the development of C42’s brand identity and communications and was integral to building its foundation as a theatre development space and intermediary. She is excited by the depth of Singapore theatre history, and the diversity of local talent in Singapore.
Lee Shu Yu
Programmes Executive
Shu Yu is a graduate from the National University of Singapore’s Theatre Studies Programme and a freelance theatre practitioner from Singapore. Her professional and personal interests lie in critical and creative ideation and the development of communities. In her theatrical pursuits, she has been a conceptualist, stage manager, documentor and critic, having co-founded Spacebar Theatre (M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020, ExxonMobil Campus Concerts 2019) and worked with platforms like ArtsEquator and The Necessary Stage. Beyond the arts, she is an active volunteer at Kolam Ayer Whampoa South Residents Committee and with National Youth Council’s Young Changemakers in the capacity of Senior Curator. She also enjoys arts and crafts, casual film photography, traditional Balinese performance and popular dance.
Jaclyn Chong
Programmes Executive
Jaclyn finds joy in supporting artists through their creative process, and is especially passionate about interdisciplinary, collaborative projects. She has taken on varied roles in events planning, communications, arts administration and stage management, in both the visual arts and theatre, working for organisations such as NUS Museum, RAW Moves, Art & Market, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore and most recently National Arts Council for Singapore Art Week.
Eugene Koh
Documentation Executive
As a university student, Eugene participated in various projects under Centre 42’s umbrella of programmes, from The Vault: Project Understudy, The Vault: @thisisemeraldgirl, as well as presenting 3 Rules of Whore at Late Night Texting 2016 under Saga Seed’s Seedy Stories. He is also a co-founder of new experimental theatre node, Spacebar Theatre, which presented The Utama Spaceship at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) in Theatre Studies from the National University of Singapore. Outside of theatre, Eugene’s interests are wide and varied, from collecting banknotes, to reading up about writing systems, to dabbling in film photography
Charlotte Tan
Digital Marketing Trainee
Charlotte’s interests lie in literature, theatre and photography. As a recent Sociology and Arts and Culture Management graduate from Singapore Management University, she aspires to be an arts manager who communicates the value of the arts to bridge divides and offer meaningful experiences. Outside of work, she can be found with her camera capturing moments and crafting them into stories through street and film photography.
Nadia Carr
Digital Design Trainee
Nadia has always had an interest in theatre and performing arts, where up till now she was only an audience member. Prior to her stint at Centre 42, she was a Casting Director for a talent search platform, where she specialized in casting for on-screen talent in commercials and films. She is excited to discover more of the local arts scene and meet fellow arts practitioners in Singapore.
(From left) Casey Lim, Leslie Lee, Andy Tan, Chiu Chien Seen. (Not pictured) Ong Pei Yun.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Andy Tan
Andy Tan is an alumnus of Victoria Junior College’s Theatre Studies and Drama programme. The Singapore theatre and arts scene is an enduring passion of his. He has been involved in Singapore theatre in various capacities, ranging from acting to directing, stage management and production management, and has worked with several theatre companies including Singapore Repertory Theatre and Luna-id. He also collaborated on award-winning productions such as Luna-id’s The Physicists and One Flea Spare. As a student at the University of Chicago in 2006, he directed the Singaporean and Malaysian Student Union’s staging of Dick Lee’s Beauty World to an audience of 800 international and American students. Andy believes that Centre 42 is an integral part of the Singaporean arts community and ecosystem
Professionally, Andy is the Head of Loan Syndicate for South Asia in Credit Suisse’s Asia Pacific Strategic Product. He is also a board member of Credit Counselling Singapore (CCS), a non-profit organisation and a registered charity helping individuals address their unsecured debt problems.
Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Chicago and a Master of Science in Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was a Sloan Fellow and a Robert L. Joss Scholar. He also received a Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation from the Stanford GSB.
Casey Lim
A trained musician and Director of Photography, Casey Lim has been acting, directing, designing and creating digital images for more than 20 years. Casey was the Associate Artistic Director of Theatreworks (1999). He co-founded Checkpoint Theatre and was the Co-Artistic Director from 2003 to 2007. He also served as a panel member in the Singapore Arts Festival’s Programme Advisory Committee from 2003 to 2006. He was the creative director for the Army Museum Object Theatre in 2007, and was the multimedia consultant for SAF’s NS45 island-wide exhibitions in 2012.
As a theatre director, Casey has always staged plays that were written by local playwrights. The latest two collaborations with Robin Loon were Casting Back (Esplanade ‘s 10th Anniversary 2012) and to translate A Language of Their Own into男男自语 (Singapore Arts Festival 2012). In terms of incubation work, Casey was the artistic director of GTG: Got To Go – an all-night festival of new writing for the Singapore stage organised by TheatreWorks in 1998. Casey curated a series of new writings from up-and-coming playwrights and established writers for a 12-hour round the clock staging on various sites on Fort Canning.
Chiu Chien Seen
Trained in accountancy, Chien Seen has over 20 years of experience spanning across an array of industries such as theatre, tourism, leisure, hospitality, manufacturing, audit and banking. He has been described as a financial and operational strategist with a tinge of creative flair.
In between his professional career, Chien Seen ventured into the performing arts and was one of the founding members of Checkpoint Theatre Limited. He was also its General Manager (2003 to 2007) and Company Producer for Cogito (Singapore Arts Festival 2007), A Language of Their Own (2006), Opiume (Singapore Arts Festival 2004 & Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival 2004), Election Day (2004) and Atomic Jaya (2003). More recently, he was an independent Producer for Casting Back (Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary 2012) and «男男自语» (Singapore Arts Festival 2012).
As one-fourth of the TAFY collective that founded Centre 42, Chien Seen’s commitment to the centre is underscored by his conviction that the centre marks a credible shift in arts operations and cultural capital development in Singapore.
Leslie Lee
Leslie has over two decades of experience and expertise in the arts and entertainment industry – from theatre to radio, digital and television – and has held management roles not only in programming, but marketing and public relations as well, in companies such as TheatreWorks Singapore, SAFRA Radio, Viacom Asia, Singapore Tourism Board and Mediacorp Singapore. He is the Executive Director for Media Networks for the Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, where he manages all branded platforms and content in the region. This includes the programming, operations, acquisitions, co-production, localization and driving strategy for the company’s content and franchises across platforms, including the linear television network comprising Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD, digital products, as well as branded blocks on Free-To-Air channels. Leslie also oversees content and media distribution for Singapore and Malaysia. As a contributor to the Media industry in Singapore and Malaysia, Leslie is a Member of the Nanyang Polytechnic Diploma in Mass Media Management (DMMM) Industry Panel, and the Digital Content Fund Evaluation Committee at the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. He also sits on the Programming Exco of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content, where he doubles up as a jury member of the annual Cross Platform Content Super Pitch.
Having started his career as a PR assistant at TheatreWorks, Leslie hopes to give back to the arts in any way he can, to ensure that the community and industry continue to inspire Singaporeans to think, create and question the world around us.
Ong Pei Yun
Graduated with a double major in Economics and East Asian Studies from the University of Chicago, Peiyun is a firm supporter of sustainable development and the arts. Her passion for these twin causes has always guided her as she took on positions in the fields of marine environment, shipping, and arts and heritage. She recently co-founded an indoor urban farm Urbanculture, to bring fresh and clean produce to the community through sustainable and ethical farming.
While never a practitioner of the arts, she is a huge supporter of the arts and culture. Peiyun used to guide at the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore as a mandarin docent. She previously led the development team at the National Museum of Singapore/ National Heritage Board to secure support and funding for the museum and festivals.
Her stint as a fundraiser has strengthened her conviction that arts is an essential part of our lives; it inspires and gives hope to the community, particularly in difficult times. She endeavours to work with the team at Centre 42 to support aspiring playwrights and encourages more to come forward to support the local art scene. Every little bit makes a tremendous difference.
(From top left, clockwise) Casey Lim, Chiu Chien Seen, Michele Lim, Robin Loon
CO-FOUNDERS, TAFY
Centre 42 was founded by the collective TAFY (Two-And-Fifty-Years). Appointed in May 2013 as the National Arts Council’s programme partner for the Centre, TAFY aspires to review, consolidate, acknowledge, celebrate and contemplate the rich and diverse heritage and legacy of Singapore English Language Theatre.
Casey Lim
A trained musician and Director of Photography, Casey Lim has been acting, directing, designing and creating digital images for more than 20 years. Casey was the Associate Artistic Director of Theatreworks (1999). He co-founded Checkpoint Theatre and was the Co-Artistic Director from 2003 to 2007. He also served as a panel member in the Singapore Arts Festival’s Programme Advisory Committee from 2003 to 2006. He was the creative director for the Army Museum Object Theatre in 2007, and was the multimedia consultant for SAF’s NS45 island-wide exhibitions in 2012.
As a theatre director, Casey has always staged plays that were written by local playwrights. The latest two collaborations with Robin Loon were Casting Back (Esplanade ‘s 10th Anniversary 2012) and to translate A Language of Their Own into男男自语 (Singapore Arts Festival 2012).
In terms of incubation work, Casey was the artistic director of GTG: Got To Go – an all-night festival of new writing for the Singapore stage organised by TheatreWorks in 1998. Casey curated a series of new writings from up-and-coming playwrights and established writers for a 12-hour round the clock staging on various sites on Fort Canning.
Chiu Chien Seen
Trained in accountancy, Chien Seen has over 20 years of experience spanning across an array of industries such as theatre, tourism, leisure, hospitality, manufacturing, audit and banking. He has been described as a financial and operational strategist with a tinge of creative flair.
In between his professional career, Chien Seen ventured into the performing arts and was one of the founding members of Checkpoint Theatre Limited. He was also its General Manager (2003 to 2007) and Company Producer for Cogito (Singapore Arts Festival 2007), A Language of Their Own (2006), Opiume (Singapore Arts Festival 2004 & Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival 2004), Election Day (2004) and Atomic Jaya (2003). More recently, he was an independent Producer for Casting Back (Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary 2012) and «男男自语» (Singapore Arts Festival 2012).
Michele Lim
Michele Lim has been involved in the Singapore arts scene as an arts management consultant, theatre educator and producer for over 2 decades. Her professional journey in the arts began in 1991 when she joined TheatreWorks as its PR manager and eventually became its General Manager (1991 – 2000). Michele is also one of the founding members of the Singapore Drama Educator’s Association where she has held the posts of president, treasurer and advisor.
A fervent advocate for a balanced and productive arts eco-system, Michele has devoted many years to raising public awareness of the importance and value of the arts in the everyday life, and about Singapore’s performing arts legacy. It is with this same fervor that Michele became part of TAFY.
As a management consultant in the areas of strategic planning and review, organisational performance, business development and communications, Michele works with many diverse sectors in the arts – ranging from the performing arts organisations (theatre, dance and music), industry organisations, government agencies and educational institutions. She teaches part time at LASALLE College of the Arts, and also designs and conducts customised arts management in-house training for organisations.
Her recent credits as producer include:《六根不宁》I came at last to the seas [by The Theatre Practice for Esplanade’s Huayi Festival 2018]; Dark Room [by Edith Podesta for Esplanade Studio Commission, 2016] ; Returning / 回归 [by Mdm Goh Lay Kuan for Singapore International Festival of Arts Festival 2015];望远行 MovingHorizon : A Nanyin Journey [Esplanade’s Huayi Festival 2014]; Dream Country [Singapore Arts Festival 2012]; The Perfection of 10 [Esplanade Studio Season 2012], and Flash: Backward/Forward – A Video Installation [Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary 2012].
Robin Loon
Dr Robin Loon is a playwright, academic, dramaturg and general nosey-parker who has been ‘credited’ with bringing together Michele Lim, Chiu Chien Seen & Casey Lim to form the TAFY collective.
Robin’s professional play-writing career began as a member of the first Theatreworks’ Writers’ Laboratory in 1990. As a playwright, Robin Loon’s recent works include contributing text to LIFT [TheatreWorks, 2013]. as writer and dramaturg of CASTING BACK [Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary 2012], as translator & dramaturg for 男男自语 [Singapore Arts Festival 2012], as writer & dramaturg of BLUE PRINCE [The Blue Statemen, 2012], as writer of MATA HATI [Teater Ekamatra, 2011].
Apart from play-writing, Robin Loon also consults on many theatre projects as dramaturgs. He was the co-commissioning dramaturg for FULL FRONTAL (2007-2009), a directors’ incubation platform at the Singapore Arts Festival; and subsequently, he was appointed Commissioning dramaturg for OPEN STUDIO (2010-2012), Singapore Arts Festival Platform for new works.
Robin Loon currently teaches the Introduction to Theatre & Performance module & modules in Singapore English Language Theatre & Theatre Criticism at the Theatre Studies Programme, National University of Singapore.