TheatreWorks Writing & Community presents Writings from the Heart. We are dedicated to nurturing and developing new writing from the community. Our script development focuses on exploration and creative dialogue between artists, away from the pressures of performance outcomes.

The eight writers first joined a playwriting workshop by Tony Perez, an internationally renowned playwright and artist. Following the workshop, between June 2014 and March 2015, Perez provided dramaturgical mentorship to these eight writers.

The eight writers will hear their play read by actors and receive feedback from the director and actors during the rehearsals. Making this a perfect opportunity to test a first draft or just a few scenes and interrogate the main landscape of the play with a team of experienced director(s) and actors. Following this phase, will be the public readings on 10 & 11 July. It is not intended that writers will produce a performance-ready script by the end of the entire process; nor to conclude the process with the public reading in July. It is more to get feedback and responses from an interested audience to help contribute to the development of these newly written scripts.

The eight passionate writers come from diverse backgrounds, ranging from students to professionals. They are, Chan Li-Shan, Eliete Vivino, Gabriel Lim, Helmi Yusof, Liow De Jun, Mayura Baweja, Samantha Chia and Serene Tan. Many are inspired by our very own Singapore playwrights and are motivated to give voice to countless stories and issues found in the community that we live in.

Details for the Public Readings

10 July: 8pm – 10pm

We Fell In A Marathon by Gabriel Lim

My Father Wears Bras by Helmi Yusof

Followed by Audience Response

11 July: 12pm – 10 pm

12pm – 2pm

Paper Thin by Mayura Baweja

Hazy Pre-Nuptials by Serene Tan

2pm – 4pm

Audience Response & Break

4pm – 6pm

Conversations with My Father by Chan Lishan

A Feathery Effect by Eliete Vivino

My Promise to My Animal Tamer by Liow De Jun

6pm – 8pm

Audience Response & Break

8pm – 10pm

No Regrets by Samantha Chia

My Mother Buys Condoms by Helmi Yusof

Followed by Audience Response

Directed by Irfan Kasban and Performed by Daphne Ong, Faizal Abdullah, Rachel Poh, Siti Zuraida, Thomas Lim and Yazid Jalil

Free Admission

Venue : 72-13, Mohd Sultan Road, Singapore 239007

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Synopses of Plays

We Fell In A Marathon

by Gabriel Lim

Anthony is just an ordinary guy, until he finds himself coping with the death of his girlfriend. He soon realizes that he is not the only one mourning over her death, threatening his very life. We Fell in a Marathon is an exploration of romanticized relationships and the obligations we fulfill in society.

My Father Wears Bras

by Helmi Yusof

A widower rents a room in his flat to a stranger and soon discovers that the latter frequently cross-dresses. While initially appalled at having him as a tenant, they becomes friends and he's introduced to the world of cross-dressing. This play was written following the events of July 2014 when the National Library removed from its shelves children's books containing LGBTs and single mothers. The play is companion piece to My Mother Buys Condoms, which will be read on Saturday night.

Paper Thin

by Mayura Baweja

Four characters find that their lives are intertwined in a hyper connected world. As they attempt to wall themselves off from what hurts, they discover that help comes from unexpected quarters. Exploring the links between life and writing, fiction and reality, undoing and doing, Paper Thin is about finding hope somewhere in between.

Hazy Pre-Nuptials

by Serene Tan

Soon-to-be bride, Grace wants the most perfect wedding, one that involves more than your typical wedding bells and whistles. She thinks she has found the right man but does she have the right plan? Uncooperative weather, nosy parents and a jittery groom threaten to leave wedding plans hanging in the balance. Will she be ready for the unanticipated pre-nuptial woes leading up to her most anticipated life event? Or will she lose her way in pursuit of the perfect wedding?

Conversations with My Father

by Chan Lishan

When Lishan’s father was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition, she coped with the difficult experience of seeing his body fail him by writing “Conversations with my father". Childhood, memories, local customs, illness, death and suffering are explored in this short play.

A Feathery Effect
by Eliete Vivino

The healing power of pets

After the last of her ducks is served as family dinner, a sad young girl detaches herself from feathery pets. Now an adult and facing a serious illness, she has a powerful encounter with her own son's pet, a bird.

My Promise to my Animal Tamer

by Liow De Jun

My Promise to my Animal Tamer is a poignant story depicting the warm love a mother has for her child. This child with his little companion eventually goes on board a journey of self-discovery as he relives parts of his life.

No Regrets

by Samantha Chia

Amanda has a good life. She has a loving boyfriend and a stable career. At least, that's what her mother says. When Amanda finally decides to walk down a different path, a series of unexpected events occurs...

My Mother Buys Condoms

by Helmi Yusof

A woman in her 60s, separated from her husband, decides to have a sex life again. When her children and neighbours find out, she is instantly branded and ostracised. The play was inspired by the July 2014 debates that stemmed from the National Library's removal of children's books containing LGBTs and single mothers. It's a companion piece to My Father Wears Bras, which was read on Friday night.