Calling all emerging Peranakan theatre-makers!
Join our Peranakan Devising Lab led by Alvin Tan and guest lecturers, where you'll dive deep into Peranakan heritage while creating new theatre.
We are inviting 8–10 emerging Peranakan and Peranakan-identifying theatre-makers to join the Peranakan Devising Lab, an intensive programme led by The Necessary Stage's Artistic Director Alvin Tan along with guest lecturers, dedicated to creating new theatre rooted in Peranakan (Baba Nyonya) living heritage.
This is an opportunity for artists who are deeply interested in Peranakan heritage, preferably with theatre or performance experience, and who wish to deepen their artistic practice through cultural transmission, language work, and guided devising.
Priority will be given to practitioners of Peranakan heritage, but we invite theatre-makers who may not be from the culture but are interested in Peranakan heritage to apply as well.
Selected participants will develop and present a 15–30 minute original theatre work informed by Peranakan history, language, and performance traditions.
The Lab includes:
* Training in Baba Malay (with support)
* Wayang Peranakan and dondang sayang workshops
* Lectures on Peranakan performance history and social life
* Supervised devising with cultural mentors and dramaturgs
Who should apply:
*Peranakan actors, theatre-makers, writers, directors, and performance artists
* Non-Peranakan practitioners with prior performance or theatre-making experience who are interested in exploring and deepening their understanding and appreciation of Peranakan culture and heritage, and who are willing to learn the language, history and performance conventions
* Artists committed to cultural responsibility, learning, and revision
This is not a beginner workshop. It is an intensive, heritage-based creation lab:
– There is no need to have any theatre work staged, or any performance experience, but one must have a theatre or performance interest and exposure to theatre as a discipline, and/or a love for literature.
– Not for those with no interest in learning about Peranakan culture intensively
– Attendance is estimated at a total of 6 hours per month (2 hours of lecture on Zoom and 4 hours of workshop – physical meeting).
– You are expected to cover at least 85% overall attendance for this programme.
Workshop Fee:
$500 (pending confirmation of eligibility for SkillsFuture credit. Please note that the SkillsFuture credit is only eligible for Singapore citizens aged 25 and above.)
To access the application form and view the list of materials required fro submission, please visit
bit.ly/PeranakanLabForm
Please note that the call for applications close on Monday 23 February 2026, 12pm.