Show and tell: Ivan Heng celebrates a decade of W!ld Rice theater

Ivan Heng is, arguably, Singapore’s most prominent theater personality. The pioneering local theater director, actor, playwright and designer has had his works played in festivals and theatres in more than 20 cities around the world but local theater-goers will know him best in his role as the founding artistic director of theater company W!ld Rice (and yes, the exclamation mark is deliberate).

This marks the company’s tenth anniversary and it’s a great time to reflect on its achievements and future goals. And the first obvious question would be if the vision for the company when it started has been achieved, 10 years on.

One man to 100,000

“We set out to create theater with a distinctly Singaporean voice that reflects the possibilities and problems of our time,” says Heng. “Over the past decade, the company has grown from one that produced my one-man shows, to one that reaches out to an audience of more than 100,000 annually, from all ages and walks of life, in Singapore and internationally. 

“Personally, it has been very fulfilling to realize our vision of making home-grown works relevant and exciting to an enthusiastic following. It has been wonderful to contribute in a major way in building the audience and their appreciation of theater, and to create an open and supportive platform for artists to make their best work.”

As someone who’s been involved in theater in various countries, Heng sure is qualified to judge how our local scene stands up against the big guns and what its potential is.

Finding its voice

“The scene here is diverse, burgeoning, exciting and some of the talent here ranks up there with some of the best I have worked with,” he reveals. “But, in some ways, the scene here is like an adolescent youth that needs to grow in strength and confidence. And this requires a supportive, nurturing environment and freedom to find its voice.”

With a law degree from the National University of Singapore under his belt, Heng now goes by various titles -- director, actor, playwright, designer, amongst others. While many of us might see it as having too many roles to juggle, Heng manages to effortlessly mix them all together.

“I’m a theater artist, and these are all different aspects of that,” he explains. “Each one engages a different part of the imagination and demands a different discipline. In any given production, I could direct, write and design, but I’d never direct myself as an actor.”

Theater-goers will know that W!ld Rice is known for producing unique, interesting and entertaining shows and, just like any of us who have our favorites, Heng also reveals some of his productions that he’s most proud of.

Iconic shows to celebrate

“Animal Farm, Boeing Boeing, Cinderel-lah! and Emily of Emerald Hill are four iconic shows that are ground breaking for their confident direction, great acting, high production values and, not least, an innovative and interesting point of view. Over the past decade, they’ve captured the public’s imagination. We are thrilled to present them as a season celebrating our 10th Anniversary.”

So, after reaching the 10-year milestone, what next?

“We plan to nurture and develop the next generation of theater artists,” Heng reveals. “The work has already begun through programs such as Young & W!LD which trains aspiring actors, and Chilli Padi which reaches out to Youth and Schools. The OCBC Singapore Theatre festival is dedicated to developing new writing.”

Heng also reveals that one of his lingering ambitions is to direct a feature film. Considering how many feathers he already has in his cap, don't be surprised if he adds Hollywood hit to the mix soon. 

getting there

Animal Farm: The Play
Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library Building
100 Victoria Street, Singapore
April 21 to May 8, 2010
Tickets from $34 via Sistic
www.wildrice.com.sg