Ong Keng Sen

Ong  Keng Sen, is a Singaporean theatre director who is known around the  world for his innovative approach to performance and theatre making.  Often utilising his unique approach of combining both Eastern and  Western performance traditions, he creates theatre that is truly  multi-cultural, crossing boundaries and borders to reach the essence of  what performance means today.

Ong’s  approach focuses on embracing differences whether that be artforms,  people, nationalities or cultures, and he remains fascinated by how  theatre-making can be combined with film, music, dance and visual arts  to “combust together” and create a live work of art.

Ong’s  believes the true skills of a theatre director are not only to be a  problem solver but also an expert in human communications, and he uses  these skills to enable artists of different nationalities create new  perspectives and experiences.

One  example of this is his long-running Flying Circus Project, which brings  together established artists from around the world for a residency  programme to collaborate with the emerging, local artists in countries  such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. The project offers an opportunity  for artists to think, exchange and challenge ideas, creating a unique  and powerful environment for learning.

This  expansive and welcoming approach, guided by the principles of human  rights and justice, has placed him as one of the leading voices in the  Singaporean art world. As the Artistic Director of TheatreWorks, Keng  Sen was charged with developing Singaporean writing and theatre, and he  guided the artists he was working with to confront the injustices of the  past to create a new and independent vision of their own cultural  identity and representation.

He  then furthered this agenda by becoming the first artist to direct the  Singapore International Festival of Arts, increasing audience numbers  and participation in the festival, as well as raising awareness of  Singaporean art through international partnerships.

Ong  believes his greatest work is when a production goes beyond simply good  theatre but also has a cultural, social or political impact. He says,  “Of course the imperative if you are a theatre director or a fashion  designer or a scientist, (is to) make good work…but to do something more  than that is a great privilege and an opportunity.”

Source: University of the Arts – London