When the pandemic restrictions kicked in and live performances were banned in 2020, arts practitioners found a way to show their craft: by taking their shows online. Sim Yan Ying, a theatre artist who’s based in Singapore and New York, invited Alvin Tan to co-direct Who’s There?, a Zoom-based production presented by New Ohio Theatre that involved artists from the US, Malaysia and Singapore.

Tan accepted the challenge, taking two months, instead of nine usually, to produce a brand-new piece of work. Such is the dedication and verve of Tan, the founder and artistic director of The Necessary Stage since 1987, who is also co-artistic director of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival.

Known for the socio-anthropological approach in his work, Tan has directed more than 70 plays, including Lanterns Never Go Out (1989), More (1991), Still Building (1992), Pillars (1997) and godeatgod (2002), which were staged locally and at international festivals. In 2006, his Off Centre (from 1993) became the first Singaporean play to be offered as a literature text for students’ GCE ‘O’-Levels.

Tan has received accolades such as the Fulbright Scholarship, the Cultural Medallion of Singapore and the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture.