Tan Tarn How is a Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

an playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

 and senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)

Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)

The Institute of Policy Studies was established in 1988 as a think-tank dedicated to fostering good governance in Singapore through strategic policy research and discussion....

. His plays have been staged in Singapore and Hong Kong, and have won numerous awards. In 2011, Epigram Books

Epigram Books

Epigram Books is a Singapore-based independent publisher that publishes fiction and non-fiction with a focus on Asiatic themes and a strong emphasis on design. They also produce commemorative books and coffee table books for galleries, corporations and other institutions.The company was established...

 published a collection of six of his plays.

Education and career

Tan Tarn How graduated from Peterhouse, Cambridge

Peterhouse, Cambridge

Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...

 in 1982 with Bachelor of Arts Honours, Natural Sciences Tripos. He then obtained a Diploma in Education from the Institute of Education, Singapore in 1984. Tan was also a recipient of a three-month Fulbright Scholarship to Boston University in 1993.

Tan Tarn How is currently working for Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore. Prior to this, he worked at The Straits Times

The Straits Times

The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...

, Singapore's main local newspaper, from 1987–1996 and 1999 to 2005. Posts he held at The Straits Times include Science and Technology editor, Sunday Review editor, Life! deputy editor, senior political correspondent and also a foreign correspondent based in Beijing and Hong Kong.

From 1997 to 1999, Tan was Head Scriptwriter for Drama, Productions Five at the Singapore Television Corporation (now known as Mediacorp

MediaCorp

Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....

.

Tan Tarn How has also been a teacher and television scriptwriter. He is also the part-time Associate Artistic Director of the drama company Theatreworks, where he has been leading workshops for budding playwrights.

Others

• 1997 Attended the Shenandoah International Playwrights Retreat in Virginia, sponsored by the Singapore National Arts Council and Shenanarts
• 1989-93 Member of the Theatreworks Writers' Laboratory
• 1989 and 1990 Dramaturge to young playwrights of the Gifted Programme Arts Enrichment Programme

Home (1993)

Staged by Theatreworks in 1990. Re-staged by Nanyang Technological University Playhouse.

Undercover (1994)

Tan Tarn How was joint winner of the National Book Development Council Drama Award in 1996 for this play.

The First Emperor's Last Days (1998)

This play was staged for the Singapore Arts Festival by TheatreWorks. Later, it was staged for the Asian Performing Arts Festival in Hong Kong by Chung Ying Theatre. The play won the Hong Kong Best Ten Productions of The Year Award.

Machine (2002)

Machine was staged in Singapore at The Black Box, Fort Canning by Theatreworks. Tan won Best Script in Singapore’s premier theatre award, The 3rd DBS Life! Theatre Awards, for Machine in 2003.

Fear of Writing (2011)

Staged by Theatreworks, with Ong Keng Sen as Director and an all-female cast.

Publications

• The Lady of Soul and Her Ultimate 'S' Machine
• Six Plays (Epigram Books
  Epigram Books
  Epigram Books is a Singapore-based independent publisher that publishes fiction and non-fiction with a focus on Asiatic themes and a strong emphasis on design. They also produce commemorative books and coffee table books for galleries, corporations and other institutions.The company was established...
  
  , 2011)
• Personality + Power = Changes Unlikely (Tan Tarn How, Arun Mahizhnan, ed., Singapore Perspectives 2004: At the Dawn of a New Era, Marshall Cavendish Academic for IPS, 2004)

Articles

Some articles Tan Tarn How wrote for The Straits Times

The Straits Times

The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...

:

• July 28, 2002 Kampung Boys Across Causeway All Grown Up http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/analysis/story/0,1870,134334,00.html
• July 25, 2002 Competition Spurs Malaysia And Singapore http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/singapore/story/0,1870,133935,00.html
• July 22, 2002 Government Cuts Apron Strings With Home-Loan Policy Shift http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,133286,00.html
• July 8, 2002 12 Bills Passed, But So Many Missed Chances
• July 6, 2002 Probe Into Web Articles Spooks Net Community http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,130265,00.html
• July 6, 2002 Public Money, But Who Does Public TV Serve? http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,1870,130219,00.html

External links

• http://tantarnhow.blogspot.com/
• http://tantarnhow.wordpress.com/
• http://inkpot.com/theatre/02reviews/02revmach.html (Flying Inkpot review of 'Machine')