Esplanade Presents
Bitesize
Introduction to Playwriting by Haresh Sharma
10 Oct 09, Sat, 2pm
Esplanade Bay Room
$15
BUY TICKETS AT Sistic or call (65) 6348 5555


There is a world of difference between watching plays and writing them. If you have ever read the written version of a play, you will realize that someone meticulously thought out not just what the actors speak but also the stage directions, costuming, lights, sound, setting and props, etc…

Award-winning professional playwright Haresh Sharma sheds some light on the intricacies of play-writing and gives a general overview on how theatre in Singapore has developed over the years.

There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask Haresh questions on the topics of writing plays, Singapore theatre or his own experience as a playwright and theatre academic.

Come if you are interested in local theatre, writing or simply just to demystify the notion of plays for yourself. No prior knowledge of theatre or writing is necessary.



Biography

Haresh Sharma has been the full-time Resident Playwright of The Necessary Stage since 1990. Together with Alvin Tan, he is also the co-Artistic Director of the annual M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. To date he has written more than 60 plays which have been staged in Singapore, Glasgow, Birmingham, London, Dublin, Cairo, Melbourne, Busan, Seoul, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Hungary, Romania and Tokyo.

Haresh has an MA in Playwriting from the University of Birmingham, obtained in 1994 on a Shell-NAC Scholarship. He has also been awarded fellowships and grants by the British Council and the United States Information Service, and was conferred the Young Artist Award in 1997.

He has two published collections of plays – ‘Still Building’ (awarded the Singapore Literature Prize and the Singapore Book Prize) and ‘This Chord and Others’. Another play, Off Centre, was published by Ethos Books in 2000.

His plays have been taught at Universities and schools and adapted for film and television. He has been an adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore and has helmed workshops and programmes for new and emerging writers both in Singapore and internationally. He also writes plays for youth and community outreach on social issues.

In 2006, Off Centre, was selected by the Ministry of Education as a Literature text for ‘N’ and ‘O’ levels. In 2007, Ethos Books published Interlogue: Studies in Singapore Literature, Vol. 6, written by Prof David Birch and edited by A/P Kirpal Singh, which presented an extensive investigation of Haresh's work over the past 20 years.

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Bitesize is a series of talks and workshops that introduces various aspects of the arts to the general public.
Held once a month and conducted by industry professionals, Bitesize is aimed at beginners of all ages and enables them to speak with arts practitioners up close to find out more about their work and specific art forms.