The thespian, who is a 2020 Gen.T honouree, will play nine different characters to explore gender identities and stereotypes in the long-awaited show, which takes place during National Day week
Come National Day week, from August 10 to 13, actress and playwright Jo Tan will be restaging her award-winning play, King. Also known as one-third of the iconic musical cabaret trio group Dim Sum Dollies, Tan first conceptualised the play in 2020 for the T:>Works’ Festival of Women NOW, a festival dedicated to women creatives, thought leaders and their work.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, its initial run could not be performed on stage, so it was broadcasted over live stream. It reached more than 3,000 online viewers in Singapore and abroad, as well as picked up five nominations at 2022 The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards and won two of them: Best Actress and Best Original Script.
Through the play, audiences will be invited to think about how they navigate discrimination, expectations and blindspots, and how to embrace their identities free of judgement and fear. They will follow the story of the main character Geok Yen, who discovers the confidence to speak her truth when she dresses up as a drag king named Stirling de Silva to an office party.
Here are five additional facts to know about King.