Chinese-language student theatre in Singapore

With the resumption of Chinese-language education in Singapore after World War II, Chinese-medium schools began forming their own drama clubs. Vibrant theatre activities of schools not only became a major cultural force of the Chinese community at that time but also provided the development of Chinese theatre in Singapore with a vital pool of talent. It can be said that theatre activities in schools have significantly contributed to the growth and development of modern Chinese theatre in Singapore.

Back then, the schools with the most influential student theatre activities were Chung Cheng High School and The Chinese High School. Other schools involved in theatre activities included Pen Min School, Keok Beng School, Yock Eng High School, The Chinese Industrial & Commercial Continuation School, Nanyang Girls’ High School, Kai Kok School, Nan Hwa Girls’ School, Nan Chiau Girls’ High School, Chim Hua School and Ai Tong School.¹

Chung Cheng High School (Main) Drama Club

Founded in 1939, Chung Cheng High School set up a “little drama club” shortly after its establishment. In November 1940, the club staged the famous play The Government Inspector by Russian playwright Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852). In 1947, Chung Cheng High School Drama Club was officially established, and it staged Qundai Feng (Nepotism) by Chinese playwrights Hong Mo (birth and death years unknown) and Pan Jienong (1909–1993) at the Victoria Memorial Hall (current Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall) later that year. Chung Cheng Drama Club held public performances every year. In particular, the staging of Cao Yu’s (1910–1996) celebrated play Jia (Family) at the Victoria Theatre in March 1954 caused a sensation. The scale and high standard of the production marked a groundbreaking achievement in school theatre at the time, and it was also the first time Jia was staged in full outside China.

In 1966, amid politically turbulent times, Chung Cheng Drama Club was ordered to cease activities. Throughout the 1970s, the school’s drama activities fell into silence. In 1981, Chung Cheng High School (Main) Chinese Drama Club was established, and started putting up a drama production titled Hu Pan Liu Hen (later renamed Hu Pan Liu Heng) since 1985. In 2004, to mark its 65^th anniversary, Chung Cheng High School (Main) performed Lake Odyssey, a large-scale production at the Esplanade, becoming the first drama club of a local secondary school to perform at the venue.

The Chinese High School Dramatic Association and Chinese Drama Society

The Chinese High School was founded in March 1919. In April 1922, the school held a drama and variety performance to mark its third anniversary, staging three baihua (plain Chinese) plays over three consecutive evenings at Eu Tong Sen Street. The event brought together prominent figures in the local business community, making it the most influential school theatre activity at that time.

In 1952, The Chinese High School set up the Dramatic Research Association, which was renamed the Dramatic Association in 1957. In 1959, the association staged an adaptation of Lu Xun (1881–1936)’s novel The True Story of Ah Q at the Victoria Theatre. With 971 members, the association was at its peak then.

Owing to the political situation at that time, The Chinese High School Dramatic Association disbanded in 1964 and remained dormant for a decade. In 1974, The Chinese High School reestablished a drama group under its Chinese Society, and held theatre activities in the campus during annual celebrations.

In 1990, alumnus Han Lao Da returned to The Chinese High to teach, and paved the way for the establishment of the Chinese Drama Society. In 1991, The play Tan Kah Kee Story, written and directed by Han, premiered at the Victoria Theatre.

In 1996, Yang Wenzhong joined The Chinese High School and became the artistic director of its Chinese Drama Society. In March 2001, he wrote and directed the three-act epic drama Tan Kah Kee Story staged at the school’s Drama Centre. As a repertory of the Chinese Drama Society, the play was restaged multiple times, while a condensed version is performed to Secondary 1 students every year on the school’s Founder’s Day. Other productions written and directed by Yang include immersive drama Lee Kong Chian (premiered in 2004/restaged in 2017), five-act drama Ong Teng Cheong — on the Road to Istana (2007), historical play A Century in a Moment: Sun Yat-sen and the 1911 Chinese Revolution (a special presentation in 2011 to mark the 100^th anniversary of the 1911 Chinese Revolution), the eight-act play Catastrophe: Chronicles of the 1966 Cultural Revolution (a special presentation in 2016 reflecting on the 50^th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution), and the large-scale Hwa Chong Centennial Musical (presented in 2019 to commemorate the school’s centenary).

Theatre activities of other secondary schools

Nanyang Girls’ High School also has a strong tradition of school theatre. In the early years, its students staged productions such as The Sorrows of Young Werther (1928) and The Chilly Night (1951). In September 1970, the first Nanyang Night concert was held at the National Theatre. Thereafter, the annual Nanyang Night performances, which featured drama, continued for many years.

In 1987, to commemorate its 70^th anniversary, Nanyang Girls’ High School staged a period drama adapted from the classical Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber at the Victoria Theatre. Subsequent productions presented at the Victoria Theatre include Ginseng Doll (1988), Chinese and English versions of the Indonesian legend Princess Jasmine (1988), Chinese and English versions of Chinese folk tale Ma Lan Hua (1991) and musical Liu San Jie (1994).

In recent years, the school’s drama society was restructured into the bilingual Theatre Club Nanyang, whose productions include the centenary musical Nanyang 100, Sing! (2017) and Lim Kai Fu (2024).

The Chinese Society of Dunman High School was formed in 1965 and renamed the Chinese Drama Society in 1986. In 2006, with the launch of the school’s Integrated Programme,² its junior college section also set up a Chinese society, which started to stage the annual drama showcase Xi ju mumahuang (Gathering Under the Casuarina Trees). In 2022, the secondary and junior college Chinese societies merged to form the Dunman High School Chinese Society. Its first large-scale production following the merger, Sha Sha, was an original stage play jointly written and directed by students from both sections to celebrate the school’s 60^th anniversary. Since the 2000s, Dunman High School Chinese Society has continued to promote the creation and performance of original plays, with notable works such as Blind Spot (2009) and Chasing Dreams (2012).

Other schools have also attempted large-scale productions. For instance, the Chinese Drama Society of Catholic High School has staged major plays such as Together (2009), Neighbouring Wars 2 (2016) and The Trial (2016), in collaboration with Singapore Chinese Girls’ School and Chung Cheng High School (Yishun), as well as A New Station Chief Falls from the Sky (2018), Soaring High (2022), and Game of Life (2024).

Theatre activities of five junior colleges

Singapore reformed the pre-university system in the 1960s and 1970s, leading to the establishment of junior colleges. The earliest of them to stage drama performances were Hwa Chong Junior College and National Junior College, followed by Nanyang Junior College, Temasek Junior College and Victoria Junior College. Hwa Chong Junior College and Nanyang Junior College were formed from the senior-middle sections of The Chinese High School and Chung Cheng High School (Main) respectively. Theatre activities of the two junior colleges therefore go back to the strong theatre traditions of their predecessor schools.

Established in 1969, National Junior College is Singapore’s first junior college. Its Chinese Drama Society stages the drama performance Ye chuan zhi sheng (The Sound of the Leaf Cluster) every year.

Temasek Junior College established its literary, debate and drama society in 1977, which was officially renamed “Chinese Drama” in 2018. Over the years, the school has consistently presented its drama showcase Temasek Nite — a tradition it continues to this day.

Of the five junior colleges, Victoria Junior College is the only one offering a Theatre Studies and Drama Programme, and its Chinese Society stages the drama performance Hai cheng zhi ye (An Evening in Sea City) every year.

Nanyang Junior College initially named its annual theatre event either Cultural Night or Drama Festival. In 1989, the annual performance was renamed Bai Yun Gang, which continues to be staged to this day.

Hwa Chong Junior College initially performed both Chinese and English drama performances at its Drama Festival. In 1981, Quah Sy Ren, then a student at Hwa Chong and president of the school’s Chinese Society, organised a public Chinese-language show, An Evening of Drama, with a group of like-minded classmates. In 1982, it was staged at the school auditorium as a variety show featuring songs, dances, recitations, crosstalk and short plays. In 1990, after completing his studies, Quah returned to teach at his alma mater, and introduced new elements to the annual event. For instance, he transformed the performance from a variety show to a purely drama production, brought in professional theatre practitioners as artistic mentors, and maintained that all works should be written, directed and performed by students. These approaches established the unique identity and reputation of An Evening of Drama in the local student theatre scene.

Singapore Youth Festival’s drama presentations

First held in July 1967, the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) has become an annual event organised by the Ministry of Education to showcase the development and achievements of Singapore’s youth in the co-curricular arena. Over the years, SYF has flourished, with more students participating in its activities and performances each year. Each year, the festival begins with an Arts Presentation and Exhibition, followed by Celebrations which includes the National Drama Competition. Initially, the competition was only for English-language drama and performances. Since 2007, the festival has formally incorporated multilingual theatre, including Chinese-language drama, in its Arts Presentation.

The SYF and co-curricular drama activities in schools today are great driving forces behind the popularisation and development of theatre activities in local primary and secondary schools.