Desmond Sim



Singapore Infopedia

Background

Desmond Sim Kim Jin (b. 1961, Singapore–) is a playwright, poet, short-story writer and painter. He is best known for his short stories and plays that he has penned and staged.He has won the Singapore Literature Prize for Poetry (Merit) for his collection of poems Places Where I’ve Been (1993); the NUS/Shell Short Play Competition for both Story Teller and Red Man, Green Man in 1990; the first Hewlett Packard/Action Theatre 10-minute Play Contest with Drunken Prawns in 1993; and the Best Original Script award at the 2002 DBS Life! Theatre Awards with Autumn Tomyam.2 

Sim’s wide-ranging portfolio includes his work for the Singapore Airport Terminal Services, his role as playwright for TheatreWorks, and teaching duties at Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Design as well as LASALLE College of the Arts. 3 He was also the executive creative director and founding partner of The Green House Group.4 He held the position of associate artistic director at ACTION Theatre and ran its Singapore Theatre Oasis, an incubator programme for new and existing Singaporean playwrights.5

Education and career
Sim was educated at St Gabriel’s School, National Junior College and the National University of Singapore (NUS). He won a place in Japan Airline’s summer session scholarship at Sophia University to study Japanese theatre and art history in 1985. Later, he earned his Master of Arts in English language and literature at NUS.6 In 1990, he helped set up the Writers’ Laboratory for TheatreWorks, and was its first writer-in-residence when the programme was launched in 1991.7 In the same year, he was awarded a three-month scholarship to the Fulbright Professional Programme, to study and participate in theatres across the United States (namely New York, Kentucky, Montana and Seattle). From 1991 to August 2002, Sim was the executive creative director of Green House Design & Communications, an e-commerce design, marketing and communications firm.8


Poetry
Sim has been an active creative writer since young, and his poems have been read on Radio and Television Singapore.9 He has won top prizes in national competitions for writing and poetry.10 In 1989, he bagged the second prize in the national short story writing competition organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore.11 In 1993, he won the Singapore Literature Prize Merit Award (Poetry) for his entry, Places Where I’ve Been, a collection of 62 poems about real and figurative journeys drawn or inspired by his travels and personal experiences.12


Sim was commissioned by the President’s Office to write a commemorative poem at a concert to launch the President’s Challenge, an annual charity event to raise awareness of volunteerism and funds for the needy. At the launch concert in June 2003, which was staged by Wild Rice in the Jubilee Hall of Raffles Hotel, then President S.R. Nathan recited Sim’s poem, “I Hope”.13

Playwriting

After winning the top two prizes in the NUS/Shell short play competition for Red Man, Green Man and Storyteller, Sim went on to writing longer plays.14 Some of his works have won awards, and many were staged, such as the following.15 

Selected plays
1992: Blood and Snow by TheatreWorks.16
1993: Sammy Won’t Go To School by TheatreWorks17 / Elizabeth By Night by Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, USA.18
1994: Drunken Prawns and Other Edible Delights by Action Theatre19 / A Singapore Carol by Singapore Repertory Theatre20 / The Durian Man and His Daughters by Action Theatre.21
1995: Corporate Animals by Action Theatre in collaboration with Ekachai Uekrongtham (director) and Ken Low (music)22 Teochew Porridge by Action Theatre.23
1996: Who’s Afraid of Chow Yuen Fatt? by WOW International.24
1998: Drift by TheatreWorks.25
1999: Shrimps In Space by Empire M+C26 / The Swimming Instructor by Action Theatre.27
2000: The Swimming Instructor by Action Theatre.28
2002: Autumn Tomyam by Action Theatre29 / MRT by Action Theatre / The Chair by Peranakan Association.30
2003: Beautiful Boxer (screenplay), cowritten with Ekachai Uekrongtham, by GMM Grammy, Thailand.31
2004: Hubbies4hire by Action Theatre.32
2006: Jack and The Beansprout by Wild Rice.33
2007: Postcards from Rosa by Action Theatre.34
2009: Manhood by Action Theatre35 Love Letters by Action Theatre36 / The Wedding Game (screenplay), cowritten with Dennis Chew and Ekachai Uekrongtham.37
2010: Past Perfect, Future Tense by KL Performing Arts Centre38 / Perfecting Prata by Action Theatre.39
2011: Food, Sex & Death, cowritten with Nandang Abdul Rahman, by The Actors Studio and The Arts House.40
2014: A Nation In Concert.41
2015: Pintu Pagar by Peranakan Arts Festival.42

Besides having his works produced or staged, Sim has also accomplished much in dramatic writing.43 

Selected works
1989: Merit prize, Shell-NUS Short Play Competition for Old Woman’s Dying, Old Woman’s Dead44 / Second prize, National Short Story Writing Competition.45
1990: First person to win both the first and second prizes (for Red Man, Green Man and Story Teller respectively) in the National Short Story Writing Competition.46
1991:
 First writer-in-residence for TheatreWorks’s new writers’ laboratory.47

1993: First Asian and first Singaporean to have a 10-minute play produced in the United States, at the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville (established in 1977) / First prize in the first Hewlett Packard/Action Theatre 10-minute Play Contest for Drunken Prawns.48
2002: Play of the Year in the DBS Life! Theatre Awards for his play Autumn Tomyam by Action Theatre.49

Painting
Sim is also an accomplished painter.50 He held joint painting exhibitions in 1993 and 1995, and solo painting exhibitions such as Sayang (2004),51 Nativity Nyonyas and Other Uncommon Icons (2004), Plenty: A Show of Abundance (2006) and Senang Peranakan (2007).52 His paintings are influenced by European painters such as Modigliani and Chagall, and the naïve painters. He also attributes the inspiration behind his paintings to his Peranakan heritage, his memories, and his observations of local life.53



Author
Chan Fook Weng



References
1. “About the Artist: Desmond Sim,” National University of Singapore, accessed 10 May 2023, http://www.nus.edu.sg/cfa/NAF_2015/artist-bios-t-chair.html; Rachel Farnay Jacques, “Entertainment Guide: Of Love and Tenderness,” Business Times, 7 February 2004, 17. (From NewspaperSG).

2. Koh Buck Song, “Sim’s First Achievement for Poetry,” Straits Times, 18 December 1993, 6; Koh Buck Song, “Double First for Dramatist,” Straits Times, 15 February 1991, 14; Hannah Pandian, “Desmond Scores Double First,” Straits Times, 7 December 1993, 11; Ong Sor Fern, “Winning Action,” Straits Times, 23 May 2002, 5 (From NewspaperSG); Desmond Sim, Student Plays (Singapore: Epigram Books, 2013), viii. (Call no. RSING S822 SIM)
3. Ng Wan Ching and Brendan Henson, “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Computer,” Straits Times, 11 January 1988, 13. (From NewspaperSG)
4. Parvathi Nayar, “Sim-ply Writing,” Business Times, 4 August 2001, 16; Stephanie Yap, “Bookends,” Straits Times, 24 December 2006, 23 (From NewspaperSG); National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
5. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
6. Yap, “Bookends”; National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
7. “Arts Scene Gets Boost With Labs for Playwrights,” Straits Times, 10 October 1990, 22; “12 Writers Off To ‘Play School’,” Straits Times, 27 February 1991, 23. (From NewspaperSG)
8. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
9. Desmond Sim, interview by Koh Boon Pin, In the Living Room, 17 April 2015, video, 25:05, https://www.centre42.sg/archive/recordings/9790/koh-boon-pin-in-the-living-room-with-desmond-sim-part-1-how-to-win-at-writing/.
10. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
11. “No First Prize Winners in Two Categories of Short Story Contest,” Straits Times, 19 November 1989, 27. (From NewspaperSG).
12. Koh, ““Sim’s First Achievement for Poetry.”
13. Tan Suan Ann, “President Recites a Poem of Hope,” Straits Times, 18 June 2003, 3. (From NewspaperSG).
14. Koh, “Double First for Dramatist”; Nayar, “Sim-ply Writing.”
15. Nayar, “Sim-ply Writing.” 
16. “Young Playwrights’ Works To Watch Out For,” Straits Times, 21 March 1992, 29. (From NewspaperSG).
17. “Performances,” Business Times, 1 May 1993, 23. (From NewspaperSG).
18. Pandian, “Desmond Scores Double First.”
19. Susan Tsang, “Plays Provide Food for Thoughts,” Business Times, 27 July 1994, 13. (From NewspaperSG).
20. Phan Ming Yen, “A S’pore Carol Most Costly Non-Musical Production Here So Far,” Straits Times, 2 December 1994, 31. (From NewspaperSG).
21. Sim, Student Plays, 215.
22. Koh Boon Pin, “10-Min ‘Squeeze’ Plays Are Back,” Straits Times, 13 May 1995, 12. (From NewspaperSG).
23. Koh Boon Pin, “Two Plays, With Flavours Tangy, Sweet and Sharp,” Straits Times, 20 November 1995, 6. (From NewspaperSG).
24. Susan Tsang, “Played Out Like a TV Mystery, With Some Clever Staging,” Straits Times, 25 June 1996, 7. (From NewspaperSG).
25. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
26. Sim, Student Plays, 93.
27. “Spotlight,” Business Times, 20 November 1999, 22. (From NewspaperSG).
28. Clarissa Oon, “Theatre,” Straits Times, 25 April 2000, 2. (From NewspaperSG).
29. Nayar, “Sim-ply Writing.”  
30. Sim, Student Plays, 25, 59.
31. Hong Xinyi, “Blushes & Bruises Are Beautiful,” Straits Times, 26 June 2003, 3. (From NewspaperSG).
32. Victoria Ho, “Evening Out With Hubby,” Straits Times, 26 October 2004, 4. (From NewspaperSG).
33. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
34. Mayo Martin, “Postcards From Rosa: A Leceh Play Lovingly Done,” Today, 20 November 2007, 32. (From NewspaperSG).
35. Amanda De Guzman, “Pretty Tight Package on Masculinity,” Business Times, 18 September 2009, 27. (From NewspaperSG).
36. Amanda De Guzman, “An Expression of the Language of the Mind,” Business Times, 13 February 2009, 27. (From NewspaperSG).
37. Boon Chan, “Wedding Off to Great Start,” Straits Times, 3 February 2009, 42. (From NewspaperSG).
38. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
39. Mayo Martin, “Act 1, Scene 1, Time To Burp!” Today, 18 March 2010, 59. (From NewspaperSG).
40. “On the Ties That Blind,” Business Times, 5 August 2011, 31. (From NewspaperSG).
41. Tanjeetpal Singh, “He’s in Musical to Make a Difference,” Asiaone, 21 October 2014, https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/hes-musical-make-difference.
42. Mayo Martin, “New Peranakan Arts Fest Announced,” Today, 10 July 2015, 14. (From NewspaperSG).
43. Koh, “Double First for Dramatist”; Pandian, “Desmond Scores Double First.” 
44. “Your Guide to Today’s Action,” New Paper, 6 June 1990, 17. (From NewspaperSG).
45. “No First Prize Winners.”
46. Koh, “Double First for Dramatist.” 47. 12 Writers Off To ‘Play School’.
48. Pandian, “Desmond Scores Double First.” 
49. Ong, “ Winning Action.”
50. National University of Singapore, “About the Artist.”
51. “At The Substation,” Straits Times, 27 November 1993, 29; Parvathi N Narayan, “A Profitable Line,” Straits Times, 14 October 1995, 17 (From NewspaperSG); Jacques, “Entertainment Guide.”
52. “Art,” Straits Times, 22 November 2004, 8; “Arts,” Straits Times, 23 January 2006, 8; ”Art,” Straits Times, 21 May 2007, 50. (From NewspaperSG)
53. Stephanie Yap, “Portrait of the Artist as a Peranakan,” Straits Times, 20 November 2006, 5; Lionel Seah, “Arty Baba,” Straits Times, 8 February 2004, 7 (From NewspaperSG); Jacques, “Entertainment Guide.” 



Further resources
Desmond Sim, A Different Sun (Singapore: KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 2002). (Call no. RSING 821.92 SIM-[SRN])

Desmond Sim, Places Where I’ve Been (Singapore: EPB Publishers, 1993). (Call no. RSING S821 SIM)

Desmond Sim, Six Plays (Singapore: Epigram Books, 2013). (Call no. RSING S822 SIM)

Desmond Sim, Ovidia Yu and Kwuan Loh, Mistress and Other Creative Takeoffs (Singapore: Landmark Books, 1990). (Call no. RSING 823.01 SIM)



The information in this article is valid as of May 2023 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

 

 


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