Zhou Yurou: the savvy ticketing manager
TK Hay: the prize-winning theatre designer
Nur Khairiyah Bte Ramli: the independent producer who advocates for community
Tan Lay Hoon: the production manager and a lifelong learner
Johanna Pan: the costume and scenic designer with a seamstress gene
Grace Ng: the access producer who enhances artistic visions
David Li: the technical director with a globetrotting career
Clarence Ng: the art and tech production manager with a wild imagination
Charlene Lim: the cultural broker who juggles many roles
Amirul Azmi: the lighting designer with an edge
10 Singaporean Arts Workers Abroad to Know
10 Singaporean arts workers abroad to know
Tan Lay Hoon: the production manager and a lifelong learner
Bringing theatre to the community in New York City
Bringing theatre to the community in New York City
Tan Lay Hoon is a production manager based in New York. On top of providing creative solutions to technical problems, she has worked in famous theatres like the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center—where famous playwrights like Lin-Manual Miranda once walked its halls—and has even brought Shakespeare into prisons and detention centres.
“I like this job a lot. I’m afraid this might be what I’ll do for the rest of my life,” Lay Hoon said to her boss after her first year as a production manager with T:>Works. And sure enough, she has been doing this work for 30 years and running.
Since then, her career has taken her from Singapore to the US, where she has managed major productions including the tour of Chang & Eng by Action Theatre and, later, Tony Award-winning shows with Signature Theatre and St Ann’s Warehouse.
She is one of the few people in the world who has worked on the opening of two major performing arts centres: Singapore’s Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in 2003 and New York’s Pershing Square Signature Center in 2014.
Like most Singaporean theatre practitioners who started in the early '90s, Lay Hoon did not have formal theatre training. Determined to deepen her knowledge, she secured a scholarship to pursue an MFA in Production Management at Boston University in 2007.
During summer breaks, she completed internships with Lincoln Center Festival and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center—experiences that opened doors to many opportunities.
Lay Hoon shares her lifelong learning journey and what surprised her while navigating the theatre scene in the US.
You were already so experienced when you started your MFA. What motivated you?
I was at a crossroads. I thought, what’s the next thing I can do? I wasn’t ready to teach. So I decided to further my studies and get a qualification. Production and stage management courses at post-graduate level weren’t available in Singapore, so some of us had to go overseas if we wanted to pursue formal training. (Other Singaporeans who went to the US to pursue grad studies at that time include experienced practitioners like Valerie Oliveiro and Audrey Hoo.)
What was the most difficult thing to cope with when you first moved?
Missing home. It was really hard. I arrived in autumn and Boston is one of the coldest cities. Being in a new place, alone, freezing, with shorter daylight hours, was quite depressing. I had bought a one-way ticket because I was cheap and I didn’t think I was going to go back until I finished three years later. I remember crying on the phone to my dad, who told me to just buy a ticket and come back. So I came back after three months during the winter term break.
Also, having to learn imperial measurements because the set drawings were no longer in metric!
What surprised you about the US?
In the US, even if you go to acting school, you have to learn technical arts. There’s a big skilled pool of technical theatre workers who are also actors, and some of them are very good at what they do.
Another surprise was how being female and Asian factored into my interactions, which was never on my mind in Singapore. In meetings, some things I say are ignored, but when a male boss says the same thing word for word, people will agree with him. People would also just assume that you’re unqualified or question your ability. But I’ve learnt that humility doesn’t always suit us. I’ve learnt to advocate better for myself.
What is the most memorable project you’ve worked on?
One of the highlights was my first summer at Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. I was going through the same doors, hallways and rooms where all the famous American playwrights have been, like August Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and David Henry Hwang. I felt very privileged to be in the same space they had been before.
Most recently I worked on a five-week tour for The Public Theater where we brought Shakespeare to the community across the five boroughs, even into prisons and detention centres. I’ve always wanted to do theatre for the community, and the Public Theater is for the people, by the people. So that was very meaningful for me.
What do you miss most about the Singapore arts scene?
When the production provides meals… sometimes there’s chicken rice.
Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to pursue this path?
Networking is key to getting work. You must always say “yes, of course” to opportunities and then decide later, rather than “see how later”. If you hesitate, the job will go to someone else. I strongly encourage taking overseas opportunities if they present themselves. Don’t project Singaporean ways onto your new environment, but also don’t completely abandon what you know. Be curious; ask questions. The experience will benefit both you as a person and Singapore as a country.
