Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

Photograph of Amanda Chong on a purple background, with quotes from her plays surrounding her portrait.

Young Singapore Playwrights

Photograph of Rajkumar Thiagaras on a yellow background, with quotes from his plays surrounding his portrait.

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Young SG Playwrights: Rajkumar Thiagaras

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Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

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Photograph of Cheryl Ho on a red background, with quotes from her plays surrounding her portrait.

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Photograph of Miriam Cheong on a blue background, with quotes from her plays surrounding her portrait.

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Photograph of Myle Yan Tay on a turquoise background, with quotes from his plays surrounding his portrait.

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Photograph of A Yagnya on a pink background, with quotes from her plays surrounding her portrait.

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Photograph of Danial Matin on an orange background, with quotes from his plays surrounding his portrait.

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Young SG Playwrights: Danial Matin

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Published: 31 Dec 2024

Updated: 5 Sep 2025

Time taken: <5mins

Young Singapore Playwrights

Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

The poet-playwright

Theatre

Literary Arts & Film

31 Dec 2024

5 Sep 2025

<5mins

“Plays are like interventions, and Singaporean
theatre is so intimate because we do crave
moments of warmth and recognition when
we see our stories put to life.“

Amanda Chong is a lawyer, poet and playwright. Her works are primarily concerned with gender and women’s experiences globally, and the tensions and contradictions in living under patriarchy.

Her plays include the one woman show Psychobitch (Wild Rice, 2023), which played to sold out audiences in an extended run; the musical The Feelings Farm (Esplanade, 2021, 2024); and the award-winning #WomenSupportingWomen (T:>Works, 2022). Her work has been staged in Cambridge, UK and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Are there any plays that inspire you?

The Book Of Living And Dying by Chong Tze Chien, and Hotel by Alfian Sa’at. I think these plays transcend space and time, and make me really proud to be Singaporean. They’ve really arrested my heart and I always remember what it was like when I first experienced them as performances.

How did you first find your way into playwriting?

I was actually on an episode of the Be Inclusive podcast with Julian Wong. Glenda Ng (former arts programmer at Esplanade) had listened to an episode, where I was speaking of my work in poetry and education. She thought it would be a great idea to put us both as collaborators for The Feelings Farm, commissioned by Esplanade. Initially, I had thought that they wanted me to write some poems, and the actors would use my words as material through devising. But when I was put in a Zoom room with Edith Podesta, I realised the project was definitely not intended to be a free performance at the Esplanade Concourse (where free programmes are held every evening). I remember asking Edith how my poems would be integrated into the piece, and she looked at me and said “no, no, you’re writing the script for this.” I suppose that’s how my journey of playwriting (and imposter syndrome—haha!) started. It was definitely a bit of a reality TV moment for me.

If I take it further back though, I’d say my journey started in secondary school. You always start out as a theatre kid. I was in the drama club, actively writing and directing scripts. As I got older, I realised that I probably wouldn’t be able to pursue acting as it’s an aspect of theatre that demands so much of your body and soul. Playwriting, however, helped me find the balance in my existing practice as a writer while satisfying the theatre enthusiast in me, as I’ve always enjoyed being a theatre-goer too.

Scene from The Feelings Farm (2021), with an actress dressed as a cloud in the foreground and a young female character in the background.

The Feelings Farm. Photo credit: Tuck hong

What do you think a playwright needs to do to refine their craft?

Read and watch as many plays as you can. It helps to develop your own inner critic and refine your dramatic instincts. Of course, this isn’t to say I always know what a good play looks and sounds like. But I think having these instincts are important because it helps you think about who you’re in conversation with when you write a play.

Young SG Playwrights: Rajkumar Thiagaras

Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

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Young SG Playwrights: Cheryl Ho

Young SG Playwrights: Miriam Cheong

Young SG Playwrights: Myle Yan Tay

Young SG Playwrights: A Yagnya

Young SG Playwrights: Danial Matin

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Young Singapore Playwrights

Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

Are there any plays that inspire you?

How did you first find your way into playwriting?

What do you think a playwright needs to do to refine their craft?

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Young SG Playwrights: Rajkumar Thiagaras

Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

7 Young Singapore Playwrights to Watch

Young SG Playwrights: Cheryl Ho

Young SG Playwrights: Miriam Cheong

Young SG Playwrights: Myle Yan Tay

Young SG Playwrights: A Yagnya

Young SG Playwrights: Danial Matin

Young Singapore Playwrights

Young SG Playwrights: Amanda Chong

Are there any plays that inspire you?

How did you first find your way into playwriting?

What do you think a playwright needs to do to refine their craft?

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