Goh Boon Teck
Quick Facts
Biography
Goh Boon Teck (Chinese: 吴文徳; pinyin: Wú Wéndé) is a Singaporean director, playwright and production designer.
Early life and education
Goh's mother, Oon Ah Chiam, is a Chinese opera performer who performed with Chinese opera troupe, Sin Sai Hong.
When Goh was young, he would follow Oon on stage as a performer, playing the roles of handmaiden or eunuch.
Goh studied at Si Ling Primary School then Swiss Cottage Secondary School before majoring in Fine Arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He was the first Singaporean recipient of the VISA International Arts Scholarship in 1996 which allowed him to study Theatre Directing at Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom.
Career
In 1990, Goh with 13 students, who had performed in Kuo Pao Kun's Lao Jiu, formed Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble, the predecessor of Toy Factory Productions. Goh would become its artistic director and it first produced a 20-minute play, The Bull Over The Rainbow, by Goh.
In 1994, Goh staged Titoudao, a play based on his mother's life story. Titoudao won five awards, Best Play, Best Original Script and Best Actress at the 2001 The Straits Times Life! Theatre Award, Program for Best Production Design/ Art Direction at New York Festivals TV & Film Awards 2021 and Best Newcomer at Asia Contents Awards 2021.
In 2001, Goh was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore.
In 2007, Goh was appointed the creative director for the 2007 Singapore National Day Parade first held at The Float @ Marina Bay.
Goh is a firm believer in the preservation of Asian heritage, culture and history. His plays such as December Rains (2010), Titoudao (1994), Prism (2003) are a few of such representative works. Other creations such as Purple (2012), The Crab Flower Club (2012), Grind (2016) explore topics on gender and sexuality in contemporary Singapore, often prompting audiences to question morality and humanity.
International and local projects
In 2003, Goh was invited by Japan's Kageboushi Theatre Company to stage Prism as its writer and director. This project involved a 6-countries collaboration, touring Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Goh's original show - The Crab Flower Club (2012) toured in Beijing, China in the East Pioneer Theatre during the China International Theatre Festival. His other work - K (2012) was showcased in Shanghai Modern Drama Valley in the International 5 Cities Public Theatre Festival, which he took on the roles of a Playwright, Director and Set Designer. Glass Anatomy (2014) staged in Shanghai Culture Square, Original Mandarin Music Festival was also the first foreign production invited to the festival and second original Singaporean musical presented in China.
Works
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Bull Over the Rainbow | Director | |
| 1991 | Redear | Director | |
| 1992 | Posteterne | Playwright, Director and Set Designer | |
| 1993 | Osean | Director | |
| 1994 | Titoudao | Playwright and Director | |
| 1995 | I Have A Date With Spring | Director | |
| 1996 | K | Playwright and Director | |
| 1998 | Purple | Playwright and Director | |
| The Phoenix And The Turtle | Director | ||
| Mama Looking For Her Cat | Director | ||
| Storm | Director and Set Designer | ||
| 1999 | Under | Director | |
| Guys and Dolls | Director and Set Designer | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Theatre Practice | Director | ||
| I Have A Date With Spring | Director | ||
| 2000 | Titoudao | Director & Playwright | |
| A Tinted Edge | Director & Playwright | ||
| Oleanna | Director & Set Designer | ||
| Gone With That Thing | Director | ||
| Mee Pok Man by Fiction Farm | Script adaptation playwright & Set Designer | ||
| 2001 | Shopping & F***ing | Set Designer | |
| The Eastern Line On My Palm | Director & Playwright | ||
| The Seventh Drawer | Director | ||
| 2002 | Beautiful Thing (Mandarin) | Director | |
| K | Playwright | ||
| The Morning People | Director & Set Designer | ||
| Fireface | Set Designer | ||
| Chessmaster | Director | ||
| 2003 | Mad Phoenix | Director & Set Designer | |
| Bent | Set Director | ||
| Beautiful Thing (Mandarin) | Director & Set Designer | ||
| Prism | Director & Playwright | ||
| 2004 | East Side Story | Set Designer | |
| Mergers and Accusations | Director | ||
| 2005 | Thunderstorm | Director | |
| Dangerous Liaisons | Set Director | ||
| Porcelain | Director | ||
| Spirits | Director & Set Designer in Shanghai | ||
| 2006 | Long House | Playwright | |
| Army Daze | Director & Set Designer | ||
| Cabaret | Set Designer | ||
| 2007 | TiTouDao | Director & Playwright | |
| 2009 | Asia On The Edge (September) | Creative Director | |
| Asia On The Edge (November) | Creative Director | ||
| 2010 | Maha Moggallana | Director & Playwright | |
| December Rains | Director | ||
| The Crab Flower Club | Playwright, Director & Set Designer | ||
| 2011 | Equus | Set Designer | |
| 2012 | Tin Tan and his Tembusu Tree | Playwright & Director | |
| K | Playwright & Director | ||
| The Crab Flower Club | Playwright, Director & Set Designer | ||
| Purple | Playwright | ||
| 2013 | Glass Anatomy | Script Adaptation Playwright, Director & Set Designer | |
| High Class Musical | Set Designer | ||
| The Penis Society | Playwright | ||
| 2014 | Glass Anatomy | Director (in Shanghai Culture Square, Original Mandarin Music Festival) | |
| Ah Boys to Men: The Musical | Script Adaptation Playwright | ||
| Innamorati | Director | ||
| 2015 | Savage Land | Director & Set Designer | |
| Titoudao | Director & Playwright | ||
| Upstage | Director | ||
| December Rains (Restage) | Director | ||
| 2016 | Grind | Director & Playwright | |
| Kumarajiva | Director | ||
| Innamorati Two | Director | ||
| 2017 | Prism | Playwright | |
| Songs of Guidance | Director | ||
| 2018 | Songs of Liu San Jie | Director | |
| Sometime Moon | Director & Playwright | ||
| A Dream Under The Southern Bough: The Beginning | Director | ||
| Masters of Comedy | Director | ||
| Oedipus | Director | ||
| 2019 | The Severing Sword | Director | |
| A Dream Under The Southern Bough: Reverie | Director | ||
| Infinite Island | Director | ||
| 2020 | Titoudao (TV version by Mediacorp) | Creative Director & Original Playwright | |
| 7 Sages of The Bamboo Grove | Director & Co-Playwright | ||
| Old songs of Redhill Market (digital) | Director | ||
| Poetry under the Southern Bough | Creative Director | ||
| 2021 | All The World Is One's Stage | Director | |
| Masters of Comedy 2 | Director | ||
| A Dream Under The Southern Bough - Existence | Director | ||
| Old Songs of Redhill Market | Director | ||
| 2022 | Roar Talents | Director | |
| Kwa Geok Choo - Singapore and the Story of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew | Director & Chief Artistic Director | ||
| 2023 | Quest: The White Hare | Playwright & Director | |
| Ignite The Sun | Director |
Accolades
- Best Play of the Year (Titoudao) at 2001 The Straits Times Life! Theatre Award
- Best Original Script (Titoudao) at 2001 LIFE! Theatre Awards
- 2001 Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council
- Best Set Design (Fireface) at 2003 DBS LIFE! Theatre Awards 2003
- Arts and Culture Goh Boon Teck at 2005 Singapore Youth Award
- The Elite Director Award for Glass Anatomy at 5th One Theatre Prestige Award 2014 by Shanghai Modern Drama Valley