His name is Yak Aik Wee. The young man who penned the award-winning play "Streetwalkers" is a multi-disciplinary artist born and based in Singapore. His work covers music composition, sound design, dance as well as theatre performances."Streetwalkers" won the Best New Play Award from Theatre Idols 2009, a competition of new writings presented and organized by ACTION Theatre. The play was originally inspired by the Duck Den Murder and happenings in Chinatown’s Ann Siang Hill.
Aik Wee is also a participant of the TheatreWorks' Writers' Lab Greenhouse, facilitated by Dr Robin Loon. He has completed the National Arts Council's Mentor Access Project (MAP) 2007, a writer-mentorship programme during which he was mentored by playwright Tan Tarn How.
Aik Wee has also written Lester's List, which was staged in Sydney (Short & Sweet Sydney 2009, Top 100) and Singapore (Short & Sweet Singapore 2007, Top 20). In addition, he’s written and directed Live The Singapore Dream and Trash Town, produced by Creative Tree Productions. These plays are currently being staged in local primary and secondary schools across Singapore.
Here's his Playwright's Message for the world premiere staging of "Streetwalkers" by ACTION Theatre:
When do people decide if someone cannot be their friend, simply because of differences in values, perspectives and lifestyles? How different is “too different”? And will these differences cause people to remain irreconcilable, in spite of their shared basic human needs?
In society, differences segregate but similarities unite. This is a play about people and their relationships. I hope you enjoy.
My gratitude to ACTION Theatre and the voting audience at Theatre Idols 2009 for this opportunity to share my work. Thanks to Jeremy Lee, Loong Seng Onn, Desmond Sim, Jeffrey Tan, Tan Tarn How, Ekachai Uekrongtham and my friends and family and for their support, critique and feedback.
Thanks also to the director, cast, designers, technical support crew and administrators for this production of Streetwalkers, for making this production transcend beyond mere words on paper.
