Joel Tan
Joel Tan

ABOUT

Joel Tan is a Singaporean playwright based in London and Singapore.

Recent work in the UK includes Scenes from a Repatriation at the Royal Court; No Particular Order at Theatre503; When The Daffodils at the Orange Tree Theatre; Living Newspaper at the Royal Court; Ghosts in the Blood for Audible UK; Overheard, and Augmented Chinatown with Kakilang (formerly Chinese Arts Now).

Upcoming work includes The Serangoon Gardens Techno Party of 1993 at Wild Rice; a new adaptation of Heart of Darkness commissioned by Headlong Theatre; and Beacon, a new opera with composer Jonathan Shin.

In Singapore, recent work includes G*d is a Woman and a new adaptation of Tartuffe, both with Wild Rice, where Joel is Artist in Residence. Joel has made work with other major theatres like Checkpoint Theatre and Pangdemonium, and several are available in a collection, Joel Tan Plays Volume 1, published by Checkpoint Theatre. 

Joel is a passionate advocate for new writing, and helps run playwright development programmes at Centre 42, where is a Creative Associate, and Wild Rice, where he is Literary Manager.

His play Love in the Time of the Ancients was a finalist for the 2019 Papatango Prize, and no particular order was shortlisted for the George Devine Prize 2022. For Scenes from a Repatriation at the Royal Court, Joel was named Jerwood New Playwright.

Joel also writes for screen and audio, and frequently works inter-disciplinarily, and in contemporary art.

Joel is represented by Imogen Sarre of Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.

 
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Photo by Crispian Chan

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recent playwriting

Scenes from a Repatriation → Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, April/May 2025. Directed by emma+pj.

G*d is a Woman → Wild Rice, Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Sep 2023. Directed by Ivan Heng.

no particular order → Ellandar Productions and Theatre 503, May 2022. Directed by Joshua Roche. Shortlisted for Theatre 503 Playwriting Award, London (2018), George Devine Award, UK (2022).

Tartuffe —> Wild Rice, Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Apr 2022. Directed by Glen Goei.

It Matters, How We Say Goodbye → LIVING NEWSPAPER Edition 5, Royal Court Theatre, Apr 2021. Directed by Izzy Rabey. 

When the Daffodils →  INSIDE/OUTSIDE, Orange Tree Theatre, Apr 2021. Directed by Anna Himali Howards.

Augmented Chinatown → Chinese Arts Now Festival, Feb 2020, directed by An Ting Chua.

Overheard → Chinese Arts Now Festival, Feb 2020, directed by Mingyu Lin.

To My Tongue → MY WHITE BEST FRIEND, The Bunker Theatre, Sep ‘19. Directed by Milli Bhatia.

Love in the Time of Ancients →  Shortlisted for Papatango Prize 2019, London (Jun 2019).

Play Publications


Scenes from a Repatriation → Published by Nick Hern Books, London (2025).

Tartuffe & G*d is a Woman —> Published by Wild Rice, Singapore (2024)

no particular order → Published by Nick Hern Books, London (2022).

Café. → Published by Math Paper Press, Singapore (2021).

Inside/Outside. Contributor (When the Daffodils) → Published by Nick Hern Books, London (2021).

My White Best Friend. Contributor (To my Tongue) → Published by Oberon Books, London (2020).

British East Asian Plays. Contributor (Tango) → Edited by Cheryl Robson, Dr Amanda Rogers and Dr Ashley Thorpe; Published by Aurora Metro Press, London (2018).

Joel Tan: Plays Vol. 1. Author (Family Outing; Postgrads; People; Mosaic; That Daniel; Hotel; The Way We Go) → Edited by Lucas Ho; Published by Checkpoint Theatre, Singapore (2015).

The Voices Project 2014: Bite Me. Contributor (That Daniel) → Published by Currency Press, New South Wales (2014).