Pearlyn Tay is an emerging producer who graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic Diploma in Arts Business Management. With a strong interest in theatre and a passion to serve the community’s gaps and needs, she has been involved in rising platforms such as Playwrights Commune and A Mirage.

Q: As an emerging producer yourself, can you share more about how you got started in theatre?

Theatremaking was something I have always had an interest to try but felt like I lacked the formal training to do so. I helped to produce Playwrights Commune Open Studio (@playwrightscommune), and co-founded and co-produced A Mirage (@a.mirage.sg) with Theo Chen. A Mirage is a pop-up platform for artists to experiment and create, away from financial or critical pressure. In partnership with The Projector X: Riverside, we ran on a revenue-share model and focused on producing premieres and revivals of original Singaporean writing.

Q: Tell us more about A Mirage. What does it mean to be an independent pop-up theatre?

A Mirage aims to provide a platform for artists in all stages of their careers to experiment and create new works without giving (too much) attention to financial or critical pressure. I would say that we wanted to provide this platform as a neutral, safe space for them to create new work or experiment with new work that differs from their usual style. 

We noticed that there is more supply than demand when it comes to staging work compared to playwriting development and hence wanted to provide an outlet for all these new works to be shown to the world. From the conversations we have with other fellow theatre practitioners, it was not uncommon to hear that playwrights don’t have enough opportunities to showcase new work, especially ones that were experimental for their personal style and/or not to mainstream commercial tastes. 

More than just the playwrights, I also particularly enjoyed the fact that we could provide new opportunities to try out different roles within theatre-making for our team members. We’ve had team members trying out roles that they’ve never played before (such as stage managers). For me, it was the first time I produced actual stagings of theatre productions and got to try my hand at running lights for one of our productions. So I really appreciate that A Mirage provided this platform that was not just for our playwrights, but the rest of the production crew as well. 

Q: How did y’all work with Projector X and the artists on a revenue share model, and why was it important for y’all to work on a revenue share model?

It was important for us to work on a revenue share model because it is the factor that enables us to be able to fulfil the vision of A Mirage — to be a platform for artists to create and explore without pressures. If we were to go the more conventional route of renting a space, then the pressure to sell enough tickets would set in and the artistic process and product that we want to foster may be compromised. 

Q: What are some key takeaways from producing A Mirage?

For someone who did not have experience staging theatre productions, I learnt so much during A Mirage’s pilot run. It was truly eye opening for me to be immersed in each part of the process, especially during bump-in. I was able to observe rehearsals and tech runs, and understand how the different roles contribute to the creation on the ground. I found it super interesting the different ways our different production teams work to make the magic happen. We had some shows with two stage managers and some with none at all, which was interesting to see how the work was otherwise delegated. For me, this is really important as it shows how different team roles are negotiated and can differ from conventional organisational structures, enabling flexibility instead of relying on traditional modes of working together! 
More importantly, I think the biggest takeaway from producing A Mirage was to not shy away from calling myself a producer. Because I am very aware of how much more I have to learn in the realm of producing, I have this persistent feeling of paisehness if I were to label myself a producer. 

Q: But aren’t you a producer? Why do you feel paiseh?

Because I know I have so much more to learn and know that there are always things to improve on, I don’t feel like I’ve done enough or had enough producing experience to “earn” the label of being called a producer. I have this misconstrued notion that if I label myself as a producer, I legitimise myself in that role – that I am claiming that I know everything there is to know, that there’s no room to make mistakes and that I can meet the expectations one would place on a producer.  I think there is the pressure that I put on myself because I knew this was what I’ve wanted to do since I was 16 and I can’t bear to let this dream fail. 

I feel icky about getting a professional headshot done as you can see, not listing myself on the Producers Directory on our website (even though Cui has been nagging at Jasmine and me to do so ever since we made it) and even updating a personal website to reflect my recent projects. I think a part of it is also that I feel that I’m still learning so much from every project and it somehow gets misattributed to my own “failure” as a producer — that I should know all these things by now. Another aspect would also be the fact that I don’t think I can fit comfortably into a box. Can I really call myself a theatre producer when I’ve only done A Mirage? Or will labelling myself as a theatre producer impede my exploration of other art forms or projects? 

Because I feel this desire to learn as much as I can about being a better producer, I hold a very open attitude towards new projects regardless of discipline. I feel like there’s always something to take away from each project and I guess this is how I try to overcome this imposter syndrome or paiseh feeling of mine — that if I learn more then maybe one day I could confidently label myself as a producer. And maybe not having a niche discipline is actually favourable, in that while it is absolutely terrifying, it also does not constrain me. Someone once told me that if I weren’t ready, I wouldn’t be given the opportunity. So I try to keep that in mind when the feeling arises! 

Introducing myself a producer sits more comfortably on my tongue now, I think, though it is usually followed by disclaimers of my limited experience. But I know that it is definitely easier for people to identify what I do, and relate to it as well when I do call myself one. I realise that it’s also important to view projects as also encompassing learning for me other than delivering the artist’s vision. Producing is a process of endless learning and there may be no end point in sight. And that it is important to know it is okay to ask for help! 

Q: What type of producer do you aspire to be then?

Something that has always been on my mind is investigating the artistic boundaries between the artist and the producer. I’ve always found myself questioning my role as the producer and the types of decisions we’re supposed to make. If I’m a producer, where does the creativity within producing come in? What does being a creative producer even mean? Can I even call myself a creative producer if I’m not the one doing the artmaking? How do I produce without infringing on the work and artistic integrity of the artist, and yet ensure that the project is executable in a practical manner? 

I guess this largely stems from my ‘limited’ skillset, in that I’ve only gained experience and knowledge within a producing capacity and never as an artist. When working on A Mirage, I remember being hesitant to share some thoughts I had about the show but wasn’t entirely sure if the producer usually has a stake in the artistic process, or if my thoughts were valid as I am not an artist with an artistic lens of the process. Although there are interesting articles and reports done on the role of creative producing, I would love to have more conversations talking about this within a localised context!

Q: What are you currently working on/What can we look forward to from you next?

Right now, Theo and I are exploring the possibilities of A Mirage coming back in Summer 2023. Our first run gave us plenty to think about, especially since so much of A Mirage’s charm was our venue. With Projector X: Riverside’s lease ending, we’re contemplating how to effectively recreate the ambience of the venue we had. 

We’re thinking about how to cultivate the atmosphere we had at Projector X: Riverside in another location, being in a space that has already been found and bringing our own flavour to the casualness of the bar and cinema.  Of course, the generous revenue share agreement we have with Projector is not easily recreated elsewhere — and we are leaning away from a rental agreement as we would then face financial pressure to sell enough tickets to cover it and pay everyone fairly, which doesn’t align with the vision of A Mirage of being a place for exploration without pressure. 

Another consideration is also whether the space is able to accommodate different types of stage arrangements to allow our production teams the flexibility to create however they’d like. As of now, it is really trying to navigate the recreation of the magic that we had, considering if there’s another form of charm we can tap on in another space and whether it is true to vision at the end of the day. 

A large concern for us is also about having to switch from planning for a short-term run to something with the procedures for a slightly longer term. (A Mirage was meant to be one-off, and might still end up being.) Considerations such as purchasing our own lights, getting technical theatre training and formalising our procedures to further enhance our efficiency as a platform. We also want to relook at the scene and see if A Mirage still fills a gap, and relook at our methods to check if what we are doing is able to meet the needs of the artists and collaborators we work with. That’s why it was really important to us to do our After Action Reviews for constructive feedback that would inform how we move on from this point.

I’m also working on producing some shows for Bored Whale Theatre (@boredwhaletheatre) in 2023 and 2024! For Producers SG, Jasmine and I will be cooking something up for our fellow emerging producers so I’m very excited about that, given that it was something I feel like I really need personally and hope that it gives an entryway for others who do as well. 

Shoutout

I would like to give my shoutout to other independent producers Cui, Natasha Lau, Jasmine See, and Deanna Dzulkifli for being loving and supportive people who have never hesitated to give me advice and opportunities. I would also like to thank all the good people I’ve worked with for A Mirage (especially Theo!) for allowing me to grow alongside them. 

Interview by: Jasmine See