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Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

, alma_mater =

Anglo-Chinese School Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its students and alumni are referred to as "ACS ...

Temasek Junior College Temasek Junior College (TJC) is a government-run junior college temporarily located in Tampines. Its original location in Bedok South is currently undergoing reconstruction as part of the JC Rejuvenation Programme. It offers a six-year Integra ...

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama () is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and film in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Founde ...

, occupation = Actor, Theatre Director , spouse = , parents = Nancy Ong (mother) , relatives =

Tan Kheng Hua Tan Kheng Hua (born 17 January 1963) is a Singaporean actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the 2018 Hollywood film ''Crazy Rich Asians'' and in American television network the CW's martial arts television series ''Kung Fu'' ...

, awards =

Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion () is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, Literature of Singapore, literature, Music of Singapore, music, photography, art and Cinema of Singapore, film ...

(2013) , website = , module = Ivan Heng (;) is a

actor and theatre director of

Peranakan The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...

descent. He is the founding artistic director of

W!LD RICE Wild Rice (stylized W!LD RICE), founded in 2000 by Ivan Heng, is a professional theatre company in Singapore. In 2019, the company established a permanent performance venue at Funan Mall. History The first show by Wild Rice was held at Jubile ...

, a theatre company in Singapore, and an outspoken advocate for respect for diversity and freedom of expression. Heng is the first male Singaporean actor to break into English-speaking roles in Hollywood films with his role in

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

's ''

The Fifth Element ''The Fifth Element'' () is a 1997 English-language French science-fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson, and co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, an ...

'', the first female actress from Singapore being Lydia Look, who played a Fuzhou actress in a

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

Hollywood film.

Biography

A theatre director, actor, playwright and designer, Heng's productions are concerned with identity, migration and gender and sexual politics within intercultural contexts. They have played festivals and theatres in more than 20 cities around the world including Melbourne International Arts Festival, New Zealand International Arts Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, ICA International Festival of the Chinese Diaspora (London), Hong Kong City Festival,

Royal Tropical Institute KIT, formerly the Royal Tropical Institute (Dutch: Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen), is an applied knowledge institute located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is an independent centre of expertise, education, intercultural cooperation and hospi ...

(Netherlands), SIETAR Congress (Munich), WOTM Conference (Belgium) and Re:Map Festival (Copenhagen). Heng's background is in both Asian and Western theatre traditions: training as a director with

Kuo Pao Kun Kuo Pao Kun (193910 September 2002) () was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activistKwok, Kian-Woon. "Remembering Kuo Pao Kun (1939–2002)." Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 4.2 (2003): 193–201. in Singapore who wrote and directed both Ma ...

of Practice Performing Arts in Singapore; ballet, jazz and contemporary dance as a scholar with Dance Arts Singapore; and training with the Peking Opera in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Tang's Opera Troupe) and Singapore (Leling Peking Opera Troupe, Chinese Theatre Circle). He also spent a summer at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford. His mentor, colleague and closest collaborator was Krishen Jit with whom he collaborated on ''M. Butterfly'', ''The Coffin is too Big for the Hole'', ''No Parking on Odd Days'', ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' and ''The Visit of the

Tai tai Tai tai (太太) is a Chinese colloquial term for an elected leader-wife; or a wealthy married woman who does not work. It is the same as the Cantonese title for a married woman. It has the same euphemistic value as "lady" in English: sometimes ...

''.

Early years

Heng was educated at

and the

, where he studied law from 1984 to 1988. He was admitted to practice as a lawyer until the acting bug led him to various theatres, winning many awards in Edinburgh, London, Canada and finally Hollywood. Heng was awarded the

, Singapore's highest arts honour, in 2013. Whilst studying for his law degree, Heng attended Kuo's directing workshop, acted with Singapore Theatre American Repertory Showcase (S*TARS), and directed and designed sets as a founding member of

The Necessary Stage The Necessary Stage (TNS, previously known as M1 Theatre Connect and M1 Youth Connection) is a Singaporean non-profit theatre company with charity status. Formed in 1987 by Alvin Tan, TNS was established with its own mission to create challengi ...

. Heng originated the lead role of Malcolm Png in

Michael Chiang Michael Chiang (born 27 October 1955 in Muar (town), Muar, Malaysia) is a prolific playwright and screenwriter in Singapore. He is known as "Singapore's most famous and successful playwright". From 1990 to 2009, Chiang was the editorial director ...

's ''Army Daze'' in 1987. He also played Frankie Wong in ''Beauty World'', and Song Liling in the All-Asian premiere of ''M. Butterfly'' in India in 1989 (a role originated on the West End by his future collaborator

Glen Goei Glen Goei (; born 22 December 1962) is one of Singapore's leading film and theatre directors. His broad ranging body of work embraces the full gamut of the performing and visual arts and includes film, theatre, musicals, large scale shows, Wor ...

). Heng also performed in ''M. Butterfly'' at the

Singapore Arts Festival Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised bArts House Limitedfor the National Arts Council Singapore, National Arts Council. The festival is usually held in mid-year for a stretch ...

in 1990.

Overseas work

In 1990, Heng became the first recipient of the BAT Arts Scholarship to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the

, in Glasgow. He graduated with top honours, including the Royal Lyceum Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance (''Richard III''), the Margaret Gordon Award for Best Final Year Performance, and the Dorothy Innes Prize for Best Studentship. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the institution. Heng made his UK directorial debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a Singaporean play – Ovidia Yu's ''The Woman in a Tree on the Hill''. The production won the Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First (Singapore's first and only), as well the ''Scottish Daily Express'' New Names of '93 Award. Thereafter, he moved to London where he worked in film, television and radio, and founded the Tripitaka Theatre Company to do touring productions with an Asian point of view, like his autobiographical solo ''Journey West'' (1995).

Return to Singapore

In 1998, after touring extensively throughout Europe, Heng decided to return to Singapore to contribute and make a difference to Singapore's nascent arts scene. In 2000, Heng founded W!LD RICE. His projects for the company include directing ''The Campaign to Confer the Public Service Star on JBJ'', ''Second Link – The Singapore Malaysia Text Exchange'', ''Oi! Sleeping Beauty!!'', ''The Visit of the Tai Tai'', ''Landmarks – Asian Boys Vol.2'', ''Cinderel-lah!'', ''Animal Farm'', ''Ang Tau Mui'', ''The Woman in A Tree on the Hill'', ''An Occasional Orchid''; set designing ''The Magic Fundoshi'', ''Boeing Boeing'', ''Landmarks'', ''Ang Tau Mui'', ''Animal Farm'', ''An Occasional Orchid'', and Kuo Pao Kun's ''The Coffin is too Big for the Hole'' and ''No Parking on Odd Days''; and acting in ''The Visit of the Tai Tai'', ''For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again'', ''Emily of Emerald Hill'', ''Animal Farm'', ''La Cage Aux Folles'' and ''The Importance of Being Earnest''. Other highlights of his career include acting in ''Army Daze'', ''Beauty World'' (both original casts) and ''M. Butterfly'' (India, Canada, Singapore); conceiving and directing ''Ah Kong's Birthday Party'' (Singapore's longest-running play); directing ''Dim Sum Dollies Steaming!'' and ''Singapore's Most Wanted'' (Esplanade Theatre), ''Phua Chu Kang: the Musical'' for the President of Singapore's Star Charity, Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly'' for the Singapore Lyric Opera (Esplanade Theatre), and co-directing and performing in ''Hotel Grand Asia'', a three-year intercultural collaboration involving 16 theatre artists from seven cities at the Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo. In 2006, Heng was Artistic Director of the inaugural Singapore Theatre Festival, which was presented by W!LD RICE and featured nine productions by five theatre companies, including five World Premieres, seminars and workshops. In 2009, he served as Creative Director for Singapore's National Day Parade. In 2010, he was Creative Director for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the inaugural

Youth Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with ...

held in Singapore. Heng's awards for excellence in theatre include the Edinburgh Fringe First, ''Scottish Daily Express'' New Names of '93 Award, Edinburgh Spirit of the Fringe 1995, Singapore

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

1996, the Singapore Youth Award 1998, the ''Straits Times Life!'' Theatre Award for Best Director 2002, the Singapore Tatler Leadership Award for Culture (2006) and the Cultural Medallion in 2013. He shares his practice by giving workshops internationally, and has taught at the Central School of Speech and Drama (London), Tramway (Glasgow), Intercult (Stockholm), Kannonhallen (Denmark), Dramalab (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), and LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. He was also a participant at London's Royal Court Theatre 10th International Summer Residency.

Personal life

In August 2014, Heng married his long-time partner Tony Trickett in London. Heng met Trickett, now the executive director of W!LD RICE, in 1996.

Filmography

Films

*2013: ''Sex.Violence.FamilyValues.'' – Pole Dance Judge *1999:

Rogue Trader In financial trading, a rogue trader is an employee authorized to make trades on behalf of their employer (subject to certain conditions) who makes unauthorized trades. It can also involve mismarking of securities. The perpetrator is a legitimat ...

– Singapore Bartender *1997:

(Le Cinquième élément) – Left Arm

Plays

*2015: ''Public Enemy'' – Dr. Thomas Chee *2013: ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' – Lady Bracknell *2012: ''La Cage Aux Folles'' – Albin *2011: ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' – Emily *2011: ''The Weight of Silk on Skin'' – John Au Yong *2006: ''Jack and the Beansprout'' – Widow Neo *2004: ''For the Pleasure of Seeing You Again'' – Narrator *2002: ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' – Emily *2000: ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' – Emily *1999: ''Emily of Emerald Hill'' – Emily