Lin Chen () was a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and one of the important pioneers of Singapore theatre. Chen was born in Singapore in 1919, his alma mater were

Tao Nan Primary School Tao Nan School ( abbreviation: TNS; Chinese: ), is a co-educational primary school in Singapore. One of the six Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, along with Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, Kong Hwa School, Nan Chiau Primary School and N ...

and

The Chinese High School The Chinese High School () was an independent school in Singapore offering secondary education. The school merged with Hwa Chong Junior College on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution. Founded on 21 March 1919, The Chine ...

. Chen's first exposure to the dramatic arts was watching a play titled ''The Military Hospital'' by the Singapore Amateur Drama Society. The 18-year-old was deeply moved by the drama performance, and soon joined the Society. He had also worked in the comics and wood carving industries from 1937 until he joined World Bookshop in the 1950s. After his retirement in 1980, he joined the

People's Association The People's Association (PA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of the Government of Singapore that oversees neighbourhood grassroots communities and social organisations. Established in 1960, it ...

as an instructor for drama groups. Chen's theatrical training was accumulated from years of experience. Writing short stories and essays under different pseudonyms, he also wrote scripts for local radio stations and

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commerci ...

. In addition, he participated actively in directing and writing for the theatres. From its inception in 1955, Chen was the resident playwright for the Singapore Arts Theatre and directed 162 dramas from 1954 to 1991. His work ''The Woman Who Broke the Mirror'' was included in the local secondary school curriculum. On October 30, 1982, Lin Chen was awarded the

Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography Photography is the visual art, art, application, and practice of creating dur ...

. He died on 29 August 2004.

Selected plays

* 陋巷里

ou xiang li OU or Ou or ou may stand for: Universities United States * Oakland University in Oakland County, Michigan * Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama * Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia * Ohio University in Athens, Ohio * Olivet Univer ...

(1959). * 酒巴间

iu ba jian IU may refer to: Businesses and organisations Sport *Islamabad United, a cricket team franchise in Pakistan Super League Universities * Indiana University, a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States *Islamic ...

(1959). * 打破镜子的人 a po jing zi de ren (1959). * 圣诞财神 heng dan cai shen (1960). * 一个有钱的人家

i ge you qian de ren jia I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

(1961) * 建筑工地上 ian zhu gong di shang(1961). * 开斋节前后

ai Zhai jie qian hou AI is artificial intelligence, intellectual ability in machines and robots. Ai, AI or A.I. may also refer to: Animals * Ai (chimpanzee), an individual experimental subject in Japan * Ai (sloth) or the pale-throated sloth, northern Amazonian ma ...

(1961). * 不能再走这条路

u neng zai zou zhe tiao lu U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' ( ...

(1961).

References

Singaporean dramatists and playwrights 1919 births 2004 deaths 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Singaporean people 20th-century Singaporean writers Recipients of the Cultural Medallion for art {{Singapore-bio-stub