article archive
ARTICLE ARCHIVE
Media Posts and Coverage
A non-exhaustive list of links to news and social media posts and coverage from Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Italy and Canberra on award-winning artist Oliver Chong and his works from 2002 to present.
Singapore
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
一场没有救赎的超渡——十指帮《灵戏》 | 早报 ｜ Review of The Spirits Play, designed and directed by Oliver Chong
2016
2015
2014
推理？是游戏，还是剧场？ | 评 Body X | 众观 Re-Viewers | Reflections on watching Body X, co-written by Oliver Chong
2013
2012
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2002
Taiwan
2018
2017
Hong Kong
2014
China
2019
2014
New Zealand
2018
Italy
2012
Canberra
2020
creative learning
CREATIVE LEARNING
Masterclasses
At the core of ODDCROP’s education work are its Masterclasses in Devising, Playwriting, Directing, Designing and Acting. Award-winning theatre practitioner Oliver Chong will guide participants through rigorous processes of contemplating training and creation, drawing references from notable training and performance-devising methods such as Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, Suzuki Method of Actor Training and Viewpoints.
These processes offer an insight into ODDCROP’s working methodology to people of varying interests, abilities and backgrounds, from professionals and students, to young people within and without the theatre community.
CONTACT US for enquiries on upcoming Masterclasses or customised workshops.
Instructors
Oliver Chong
Oliver Chong is also actively involved in encouraging arts appreciation in Singapore by cultivating new audiences through The Finger Players’ Reach Out! Arts Education Program since 2004, with an average outreach of 85,000 students and members of the public per year. To date, he has toured assembly plays and conducted lectures, talks, masterclasses and workshops in playwriting, directing, acting and puppetry at over 70 theatre companies, schools, institutions, and organisations in Singapore and abroad [see non-exhaustive list below]. He has also written, devised, designed and directed graduation productions for Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and Lasalle College of the Arts School of Theatre (Singapore) students in BA(Hons) and Diploma programmes.
Since 2014, Oliver has been conducting Acting Masterclasses with The Finger Players, Drama Box and ODDCROP Productions; and has seen the graduation of nine batches of more than 50 active practitioners to date. In 2020, Oliver was commissioned by the National Arts Council (Singapore) to conduct MARGIN – A One-to-one Playwriting Masterclass (in Mandarin); by Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) to conduct Directing Masterclass – Doctoring Directorial Approaches and Directing to Vision – A 1-to-1 Directing Masterclass. In 2021, Oliver was invited onboard the adjudicator panel for the annual Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Arts Presentation for Drama by the Ministry of Education (MOE) Singapore.
Lasalle College of the Arts School of Theatre (Singapore) | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts | Intercultural Theatre Institute | Hong Kong Repertory Theatre | National Institute of Education (ITP) | Ministry of Education Special Branch | National University of Singapore | Nanyang Technological University | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information | Republic Polytechnic | School of the Arts, Singapore | Institute of Technical Education (ITE) | Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) | Children’s Cancer Foundation | Singapore Baptist Convention Golden Age Home | The Salvation Army (Singapore) | Ronald McDonald Children’s Charity Club Rainbow | St John’s Home for Elderly Persons | Bethany Methodist Nursing Home | Adventist Home for the Elders | Christian Outreach to the Handicapped (Tampines) | Christian Outreach to the Handicapped (Toa Payoh) | AWWA Community Home | AWWA Seniors Activity Centre | AWWA READYCARE Centre | AWWA School | Marine Parade Family Service Centre | Geylang East Home for the Aged | St Andrew Autism School | International Community School | Cherie Hearts | Fei Yue Counselling Centre | Pathlight School | North Light School | Raffles Institute | Pioneer Junior College | Tampines Junior College | Victoria Junior College | Dunman High School | Catholic High School | Hwa Chong Institution | Nanyang Junior College | Anderson Junior College | River Valley High School | Chung Cheng High School (Main) | Nan Hua High School | Anderson Secondary School | Anderson Primary School | Maris Stella High School | Canossian School | Raffles Girls’ School | Anglo-Chinese School (Barker) | St. Gabriel’s Secondary School | Fairfield Methodist Secondary School | Towner Garden School | St Andrew’s School | CHIJ Secondary School | CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School | Tanjong Katong Secondary School | Dunearn Secondary School | Ang Mo Kio Secondary School | Deyi Secondary School | Hong Kah Secondary School | St. Gabriel’s Secondary School | Xinmin Secondary School | Jurong West Secondary School | Woodgrove Secondary School | Nan Hua Primary School | St Margaret’s Primary School | CHIJ Katong Primary School | Zhenghua Primary School | Xishan Primary School | Chongzheng Primary School | West Grove Primary School | Keming Primary School | Yu Neng Primary School
about us
ABOUT US
The Company
ODDCROP is an ensemble-based theatre company from Singapore, founded in 2019. Lead by award-winning theatre practitioner Oliver Chong, ODDCROP’s bedrock is the creative energy of collaboration.
Based on the tenet that collaboration – a group of artists working to create together – can have a significant impact on contemporary theatre-making and society, the ensemble on-stage and the ensemble off-stage is the cornerstone of all ODDCROP’s actions.
Using artist-driven research to investigate training methodologies, movement disciplines and ensemble dynamics, ODDCROP seeks to create an artistic language that is visually rich, distinct and sublime. ODDCROP values the creation of new work, training of theatre artists, and commitment to international collaboration.
CONTACT US for enquiries on collaborations, or join our mailing list for updates on new works and masterclass openings.
Oliver Chong
Oliver Chong is a multi-award-winning and published playwright, director, actor, and designer. Some of his memorable works include Every Brilliant Thing, A Fiend’s Diary, Roots, I’m Just A Piano Teacher, Cat, Lost & Found, The Book of Living and Dying, Citizen Pig and Citizen Dog. His numerous nominations at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards include Production of the Year and Best Director for I’m Just A Piano Teacher, Production of the Year for Off Centre, Best Director and Best Script for Citizen Pig, Best Actor for Roots, Invisibility/Breathing and Art, Best Supporting Actor for Itsy, the musical, Flare, Best Ensemble for Senang, Shit Hole, First Family, Rashomon, and A Cage Goes in Search of a Bird respectively, and Best Set Design for Twisted, Citizen Dog and A Fiend’s Diary.
In 2011, he won Production of the Year for A Cage Goes in Search of a Bird with A Group of People. In 2013, he won Production of the Year and Best Script for Roots. The production has since toured Hong Kong and Taiwan to critical acclaim. Roots was also read and staged in New Zealand by Proudly Asian Theatre. In 2016, he was invited to perform in a site-specific, 108-hour durational one-man show Time Between Us at the Singapore International Festival of Arts. In 2017, he was selected to perform in the international premiere of Blood and Rose Ensemble in Taipei, directed by Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group’s Director Wang Chia Ming, a co-commission by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Taiwan National Performing Arts Centre Innovation Series Theater Festival. In 2020, he won Best Actor for A Fiend’s Diary.
To date, Oliver has performed at international arts festivals with touring productions in Paris, Myanmar, Barcelona, Budapest, Ankara, Bangkok, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. He has conducted playwriting, directing and acting Masterclasses in Hong Kong and Singapore, and has been committed to helping practitioners fine-tune their crafts since 2014. Oliver is trained in the Stanislavsky method, Biomechanics, Alexander Technique, Commedia dell’arte, Theatre of the Oppressed, Forum Theatre, The Suzuki Method, Viewpoints, Mask Work, Puppetry and Tai Chi.
Oliver was the Resident Director of THE FINGER PLAYERS (2004 – 2018), currently the core member of the company and the founding member of A GROUP OF PEOPLE (2008 – 2012). He is the founder and Artistic Director of ODDCROP Productions (2019 – present). His published works include Roots, The Book of Living and Dying, I’m Just A Piano Teacher and Cat, Lost & Found, all available now on Amazon, The Finger Players and for loan at National Library Board Singapore and Centre 42.
Awards
The Straits Times Life! Theatre Award Winners
- Best Actor 2020 (A Fiend’s Diary)
- Best Set Design 2019 (Citizen Dog)
- Best Production of the Year 2013 (Roots)
- Best Original Script 2013 (Roots)
- Best Production of the Year 2011 (A Cage Goes in Search of a Bird)
The Straits Times Life! Theatre Award Nominations
- Best Production of the Year 2016 (Off Centre)
- Best Production of the Year 2007 (I’m Just a Piano Teacher)
- Best Production of the Year 2006 (Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea)
- Readers’ Choice Award for Production of the Year 2013 (Roots)
- Best Director 2014 (Citizen Pig)
- Best Director 2007 (I’m Just a Piano Teacher)
- Best Original Script 2014 (Citizen Pig)
- Best Actor 2015 (Art)
- Best Actor 2013 (Roots)
- Best Actor 2011 (Invisibility/Breathing)
- Best Supporting Actor 2017 (Itsy)
- Best Supporting Actor 2009 (Flare)
- Best Ensemble 2015 (Senang)
- Best Ensemble 2011 (A Cage Goes in Search of a Bird)
- Best Ensemble 2010 (Rashomon)
- Best Ensemble 2007 (First Family)
- Best Ensemble 2005 (Shit Hole)
- Best Set Design 2020 (A Fiend’s Diary)
- Best Set Design 2006 (Twisted)
- Best Multimedia Design 2008 (Wong Kar Wai Dreams)
Cinemagic On The Pulse Short Film Festival 2022 (UK & Ireland)
- Official Selection (A Man Trembles)
19th London Short Film Festival 2022
- International Competition Selection (A Man Trembles)
32nd SGIFF Singapore International Film Festival 2021
- SEA Southeast Asian Short Film Competition Selection Best Director award (A Man Trembles)
65th BFI London Film Festival 2021
- Official Selection (A Man Trembles)
Canberra Film Festival 2020
- International: Best Cinematography (The Frog Prince)
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2015
- Official Selection (Five to Nine)
- NETPAC Nomination (Five to Nine)