Seet Khiam Keong (), better known as "K.K. Seet", is an

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, writer and theatre director from Singapore. He is a prominent figure in the arts scene in Singapore, where he is particularly known for being a judge at several high-profile competitions and serving on a number of arts-related committees.

Academic career

Seet holds a PhD from the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

, and

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

degrees from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. He has been the recipient of a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

(as Visiting Fellow at the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

) and two

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

Fellowships. Seet was responsible for establishing the

Theatre Studies Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychobiological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also e ...

programme at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

(NUS) in 1992. He was a tenured academic in the NUS Department of English Language and Literature for 22 years before choosing to take early retirement in June 2012. Seet has written fifteen books. ''The Istana'' was presented to Blair House, the official guest house of the US President. Another book, ''In Unison'', was presented to the Vice Premier of China. A third, ''Singapore Celebrates'', is buried in a time capsule. His book ''Death Rites'' was twice dramatised for TV by Arts Central. Seet has also published in journals such as '' Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies'', '' TDR: The Drama Review'', ''

Theatre Journal The ''Theatre Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the theatre arts, with articles from the October and December issues centering on a predetermined theme. It is an official publication of The Association for Theatre i ...

'', ''

Theatre Research International Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

'', and ''

World Literature Today ''World Literature Today'' is an American magazine of international literature and culture, published at the University of Oklahoma. The stated goal of the magazine is to publish international essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, and book review ...

''.

Artistic career

Seet has chaired the Grants Committee and Selection Panel for the Singapore

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, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award. Histor ...

and the Young Artist of the Year Awards in Theatre. He advises on multidisciplinary arts at the

National Arts Council Singapore The National Arts Council (NAC) is a statutory board established on 15 October 1991 to oversee the development of arts in Singapore. It is under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The NAC provides grants, scholarships ...

, and has been a member of both the Drama Advisory Committee and the Films Appeal Committee for Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA).Playwriting contest judges' profiles
, action.org.sg. Retrieved 19 January 2008 Seet has judged numerous arts-related competitions, including the

Singapore Literature Prize The Singapore Literature Prize (abbreviation: SLP) is a biennial award in Singapore to recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organis ...

, the

Singapore Writers Festival The Singapore Writers Festival is a literary event organised by the National Arts Council. Inaugurated in 1986, the festival serves a dual function of promoting new and emerging Singaporean and Asian writing to an international audience, as well ...

, ''

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was established ...

'' Life! Theatre Awards, and the televised shows the ''Fame Awards'' and ''

The Arena An arena is an enclosed area that showcases theatre, musical performances or sporting events. Arena, ARENA, or the Arena may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Arena, Saskatchewan, Canada * Arena, Iran * Arena, Calabria, Italy * La ...

''. Seet has hosted the TV shows ''Film Art'' and ''Art Nation'' on Arts Central of

MediaCorp TV12 Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prop ...

in Singapore.Art's making it on air
Channel NewsAsia, 18 May 2006 and he was the face of the ''Speak Mandarin Campaign/ Huayu Cool'' in 2007. Seet was conferred the Special Recognition Award by Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) in 2005 for his contribution to culture and the arts. In July 2012, he was presented the Singapore Theatre Vanguard Award by the arts community of Singapore.

Select bibliography

Non-fiction * ''A place for the people'' (Times Books International, 1983) * ''Singapore celebrates'' (Times Editions, 1990) * ''The Istana'' (Times Editions, 2000) * ''Knowledge, imagination, possibility: Singapore's transformative library'' (National Library Board of Singapore and SNP Editions, 2005) * ''Prime: pride of passage'' (Keppel Land Limited and Straits Times Press, 2011) Edited Volumes * ''Old truths, new revelations: prizewinning ASEAN stories'' (Times Books International, 2001) * ''5 under 25: prize-winning plays from the Writers' Lab'' (TheatreWorks, 2003) Journal Articles * "Mothers and Daughters: Abjection and the Monstrous-Feminine in Japan's Dark Water and South Korea's A Tale of Two Sisters." ''Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies'' 24.2 (71) (2009): 139–159. * "Theater and the politics of culture in contemporary Singapore." ''TDR: The Drama Review'' 47.2 (2003): 173–175. * "Interpellation, ideology and identity: the case of Talaq." ''Theatre Research International'' 27.2 (2002): 153–163. * "Discourse from the margin: A triptych of negotiations in contemporary Singapore English-language theatre." ''World Literature Today'' 74.2 (2000): 305–312. Children's * ''Death rites: tales from a wake'' (Times Books International, 1990) * ''A single tear: a fairytale for all ages '' (2010)

References

External links

www.kkseet.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seet, K. K. Singaporean writers Singaporean theatre directors Academic staff of the National University of Singapore Singaporean people of Chinese descent Living people Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Year of birth missing (living people)