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 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 wa ...

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 (commercia ...

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

. He died on 29 August 2004.

Selected plays

* 陋巷里 ou xiang li (1959). * 酒巴间 iu ba jian (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(1961) * 建筑工地上 ian zhu gong di shang(1961). * 开斋节前后 ai Zhai jie qian hou(1961). * 不能再走这条路 u neng zai zou zhe tiao lu(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