Storyteller
Verena Tay (Singapore)
For more than 25 years, Verena Tay has acted, directed and written for local English-language theatre in Singapore, working for companies such as The Necessary Stage, ACTION Theatre, TheatreWorks and Practice Theatre. She created various solo and collaborative performances, often based on original, self-written material while she was as an Associate Artist with The Substation (2002–09). Three collections of her plays have been published: In the Company of Women: Selected Plays (2004), In the Company of Heroes (2011) and Victimology (2011). An Honorary Fellow at the renowned International Writing Program, University of Iowa (Aug-Nov 2007), she is now working on her first volume of short stories and debut novel as well as embarking on a part-time MFA in Creative Writing with the City University of Hong Kong (2012–14).
Apart from theatre, Verena brings stories vocally and physically alive in her unique fashion. As part of MoonShadow Stories since November 2004, Verena has been telling stories at various community venues across Singapore and overseas, much to the delight and enjoyment of adults and children. A Professional Member and founding member of the Storytelling Association (Singapore), Verena has successfully coached members of the SAS and members of the public to improve their craft of telling stories through various courses, particularly her intermediate level workshop, Beyond Storytelling 101, that she has been conducting on a regular basis since 2008.
Outside of theatre and storytelling, Verena has worked in public affairs, marketed books, and edited newsletters and books on teaching and learning issues in higher education. Her interest in performance led her to pursue an MA in Voice Studies (2005) at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London during 2003-04, thereby augmenting her MA in English Literature (1993) from the National University of Singapore. Since 2005, she has taught voice, speech and presentation skills at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and other local institutions.