ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CLAIRE DEVINE (Director, Buds Theatre, Singapore)
Claire Devine has lived and worked in Singapore, as a theatre professional since 1996. An accomplished theatre director, educator and facilitator with ‘amazing energy and captivating presence’ Ken Wall, World renowned creativity and innovation guru, 2007.
Artistic Director of the Asian Youth Theatre Festival (2017- to date) – the largest youth theatre festival in Asia and the AYTF Residency Programme, that both serve to educate, inspire and unite Asian youths through the artistic sharing of pedagogy, practice and performance.
Artistic Director of Buds Theatre, a fringe theatre company providing theatre as a vehicle for change. Most recent theatre credits include: Community project Going Local 1-3, Singapore Memory Project (2015), Pigeons (2015) It’s a Father’s Day (2016), Don’t Kancheong Kiasi & Kiasu (2017), MBS Musical Theatre Revue (2017) for Buds Theatre. spell#7 National Language Class Installation (2015), National Language Class (2016). Commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore, for their inaugural opening. Artistic Director of Arts Programme, Play Me I’m Yours, Singapore (2016-17).
Co-designer of the popular “Stagecraft” program offered by The Thinking Network™ and an accredited practitioner and user of the Neethling Brain Instrument.
Claire has worked with multiple organisations including but not limited to: The Law Society Singapore/Brunei, Singapore Actuarial Society, TSMP Law Firm, Apple Sg, Crimson Logic, UBS and coordinator of the HEADSS-UP Training programme for KK Women and Children’s Hospital.
Claire also co-created the current Voice Production and Studies course elective at NTU and facilitated for both the aforementioned programme and the Theatre Games programme, for the Visual & Performing Arts Department, National Institute of Education.
Published by Greenwich University Press in 2007, by Kanes Rajah PhD: Chapter 2 Stagecraft – The key to effective communication, presentation and public speaking.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
REBECCA LEE (Director, Buds Theatre, Singapore)
Rebecca graduated with a BA (Hons) in Acting from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2008. She is an actress and drama educator and has taught in both local and international schools in Singapore. She is the Artistic Director of Buds Theatre and Director of Arts Space, The Playtent.
Her notable theatre credits include: Death & Dancing (2008/14), The Importance of Being Earnest (2009), Colder Than Here (2010), Shades (2011), The Acid Test (2012), Community project Going Local 1-3, Singapore Memory Project (2015), Pigeons (2015) It’s a Father’s Day (2016), Don’t Kancheong Kiasi & Kiasu (2017), MBS Musical Theatre Revue (2017) for Buds Theatre. Spell#7 National Language Class Installation (2015), National Language Class (2016), commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore, for their inaugural opening. Artistic Director of Arts Programme, Play Me I’m Yours, Singapore (2016/7). Festival Director of Asian Youth Theatre Festival, 2017-2019).
Rebecca facilitates the Drama Clubs at Eunoia Junior College, Fajar Secondary School and Marymount Convent School. She is currently working with Eunoia Junior College to set up their pioneer Drama Programme. Rebecca is a mentor for Buds Youth Theatre, Buds Theatre’s youth wing and a strong advocate of youth arts education.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
NIKKI CIMAFRANCA (Artist, Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts, Philippines)
Ricky Nelson “NIKKI” Cimafranca is a freelance artist-teacher, choreographer and director. He started his work in theater in 2006 and since then he has been involved in several productions as a performer, choreographer, director, production designer and even as a stage manager. Taytayan ni Fabian, Pepe and Me, Popoy Buknoy: The Wander Boys, Ahh..Bakus, Scharon Mani and Dagit to name a few. Nikki, as he is commonly known for, is a PETA trained artist who facilitates various workshops for children, young people and adult. He earned his degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education at NORSU (Negros Oriental State University). He has also received various trainings organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in the field of dance, directing, stage productions, festivals and the like.
Currently, he is the President of YATTA (Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts) which won TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organization) in 2008. YATTA also organized TANGHAL 6 in 2012, a Visayas wide theater festival for schools, colleges, universities and community-based theater organizations. Nikki has also participated in IETM (International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts) in Australia in May 2014. He was also a delegate in the first Asian Youth Theater Festival in Singapore last October 2017. As a dancer, Nikki is also an affiliated member of the Kahayg Dance Company, which participated in various cultural festivals overseas such as Korea and Taiwan. He is also the artistic adviser of YANO (Young Advocates of Negros Oriental) under the theater ministry of UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines). At present, he continues to do cultural, community and advocacy work with YATTA.
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
FIQAH ROSLAN (Journalist, Green Leaf Theatre House, Malaysia)
Fiqah is a reporter for the Borneo Post, a local newspaper in Sabah, Malaysia. She discovered her passion for theatre fresh out of high school and has been a part of Green Leaf Theatre House since. Fiqah also has a passion for locally-made products, namely makeup and skincare, and creates content of local products she likes on Instagram and Twitter, via the handle @lipstickfiqs. She believes it is important to support local brands and makers as it empowers the community.
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
HANI MAHDI (Performance Artist, Work in Progress, Malaysia)
Hani Mahdi is a performance artist based in Sabah. She holds a BA (Hons) in Visual Arts Technology from University Malaysia Sabah. She is the co-Founder and Artistic Director of independent arts collective, Work in Progress Kota Kinabalu (WIPKK). She is actively involved in art and activism, and is particularly vested in exploring Sabahan issues though music, theatre and dance. Hani’s latest theatre work is MASKED: Making Peace with Our Limitations, a community art exhibition (2020).
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
SOKUNTHEA BO (Screenwriter, Khmer Art Action, Cambodia)
Sokunthea Bo (Thea) graduated from the University of Management Economics. An able writer, Thea utilises her talent to create concepts for Tepy Media, a marketing agency in Phnom Penh. She also writes and hosts for BNR, a media and news company as well as Jak Jay, a local business. A strong advocate of human rights, Thea was also a DJ with the radio station 98.75 Battambang where she discussed social work and social change. Thea is especially interested in beauty and is often seen promoting products on her social media. Thea is the resident writer for Khmer Art Action.
CHIEF LIASON OFFICER
MASTURAH OLI (Buds Theatre, Singapore)
Masturah Oli is an actor, host and theatre-maker. She graduated with BA (Hons) in Theatre Arts from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, validated by the University of Essex (East 15 Acting School). She was awarded Best Graduate and represented her cohort as Valedictorian.
Her roles in theatre include: Acting Mad (The Necessary Stage, 2019), Anak Melayu (Teater Kami, 2019), Rubber Girl on the Loose (Cake Theatre, 2019), Bitten: Return to Our Roots (Independent, 2018), Step Outta Line (M1 Fringe Festival, 2018), Breathless: The Mixtape (Buds Theatre, 2017) and Pursuant: The Musical (Singapore Lyric Opera, 2013). Masturah is also a theatre educator, she teaches Drama programmes at Assumption English Secondary School, Raffles Junior College, Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, Marymount Convent School and Carpe Diem at ITE Central and Toh Yi School House.
Masturah has been the Youth Ambassador for the Asian Youth Theatre Festival since its inception in 2017. She believes in using theatre to bridge cultures and is constantly building new working relationships across the world.
CHIEF LIASON OFFICER
ROCKY KHAN (Prachyanat, Bangladesh)
Mohammad Fazly Rabby Khan, better known as Rocky, is from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a Theatre and Television Actor. He has been working as an actor since 2002; He completed his Bachelor in Business Administration at the American International University, Bangladesh, majoring in International Business. At present he is working for Prachyanat Theatre Group as a theatre activist and has also taken on the role of Youth Ambassador for the Asian Youth theatre Festival 2018. In 2013 Rocky represented the university in MusicOn, an Inter University Cultural Competition and emerged the champion. He earned Best Concept Award as a Director for his short film ‘Blindfolded’ in Intra Aiub Film Festival 2014. This year, Rocky is making his film debut in ‘Jajabor’ a Bangladeshi film.