DIRECTORIAL VISION

A well-crafted work is not always loud. I’ve often found it more delightful to stumble upon the understated, unannounced moments in a piece of theatre. So that’s the kind of work I try to create.

We (often the actors, playwright, and I) explore the moments and turns of phrase in a script, shade in the moments finely, and hide the pencil marks. Sometimes we chew on the eraser on the pencil-posterior, and freak out about whether people will notice the subtleties. But we (or I with the team in tow) always come back to the belief that a light hand will do with an equal.

Side by side, you and I can all revel in how messed up we (humans) are, and beautiful, and how electric the moments of connection, however brief, can be in the midst of our insane existence.

Theatre: Text

SELECTED DIRECTORIAL WORKS

Theatre: Text

Theatre: Pro Gallery

SELECTED QUOTES

'If playwright Tan, 28, is one of the most exciting of his generation, then Chen Yingxuan is his directorial equivalent. Working with a modest set, she manoeuvres the shifts in tone expertly, taking full advantage of the visual ellipses to ratchet up the suspense.'
- The Business Times, “Gems Among Plays by 20-Somethings”

'Ostensibly, it's a story about two women making small talk in a cafe. In effect, [Cafe] works like a horror film that ratchets up its tension gradually and methodically. [...] [Y]ou leave the theatre feeling like you'll never be the same person again.

- The Business Times, “BEST OF 2016 - BEST PLAYS - Deep, Diverse, Distinct”

‘[M]y ultimate shout out has to be to its young director Chen. You do feel Mosaic as a whole and I’m very sure it’s to her credit, teasing out the little nuances in the script, getting the best out of her actors.’

- Today, “S’pore Fringe Fest 2015: Mosaic’s Pieces Fit Just Right”

‘[E]qual praise must go to director Chen Yingxuan. [...] The story is essentially performed in a void: characters fumble with invisible cigarettes and search for nonexistent mosaic tiles in the sand. Their nostalgic project is a game of holding on to nothingness. As a whole, Mosaic is beautiful, admirably complex and disturbing.

- The Straits Times, “Theatre Review: Joel Tan’s Mosaic Critiques Our Obsession with the Past”

‘Director Chen does an impressive job of judging pace and blocking, and of pointing the character beats that give low‐key, naturalistic pieces like [Mosaic] their texture.’

‐ Flying Inkpot, First Impressions (“Mosaic”, Lit Up Festival)

‘Director Chen Yingxuan shows us what a generous dose of simplicity can do. She does a wonderful job pulling together these three separate pieces by employing the same stylistic elements throughout. These tactics are both economical and refreshing.’
- Flying Inkpot, “Face to Face III: Full Circle”

Theatre: Resume