After making their The Studios debuts in 2023 under Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s TRIP programme for early career directors to showcase their work, Sim Yan Ying “YY” and Renee Yeong are back this April to each present a brand new work to round off their journey.

In 2023, YY presented Joel Tan’s No Particular Order, while Renee presented Michelle Tan’s I Am Trying To Say Something True, both chosen from a pool of scripts provided by the Esplanade, and produced after receiving guidance from a panel of experienced directors, comprising Edith Podesta, Aidli ‘Alin’ Mosbit, and Sean Tobin. This year, both directors have been given free rein to pick a work to present, resulting in YY working together with playwright Jean Tay and Dapheny Chen to create new work pass·ages, and Renee choosing Paula Vogel’s How I Learned To Drive.

Blending humour and heartache, pass·ages is an original work conceptualised by YY, written by Jean Tay and choreographed by Dapheny Chen, and brings us on a journey through the evolving landscape of ageing, as we witness four women navigating distinct passages through life. Meet the elderly Ching, who struggles to reclaim her personhood and dignity in the face of dementia; Shivani, a mature dancer determined to stake her claim to the stage; Ogy, a woman in a desperate race against her biological clock; and teenage Millie, who is coping with the five stages of grief in her own peculiar way.

Inspired by contributions from performers Dana Lam, Nirmala Seshadri, Suhaili Safari and Shanice Stanislaus, this interdisciplinary production boldly confronts the complex realities and anxieties of growing old(er) as a woman. pass·ages invites us to re-examine our relationship with ageing, and asks: how do we truly embrace the inevitable? 

Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive follows the story of Li’l Bit, who was sexually abused by her Uncle Peck since she was 11 years old, while in the driver’s seat of a Ford Mustang with her uncle as her driving instructor. Her schoolmates and family were none the wiser—how could friendly neighbourhood Uncle Peck be capable of such a heinous crime?

Now, at age 30, Li’l Bit is finally ready to heal—in order to do that, she must revisit some of the key moments in her adolescence that have shaped and changed her, for better and for worse. These moments involve not just Uncle Peck, but also the people around her: schoolmates who bullied and sexualised her for her larger-than-average chest, her aunt, who blamed Li’l Bit for stealing her husband, and the waiter who stood by as Uncle Peck manipulated Li’l Bit to drink while underage. Stars Masturah Oli, Andrew Lua, Vester Ng, Tan Rui Shan, and Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen.

With two plays that both promise humour, drama, heartbreak and truth, this year’s thought-provoking season of The Studios is set to make you laugh and cry, and ultimately, help us find resonance and empathy in our shared humanity, as both directors take you on yet another TRIP into their artistry.

pass·ages plays from 12th to 14th April 2024, while How I Learned To Drive plays from 19th to 21st April 2024, both at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. Find out more about TRIP here