Chay Yew

Chay Yew is a playwright and director born in Singapore. He now lives in USA. Since the summer of 2011 he has been artistic director for Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.

He had his breakthrough as a playwright in London during the early 1990es, as Porcelain won The London Fringe Award for best play. Yew's writing is characterised by his radical examination of themes such as racism, censorship and homophobia.

Yew also has caused controversy with his plays; As if he hears from 1988 was about an American businessman infected with HIV during a trip to Thailand, who is helped by a gay Malaysian social worker. The play was originally prohibited performed in Singapore due to the 'too sympathetic' gay character.

His plays have been produced by numerous theatres, including Public Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club in New York, Royal Court Theatre in London and Singapore Repertory Theatre.

He got the OBIE award for his direction of Durango (Public Theater, 2007).