What makes some of these local or global creatives tick? In this weekly column, creative producer Derrick Chew shares his favourite things.
1. Musicals: Chang & Eng (a proud Singaporean Musical produced by Action Theatre in 1997) was the first musical I watched that got me falling in love with musicals. I caught 21 shows (yep!) on my maiden trip to London and these are some of the shows I’ve watched.
2. Literature & Theatre: I was not an academically–strong student. But when I first studied literature in Secondary School, that opened up my world. Today, I am a Creative Producer and I’ve got the subject to thank for that. I got the chance to fulfill my dream of producing my lit text, Lord of the Flies, in 2016 together with my collaborator Samantha Scott-Blackhall.
3. Travels: I’m not sure whether it’s a Cancerian (my Sun sign) thing but there’s something about oceans that attracts me. I love the water and my travels these days must include a sea or beach element. This was taken in Kenting, Taiwan.
4. Coffee: I love coffee — Long Black and Oat Cappuccino. I love it so much I started a café back in the café hipster days. It was called Hyde & Co. and I ran it from 2014 to 2018. Today, I still can pull a shot and do simple latte art (at least I hope I still can!).
5. Filmmaking: I studied film in Ngee Ann Polytechnic and our graduation short film won Best Film at the 20th Singapore International Film Festival. 12 years later, I’m filming my very first Feature Film called Boom, written by award-winning playwright Jean Tay which I’m planning to submit to this year’s SGIFF. Fingers crossed!
6. Choose–your–own–adventure mysteries: I love whodunnits and murder mysteries. So when the pandemic hit and after wallowing in despair, I saw an opportunity to combine live theatre with digital technology. Since 2020, we have created six such experiences including the critically-acclaimed The Curious Case of the Missing Peranakan Treasure set in the world–famous Raffles Hotel Singapore.
7. Board Games: I love strategy board games and I play them regularly with two groups of friends. These sessions help me destress but also teach me a lot about strategy and gameplay design which I incorporate into the work I do.
8. Astrology: I love psychology and the study of human behavioral patterns. Many people think astrology is some form of witch-craft but it is actually the world’s most accurate profiling tool. I studied astrology during the pandemic with Selfstrology Academy and I dare say they are the best in the business and there’s nothing woo-woo about it!
9. History & Heritage: I love all things heritage. And so, when we were approached to create an “Escape Game in the City” featuring national and heritage buildings in the Civic District, I said yes! Time Heist: Civic District is co-produced with my collaborator Hossan Leong and runs till 31 July 2022.
10. Family & Friends: When the world gets a little too much to handle, home and friendships are the only things that lift you up.
Once you’re done with Derrick Chew’s obsessions, click here to catch up with our June/July 2022 issue!
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