Wild Rice founder Ivan Heng to receive honorary doctorate from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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Singaporean theatremaker Ivan Heng will receive an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on July 4.
PHOTO: WILD RICE
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SINGAPORE – Wild Rice’s founding artistic director Ivan Heng, 60, will receive an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, one of the top institutions for the performing arts in the world.
“The first thought that came to me was that I fulfilled my parents’ wish for me to be a doctor – not in medicine but in theatre, in the arts,” says Heng, who heard the news in March while he was in rehearsal for the play Tartuffe: The Imposter
One of Singapore’s most prolific theatremakers, Heng has directed, acted and designed for theatre productions in more than 20 cities. His landmark acting roles include Peranakan matriarch Emily Gan in one-woman monologue Emily Of Emerald Hill and his directing credits include the five-hour-long historical epic Hotel,
He tells The Straits Times on a phone call from southern Italy, where he is holidaying, that it has been a “very rewarding and inspiring journey”. He won a scholarship in 1990 to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Some of its illustrious alumni include Singaporean actress Neo Swee Lin and English actor Colin Firth.
“I was Singapore’s first arts scholar. I had never travelled anywhere further than Bangkok at that time.”
He recalls of this formative experience: “I saw first-hand how the arts gave Glaswegians a sense of confidence. I’ve carried that inspiration with me all my life – to give Singaporeans a sense of confidence and that pride of belonging. And now, we live in an incredibly vibrant city.”
Heng, who founded Wild Rice in 2000, has led the theatre company to stage distinctively Singaporean classics and develop new work, reaching an audience of more than one million people.
In 2024, Wild Rice’s satire of middle-class prudery G*d Is A Woman was awarded Production of the Year at The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards
Heng made his UK directorial debut at the Edinburgh Fringe and won the Scotsman Fringe First, as well as the Scottish Daily Express New Names of ’93 Award. Wild Rice will take playwright Amanda Chong’s critically acclaimed one-woman monologue Psychob***h to the Fringe
In 2013, Heng was awarded the Cultural Medallion – Singapore’s pinnacle cultural award.
He is one of three pioneering artists who will receive honorary doctorates on July 4. The other recipients are award-winning English choreographer and dancer Akram Khan
In a press statement, Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “Akram Khan, Ivan Heng and Vashti Bunyan are three visionary artists who are being recognised for their exceptional contributions to the world of music, dance and theatre and the unique artistic imprints they have made on arts and culture.
“Their honorary doctorates acknowledge their incredible accomplishments and hope to inspire our graduating students, the next generation of artists, to push the boundaries of creativity.”
Heng says: “Being involved in theatre, the most collaborative of art forms, I would not have had the career I’ve had if not for the amazing artists I’ve worked with, the audiences, and the support of our patrons, and Angels, and the National Arts Council.
“This award is a recognition of Singapore theatre on the global stage and I share this with them.”
