On the backdrop of modern Singapore’s multicultural society, five characters navigate life on the fringes as they grapple with gender definitions, whether by choice or by circumstance. At best, society disregards them. At worst, they are relentlessly harassed—even viciously bullied— for being different.
Inspired by the true stories of women (and men) who relate to being butch in Singapore, Pretty Butch examines feminine masculinity that is often hidden from everyday life. The play explores the diversity of “butchness” through the experiences of different people from diverse cultural backgrounds who defy gender conventions.
Pretty Butch premiered on January 11, 2017 at Centre 42, Singapore, under the M1 Fringe Festival 2017: Art and Skin, the annual festival of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and mixed media, which brings the best of contemporary, cutting-edge and socially engaged works to the Singapore audience.
The original script of Pretty Butch was developed in residency at the Boiler Room and Basement Workshop at Centre 42. Centre 42 is one of the most prominent incubators for the creation, documentation and promotion of text and writing for the Singapore stage.

Tan Liting
Director and Playwright
Liting works full time as a theatre practitioner with an interest in devising performance from personal stories. Liting’s past directorial credits include Pretty Butch, The Truth About Lying: Heresy and Common Sense … | read more

Stefania Mangano
Co-Producer
Stefania Mangano is an independent creative producer with 7 years of international experience in collaborating with independent artists, theatre companies, and arts organisations … | read more

Charmaine Poh
Documentary Photographer
Charmaine Poh is an artist and documentarian based between Singapore and Berlin. Her work concerns gender, youth, memory, and solitude. Specifically, she is interested in the performance of … | read more

Betsy Lan
Co-Producer Taiwan
Betsy Lan is an Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts department at Shu-Te University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In recent years she’s performed with Performosa Theatre in Dust to Dust, Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group Skin Touching, the Vagina Monologues and Taipei Children’s Arts Festival Buchettino …

Mohamed Fita Helmi
Technical Director
Mohamed Fita Helmi is a full-time theatre practitioner. He has worked with various theatre companies both internationally and in Singapore such as KillYourTelevision(KYTV), Wild Rice, The Necessary Stage, TheatreWorks (S) Ltd, Action Theatre, Teater Kami, Teater Ekamatra and Singapore Dance Theatre …
WE ARE PRETTY BUTCH
WE ARE PRETTY BUTCH is a project that endeavours to bring the play to a different audience through translation and re-conceptualization. For this iteration, the play has been translated into Mandarin and will be performed by Taiwanese actors. In addition to the reading, Charmaine Poh will be shooting a documentary photography project on feminine masculinity in Taiwan as a response to Tan Liting’s writing. When images and performance collide, this produces an installation-play that aims to challenge gender perceptions through the interaction of visual art and theatre.
SUPPORTED BY
We need your support!
The Pretty Butch team is crowdfunding our trip to Taiwan! Pretty Butch will be presented as a dramatized reading at the Taipei Arts Festival in August 2018, and we need your help! Any amount helps! The money will go towards paying for flights, accommodation, per diem expenses as well as production costs incurred in putting this installation-play together.
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EVENTS & PLAYS
TAIPEI ARTS FESTIVAL 2018
Date
11 August 2018 (Sat) 19:30
12 August 2018(Sun) 14:30
Venue
The Zhongzheng Auditorium, Taipei Zhongshan Hall
Length
90mins
*In Mandarin with English subtitles.
FRESH OFF THE PAGE
Date
27 June 2018 (Wed) 20:30
Venue
Basement Theatre, Lower Greys Ave, Auckland, New Zealand
Hosted by: PAT – Proudly Asian Theatre
Length
90mins
M1 SINGAPORE FRINGE FESTIVAL
Date
11 – 14 January 2017, 20:00
14 January 2017, 15:00
15 January 2017, 15:00
Venue
Black Box, Centre 42
Length
70mins with no intermissions