Welcome to the 2025 Singapore Theatre Icon Awards, where we want to pay tribute to YOU! Celebrate with us and witness the unveiling of our industry icon of the year. Would it be the cleaner we pretend was invisible, or the driver we ignore? Or could the accolade be given to the rigger we never see on stage, or the transcriber who’s not even acknowledged?
Who are these people beyond their job descriptions—and do we even care?
Written by Ellison Tan and directed by Alvin Tan, We Were So Hopeful Then looks at invisibility in our working environment, and invites us to question the rationale and implicit biases of public accolades and garlands.
Playwright: Ellison Tan
Director: Alvin Tan
Dramaturg: Melissa Lim
Multimedia Designer: Yusri Sapari
Cast: Henrik Cheng, Myra Loke, Sindhura Kalidas, Zaaki Nasir
Stage Manager: Brenda Lum Jia Yi
Multimedia Operator: Jovyn Loh
Lighting Programmer: Fiona Lim
Lighting Technicians: Syahrudin Pasha Dasa, Chloe
Production Interns: Tan Aik Young, Andrea Tan, Janessa Renee Leong
(Source: The Necessary Stage Archives)