Sim Yan Ying “YY” (she/her) is a theatre artist based in Singapore and New York. She creates as a director, performer, writer, and deviser, and strives to make works that are experimental and accessible, physical in nature, and reflective of a diversity of lived experiences. YY believes in the power of live performance to bridge perspectives within and across communities in an increasingly polarized world.
Her original works include: Who Are You? (Esplanade), a devised performance about migrant-local relationships in Singapore; Bloodlines 血脉 (Fault Line Theatre), a collaboration with artists across the Sinosphere examining the volatility and promise of Chinese-ness; Where Are You? (Wild Rice/Mabou Mines), a series of productions on how we experience grief and confront death; (un)becoming (T:>Works N.O.W. 2021), about the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in Singapore today; Who’s There? (New Ohio Theatre), an international collaboration about the socio-political upheaval and racial unrests in 2020; I LOVE WHITE MEN (Caveat NYC/Ars Nova/Dixon Place), a one-woman show excavating white worship and postcolonial baggage from an immigrant’s perspective in New York; and Without Reason (ArtsWok Collaborative/Esplanade) about the struggles of an interracial relationship in Singapore.
YY is presently a Directing Resident at Singapore Repertory Theatre and an artist in the Mabou Mines SUITE/Space programme. Training: BFA NYU Tisch, The Necessary Stage Devising Platform, Williamstown Theatre Festival, SITI Company Summer Intensive.
Photography by Sub/Urban Photography
Last Updated: August 2022