My strengths as a storyteller

I am light-hearted, frequently interactive, very visual – either through by incorporating slides, gestures or sign language. I am able to pitch the style of telling to suit the age of my audience.

As a former English/drama teacher, I am aware of how to use a story as an effective teaching strategy.

At international festivals, organisers often ask me to open or close a performance, as they are confident I will grab and hold their audience, providing a strong ending (that warms the audience up) or a  closing with a memorable take-away.

Thanks to my theatre background, I am confident when performing for large audiences in excess of 300 – I have on three occasions successfully delivered an interactive story to corporate audiences of more than 600 pax (for A-STAR, SUSS and Gardens by the Bay).

The Federation of Asian Storytellers

is an exciting community of people passionate about storytelling. Predominantly Asian – though not exclusively so, for we welcome Non Resident in Asia members – we are focused on Learning and Development. FEAST runs 8 – 10 monthly Learning Capsules a year (90 minute online sessions facilitated by a highly experienced teller). We offer two or three mentorships annually catering to 4-5 people – Eco- and Adult Performance Storytelling are the  themes for 2023.  There are special interest groups in improvisation, eco-telling and podcasting. We also host regular Story Swaps (free even for non-members!) Learn more

Why ‘398.2’? 

It’s the Dewey classification for what I consider the best shelf in the library – traditional stories!  I founded the 398.2 in 2015 upon the demise of the previous storytelling festival, as I wanted to give our local storytelling community the opportunity to continue sharing and showcasing its talent and diversity.

The Festival was managed from 2017 – 2020 by Story Connection Limited, a non-profit company I created for the purpose with Sheila Wee.  However the spectacular growth of FEAST meant Sheila and I were unable to give 398.2 the attention it deserved.  We are delighted that the Storytelling Association Singapore agreed to take over the ownership of the Festival and has run two highly successful iterations in 2021 & 2022.

Thanks to the support of the National Library Board, our venue partner from the very beginning, and funding from the National Arts Council, the 398.2 has been a largely free festival from Day 1.

Audio Description

I am a trained audio-describer for live theatre performance and I am proud to be part of Singapore’s push to maker the arts more accessible.  

I applaud both Singapore Repertory Theatre and Wild Rice for their exceptional commitment to promoting access to all of their performances through audio description, sign language interpretation and/or close captioning, and offering relaxed performances.