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Straits Times

Playwright Haresh Sharma at 60: ‘I love that most Singaporeans will offer unsolicited advice'

SINGAPORE – In the more than 130 plays he has written so far, playwright Haresh Sharma has cast his astute eye over a staggering range of social issues, from mental illness and interracial relations to the pressures of the education system and queer ageing. Born on Jan 18, 1965, the writer is a three-time winner for Best Original Script at The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards, and his play Off Centre (1993) was the first Singaporean play to be offered as a GCE O- and N-level literature text. He was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2015. Sharma, who has been resident playwright of The Necessary Stage (TNS) since 1990, received an honorary doctor of arts by Bath Spa University in July 2025 for 'giving voice to the everyday, the marginalised and the unseen'. He will be directing an SG60 triple-bill of plays under the title of SG Insecure, which will be staged by TNS from Oct 29 to Nov 8. Can you share more about your childhood photo? I don't have a first-year baby picture. I'm the youngest of four children. By the time I was born, my parents didn't bother taking out the camera. So, there's no obligatory picture of me sitting on the round rattan chair or lying face down on the dining table. I knew I was the cutest child, so it didn't matter. An early photograph of playwright Haresh Sharma and his mother. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HARESH SHARMA What is your core memory of Singapore? I don't think I have one significant core memory of Singapore. Like any relationship, it goes through phases. One of my earliest core memories was of National Day. We lived in Marine Parade, facing the sea, and our neighbour's flat faced the city. So, on National Day, we would run from house to house trying to get the best views of the planes, helicopters and fireworks. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Asean's quiet diplomacy helped avert escalation in Cambodia-Thailand border conflict: Sec-Gen Kao Singapore Hidden vapes and where to find them: Inside ICA's clampdown at land checkpoints Singapore East-West Line MRT service resumes after delays lasting around 5 hours; track point fault fixed World Meta cracks down on WhatsApp scammers; bans millions of accounts linked to scam centres in S-E Asia Singapore 3 men arrested over alleged offences involving drugs worth over $150,000 Singapore Jail for 2 friends who swopped seats in car to try and evade justice after drinking alcohol Singapore Sorting recyclables by material could boost low domestic recycling rate: Observers Singapore SM Lee receives Australia's highest civilian honour for advancing bilateral ties The ease and comfort of being able to just enter a neighbour's house is a cherished memory. I don't think people do that any more. We have to text first before we call someone. There's no way we're going to walk into a neighbour's house unannounced. Haresh Sharma, resident playwright of The Necessary Stage, and artistic director Alvin Tan at the Marine Parade Community Complex. PHOTO: ST FILE What do you consider your biggest contribution to Singapore? The fact that I have written 130 plays over the past 36 years. Every play represents a kind of time capsule, capturing moments and aspects of Singapore life and characters. There were so many stories in the past that weren't written about, and many more in the present that need to be represented in our plays. These creative and dramatic expressions tell the stories of a Singapore we might otherwise not get to see or know about. That and my play Off Centre being the first Singapore play to be selected as a GCE O- and N-level text. Ebi Shankara (left) and Siti Khalijah Zainal in the revival of Off Centre by Haresh Sharma. It became the first Singaporean play to be offered as a GCE O- and N-level literature text. PHOTO: TUCKYS PHOTOGRAPHY What do you love and hate about the country? I love that most Singaporeans will offer unsolicited advice about housing, Central Provident Fund and investments, as well as medical care, especially TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctors. I love that the HDB lift is a travelling box of prying questions such as 'you from where?', 'how long you stay here?' and 'you not working today?'. I hate that no public place is safe from people cutting their nails. What is one thing you miss about the Singapore of your childhood? I don't know if it's the Singapore I miss or my childhood, but back then, a treat was a big deal – having a popsicle or eating out or even going to Orchard Road. The Singapore of the 1970s was a time of transition, where we could still play with firecrackers, take a trishaw to school and wait for the epok-epok seller to come to your floor. What is the best and worst thing about being 60? Is there a best thing? Please let me know! A poster for the play Gemuk Girls, written by Haresh Sharma. PHOTO: THE NECESSARY STAGE SG60's theme is Building Our Singapore Together. What would you like the Singapore of the future to look like? Hey, future Singapore! Please be kinder. Don't be so judgmental as if you've got it all together. No one's perfect. Let people be. Be who they want to be. Say what they want to say. Stop being such a control freak! Let it go. Unclench your jaw, Singapore. Nobody needs to COUNT. ON. YOU. Just breathe. And stop with the building! You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Be your authentic self. Take a self-care day, or decade. And what does your next era look like? I'm still in my BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) era. I'm boycotting brands and divesting from the Empire. It's the era of standing up for what is right, of calling out war crimes and genocide. Next, I might go into my decolonial era. I want to free myself from the shackles of imperialist power structures. In this era, I can see through the propaganda fed to the world daily. And I reject it.