merEKA
Since the inception of the company, we have created spaces for people to learn, experiment, develop their practice and find their way into the arts. merEKA continues that work, giving participants the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners, build their skills, explore ideas and create work of their own.
Our programmes are open to people at different stages of their journey, whether you’re just starting out, looking to build on an existing practice or simply curious to try something new. And they’re free of charge, because we believe that access to learning and artistic development should be open to everyone.
Over the years, artists who have come through Ekamatra’s development programmes have gone on to become writers, directors, actors, producers and arts practitioners in Singapore. Some came with years of experience, while others were simply looking for a place to begin.
Wherever you’re starting from, merEKA is a space to learn, make, experiment and see where it takes you.
Scripts Development
Teater Ekamatra’s Playwrights Development Programme brings together lectures and practical programmes for writers, theatre-makers and anyone interested in playwriting. From exploring the history and practice of Malay theatre to developing your own work, the programme offers different ways to learn about the craft, experiment with ideas and build your skills as a writer.
Current Programmes
Writers Lab Phase 3 with Zulfadli Rashid
Writers’ Lab Phase 3 is an intensive, hands-on writing journey designed to help writers deepen their craft, experiment with language, and develop their own voices for the stage.
Led by playwright Zulfadli Rashid, also known as Big, this phase is structured across three interconnected components, each offering a different approach to writing and developing new work. From exploring the art of transcreation, to writing directly in colloquial Singapore Malay, to creating space for sustained writing, reading, feedback and reflection, participants will be encouraged to take risks, experiment, and learn alongside one another.
Past Programmes
Critical Introduction to Malay Theatre with Alfian Sa’at (2025 + 2026)
Join award-winning playwright Alfian Sa’at for a five-week journey into Malay theatre. This lecture series explores the history, aesthetics and politics of Malay theatre, while considering how the form has developed as both an artistic and political practice.Along the way, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that have shaped Malay theatre, and how these continue to inform the way theatre is made today.
Facilitator: Alfian Sa’at is the Resident Playwright of Wild Rice and a renowned writer with works spanning poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and plays. His published works include One Fierce Hour, A History of Amnesia, Cooling Off Day, and Malay Sketches, among others. Alfian has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Point Award for Poetry (2001), the National Arts Council Young Artist Award, and multiple nominations for the Singapore Literature Prize. He has also won Best Original Script at the Life! Theatre Awards four times for plays including Landmarks (2004), Nadirah (2010), and Hotel (2016).
Writers Lab Phase 1: Foundations
Writers’ Lab Phase 1 is an introductory writing journey designed to help writers build a strong foundation in dramatic writing, explore the building blocks of a play, and begin shaping their own ideas for the stage.Led by playwrights Zizi Azah Abdul Majid and Johnny Jon Jon, this phase moves between guided discussions, writing exercises and hands-on development. Participants will explore world-building, character, action and conflict, spectacle and the dramatic arc, before working towards a clear theatrical premise, story spine and one-sentence pitch. Along the way, writers will have the opportunity to experiment with different approaches to dramatic writing and learn from one another.
Writers’ Lab Phase 2: Exploration
Writers’ Lab Phase 2 is an exploratory writing journey designed to help writers expand their theatrical vocabulary, experiment with different approaches to storytelling, and find new ways into their work.Led by playwrights Haresh Sharma and Noor Effendy Ibrahim, this phase introduces participants to devising methodologies, improvisation, interdisciplinary writing and different approaches to form and structure. Participants will also explore character psychology, layered conflict, abstraction, non-linearity and ways of moving beyond naturalism. Through exercises, discussion and experimentation, writers will be encouraged to take their ideas in new directions and discover what different forms can bring to their work.
Past Script Developments
Christmas Island by Nabilah Said (2023)
In 2023, together with Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, Teater Ekamatra supported the development of Nabilah Said’s script on Christmas Island. Nabilah’s script is still in development and more will be announced soon!
(I)solate by Asyikin Monasir, Naja Surattee and Umi Ismail (2021)
(I)solate /（隔）离 was a triple bill, featuring plays written by three talented ethnic minority writers, Asyikin Monasir, Naja Surattee and Umi Ismail, who developed their scripts under the mentorship of Zizi Azah during Teater Ekamatra's Playwright Development Programme.
(I)solate /（隔）离 was presented in collaboration with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).