Play for All: Making the Arts Accessible

Claire Teo (Singapore)

An actor, singer, director, scriptwriter, community arts worker and educator, Claire Teo has spearheaded 2 inclusive, multidisciplinary arts projects, and is currently teaching at SPED schools and mainstream arts colleges. She is also the programmes’ executive at Methodist Welfare Services, working with youths at risk and broken families.

Photo by Crispian Chan    

Hidayah Amin (Singapore)

Hidayah Amin is a Singapore-born, award-winning author. Her first short story, The Funny Accident, was published when she was 11 years old.  To date, she has written eight non-fiction books and 10 children’s books—The Mango Tree book won the 2015 Hedwig Anuar Book Award for Best Children’s Book while Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam is the winner of the 2021 NUS Singapore History Prize. Like Hemingway, Hidayah writes to express; not to impress. 

Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon (Singapore)

Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon, a founding member of Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC), has performed with the group representing PWDs. In 2022, she received the Promising Award from the President for being a role model and disability advocate. Recently, DADC collaborated with Candoco (UK) for Dan:s Focus: EveryBody can dance by The Esplanade. Jaspreet is part of a 2-year Industry Mentorship Programme by Art:Dis and believes in contributing to society through her art.

Quek Hong Shin (Singapore)

Hong Shin is a Singaporean picture book author and illustrator. He has illustrated several picture books and his work has been shortlisted twice for the Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award. His book The Incredible Basket, published by Epigram Books, was the winner of Best Children's Book at the 2019 Singapore Book Awards. 

Moderator Luanne Poh (Singapore)

Luanne has been involved with playmaking and producing works for young people since 1999. She is interested in creating platforms that designs thoughtful experiences for young audiences through the arts and is currently spearheading “The Artground – A curious place to be”, a dedicated arts centre for children in Singapore, developed in collaboration with the National Arts Council (Singapore). Inspired by the poem, 100 Languages of Children by Loris Malaguzzi, The Artground with its indoor and outdoor play spaces hopes to encourage curiosity, in adults and children, through play.