Academic Profile : Faculty

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Assoc Prof Tan Cheng Chye Marcus
Associate Professor, National Institute of Education - Visual & Performing Arts
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Prior to joining NIE, Marcus was a lecturer at Queen's University Belfast where he taught various courses on Asian Theatre, Virtual Performativities and Intercultural Theatre. Marcus also formerly taught at Dunman High School and Temasek Junior College where he was Deputy Head of the English Department, and was responsible for designing and instituting the Language Arts curriculum for TJC’s integrated programme.

A Public Service Commission scholar, Marcus completed his BA(Hons) at the National University of Singapore; this was followed by an accelerated Master of Arts degree that was funded by a research scholarship awarded by the National University of Singapore. After completing his teaching bond, Marcus pursued his doctoral degree at Trinity College Dublin with the assistance of a research studentship awarded by the university.

Marcus's research specialisations include interculturalism and intercultural theatre and theatre acoustemologies (theatre sound). He has also researched in the areas of postcolonialism and postcolonial theatre, digital performance, performativity in virtual environments, as well as critical theory and performance philosophy. In these areas, Marcus has published several book chapters and articles in leading journals including the Performance Research, Contemporary Theatre Review, Theatre Research International and The Drama Review. One of these articles was awarded the top prize for the Theatre and Performance Research Association Postgraduate essay competition in 2010; another came in second in Trinity College Dublin’s Journal of Postgraduate Research essay competition; a third was selected to be among the top twenty international submissions in the International Federation for Theatre Research’s New Scholars Prize (2009). His monograph, Acoustic Interculturalism: Listening to Performance, was published by Palgrave Macmillan (2012) as part of the award-winning series, 'Studies in International Performance'. Marcus is also co-editor of the book Performing Southeast Asia: Performance, Politics and the Contemporary (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). A new edited book, Music Theatre and Politics (Oxford University Press) will be published in 2025 as well a multi-authored book, Devising in a time of Crises. Marcus is also writing a new monograph, Theatrimusicality: Spectauralising Performance, to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2025.

Marcus is Assistant Editor of Theatre Research International and serves on the Advisory Board of ‘Methuen Drama Agitations: Texts, Politics and Performances’. He was also the Associate Editor of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies (2018-2021). In addition to being a member of the Asian Shakespeare Association and Performance Studies International, Marcus is an active member of the International Federation for Theatre Research where he is the Secretary-General for Communications. He was also the convenor of the Music Theatre Working Group from 2014 to 22. Marcus is the academic consultant for ‘SoundscapeSG’, an online sound archive created by the National Archives of Singapore. He works with the ArtsxTech team at the National Arts Council and frequently collaborates with the Arts Education Branch, Ministry of Education on curriculum reviews.
Intercultural Theatre, Performance Soundscapes, Acoustemology, Asian Shakespeares, Digital Performance
 
  • 'In the Shoes of Another': An Exploratory Study of Immersive Technology for Social and Emotional Learning
  • Embodiment and Social-Emotional Learning: A Comparative Study of Immersive Virtual Environments and Drama Processes
Awards
First Prize, Theatre & Performance Research Association (TaPRA) Postgraduate Essay Competition (2010)
Top 3 Submissions, Journal of Postgraduate Research, Trinity College Dublin (2009)
Top 20 Submissions, New Scholars’ Prize, International Federation for Theatre Research (2008)
 
Fellowships & Other Recognition
Secretary-General (Communications), The International Federation for Theatre Research (2021 to present)
Associate Editor, Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies (2018-2022)
Assistant Editor, Theatre Research International (2024 to present)
Online Content Editor, Theatre Research International (2019 to 2024)
Convenor, Music Theatre Working Group, The International Federation for Theatre Research (2014 to 2022)
John McCormack Postgraduate Fellowship, Trinity College Dublin (2008)
Postgraduate Research Studentship, Trinity College Dublin (2007-2010)
Postgraduate Research Scholarship, National University of Singapore (2001)
 
Courses Taught
ADP16A Introduction to Theatre and Performance
ADP26A / AAU10D Contemporary Theatre: Styles and Conventions
ADP26D Theatre and Technology
ADP26G Independent Study in Theatre
ADP26J Traditional Theatre: Styles and Conventions
ADP26K Contemporary Theatre in Singapore and Southeast Asia
ADP26L Devised Theatre: Methods and Practices
ADP26N Performance Production
AAU20B Evolution of Theatre
AAU40D Academic Exercise
MDR921 Page to Stage
MED902 Integrative Project
 
Supervision of PhD Students
Aishwariyah Shanmuganathan, Drama Education as Agent for Social Change: A Study of Racial Issues in Multi-racial Singapore (2020-Present)