Darren Yap

Last updated

Darren Yap
Darren Yap, Headshot.jpg
Born
Darren Robert Yap

(1967-08-23)23 August 1967
Sydney, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Education Newington College
UWS Theatre Nepean
NIDA
Years active1988 to present
Spouse Max Lambert

Darren Yap is an Australian actor and director based in Sydney, Australia.

Contents

Family and education

He was born in Sydney and grew up in the South Western Sydney suburb of Cabramatta. He was the third child of a Malaysian-born father and his third-generation Australia-born ethnically Chinese mother. His father, Robert Yap, was a medical practitioner in the western suburbs of Sydney, his brother is a pharmacist in the inner eastern suburbs of Sydney and his sister is a medical practitioner in Victoria.

Yap was educated at Newington College (1980–85). [1]

He initially applied to do the stage management course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) but he was not accepted. When the degree course in acting at University of Western Sydney's Theatre Nepean was first offered he chose to do that. [2] Following UWS, Yap graduated from the director's course at NIDA. [3]

His life partner is the composer Max Lambert. [4]

Career

Yap has a successful career in acting and directing theatre. [5] [6] [7]

Directing

Theatre

YearTitleRoleType
1998 The Boy from Oz Resident DirectorWorld Premiere
2005The Admiral's OdysseyDirectorAction Theatre, Singapore – World Premiere
2006 Dick Lee’s Man of LettersDirector Singapore Repertory Theatre – World Premiere
2006–08 Miss Saigon Associate DirectorAustralia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manchester, Dublin & Edinburgh with Cameron Mackintosh
2009 I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change DirectorNSW regional tour with Seymour Centre & Kookaburra Musical Theatre & Singapore with Mediacorp VizPro International [8]
2009 Steel Magnolias Director Seymour Centre with Blackbird Productions [9]
2009 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Director Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore
2009–10 Mamma Mia Resident Director / Associate Director10th Anniversary Australasian tour – Perth, Adelaide, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brisbane & Melbourne
2010 Pinocchio the Musical DirectorVizpro International & Singapore Repertory Theatre
2010A Night with the Phantom concertDirectorBrighton, UK
2010–11 Miss Saigon Associate DirectorKorea with Cameron Mackintosh
2011 Thoroughly Modern Millie Director Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore
2011 Miss Saigon Associate DirectorHolland with Cameron Mackintosh
2012 Miss Saigon Associate DirectorJapan with Cameron Mackintosh
2013 King King Live on Stage Associate DirectorWorld Premiere with Global Creatures
2013Babies PromsDirectorCDP Theatre Producers
2013–14 A Murder is Announced DirectorAustralian national tour with Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Berwick
2014 Miss Saigon Associate DirectorTokyo with Cameron Mackintosh
2014Miracle CityDirector Hayes Theatre with Luckiest Productions
2014The Serpent's TableCo-director Sydney Festival with Griffin Theatre Company & Performance 4a
2015Lotus Sydney & Playwriting Australia PlayreadingsDirector Performance 4a
2015Little Diana and the Big FuzzDirector Hayes Theatre
2016Ladies DayDirector Griffin Theatre Company
2017 Diving for Pearls Director Griffin Theatre Company
2017The Great Wall (One Woman's Journey)DirectorDrama Centre, Singapore with Glowsticks Productions – World premiere
2017 Miracle City Director Sydney Opera House
2018 Letters to Lindy DirectorAustralian national tour with Merrigong Theatre & Canberra Theatre Centre
2018Spot the DogDirectorCDP Productions
2018 Ghost, The Musical DirectorTokyo with Theatre Creation
2018 All Out of Love: The Musical Director Newport Performing Arts Theater, Manila
2018; 2020 Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam Director Riverside Theatres Parramatta, Belvoir Street Theatre & Merrigong
2020Double DeliciousDirector

C.A.A.P, Sydney Festival & Asia Topia 2020

2020 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat DirectorTokyo with C.A.T Productions & Shinjuku Productions
2020–21 Next to Normal Director NIDA graduation season
2022 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat DirectorTokyo with C.A.T Productions and Really Useful Group
2022 The Last Five Years Director La Boite Theatre, Brisbane
2022The OneDirector Ensemble Theatre [10]
2022YongDirectorSydney & Victoria with Monkey Baa Theatre
2023TimDirector Glen Street Theatre, Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Riverside Theatres Parramatta & NSW regional tour with Christine Dunstan Productions [11]
2023 Clyde's Director Ensemble Theatre
2024Zombie! The MusicalDirector Hayes Theatre
David Williamson’s The Great ManAffiliate Director Sydney Theatre Company
Katherine Thomson’s NavigatingAffiliate Director Sydney Theatre Company
Miracle City Affiliate Director Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Events

YearTitleRoleType
2000 2000 Summer Olympics Closing CeremonyAssociate Director Homebush Stadium, Sydney
2006 15th Asian Games Closing Ceremony Segment Director Doha, Qatar
2006; 2007; 2010NSW Premier's Gala ConcertsDirector Sydney Entertainment Centre with Venables Entertainment
2008; 2009 Chinese New Year Parade Director City of Sydney
2011SpongeBob SquarePants ParadeDirector Sea World for Gold Coast for Nickelodeon
2015Opening of the National Gallery & Art Carnival, SG50 CelebrationsArtistic Festival Consultant & Art Carnival DirectorSingapore
2016NSW Premier's Gala ConcertsDirector Allphones Arena, Sydney with Venables Entertainment
2016Cairo MISR Pre-Show CelabrationsAssociate DirectorCairo with World Events
2019 Abu Dhabi 48th National Day Celebrations Associate DirectorAbu Dhabi with Betty Productions
Red Sea International Film Festival DirectorJeddah, Saudi Arabia
2020 World Expo Dubai 2020 Staging DirectorAl Wasal Plaza, Dubai with Artists in Motion

[12] [13]

Acting

Theatre

YearTitleRoleType
1989 Anything Goes JohnHayden Attractions
1990Shadow and SplendourMori / Local Policeman / Mozart Singer Queensland Theatre
1990 Capricornia Cho Sek Ching STCSA
1991 Chess Ensemble Victoria State Opera
1992Cockroach OperaRoima Belvoir Street Theatre with Company B
1993 M. Butterfly Song Liling Melbourne Theatre Company
1994The Wedding Song NIDA
1995 Miss Saigon Thuy Capitol Theatre, Sydney for Cameron Mackintosh
1995The Quartet from Rigoletto Ensemble Theatre
1995Sydney StoriesVarious characters Sydney Theatre Company
2003SongketKoua Neng Vang Griffin Theatre Company
2006Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of SomersetHop Lee Bille Brown Theatre with Queensland Theatre
2019 Aladdin Disney Theatrical Productions

[14]

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1988 Mission: Impossible QuonTV series, season 2, episode 5: "Countdown"
1988 Richmond Hill TV series
1989–92 Tanamera - Lion of Singapore PaulMiniseries, 7 episodes
1991 Embassy HungTV series, season 2, episode 3: "The East Wind Blows West"
1992 Bony ChangTV series, season 1, episode 1: "Bird in the Hand"
1993 G.P. Jimmy LeeTV series, 2 episodes
1993 The Leaving of Liverpool DaveMiniseries
1992 Children of the Dragon Miniseries
1994 Heartland Dr NguyenTV series, 2 episodes
1994 Over the Hill KevinTV series,
1998 A Difficult Woman Dr WeiMiniseries, 3 episodes

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1996 Floating Life LoneFeature film
2007 The Home Song Stories Adult TomFeature film

Awards and nominations

YearNominated workAwardCategoryResult
1999 The Boy from Oz (world premiere) Green Room Awards Best Re-Staging by a Resident ArtistWon [15]
Diving for Pearls BroadwayWorld Regional AwardBest Director of a PlayWon
Miracle City Glugs Theatrical Awards Outstanding Mainstage MusicalNominated
Diving for Pearls Glugs Theatrical Awards Outstanding Mainstage ProductionNominated
2022Monkey Baa Theatre Company's Yong Sydney Theatre Awards Won

[16]

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References

  1. Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp222
  2. In Conversation with Darren Yap NIDA Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  3. "Black Bird Productions – Director". Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  4. ABC Radio Sunday Brunch Darren Yap Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. Stage Whispers – Interview
  6. Darren Yap thinks small for Hayes Theatre Co’s star-studded Miracle City Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  7. Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam premieres at Riverside Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  8. "Seymour Centre Subscription Season 2009". Archived from the original on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  9. "Seymour Centre Subscription Season 2009". Archived from the original on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  10. ‘The One’ Ensemble Theatre Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  11. http://www.christinedunstan.com.au/tim/#creatives
  12. https://shanahan.com.au/client/darren-yap/
  13. http://darrenyap.com/darrenyap-cv.html
  14. https://shanahan.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/YAP-Darren-240419-1.pdf
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20031129183533/http://www.greenroom.org.au/1999/99musictheatre.htm
  16. https://shanahan.com.au/client/darren-yap/#:~:text=Darren%20is%20a%20recipient%20of,mainstage%20production%3A%20Diving%20for%20Pearls.