Selena Tan

Last updated
Selena Tan
Selena Tan (cropped).jpg
Tan in 2014
Born (1971-07-29) 29 July 1971 (age 53)
NationalitySingaporean
Other namesChen Meilin
Education
Alma mater National University of Singapore
Occupations
AgentDream Academy (founder)
Spouse
John Pok
(m. 2005)
Children1
Parent(s)Charles Tan (father)
Daisy Lim (mother)
Musical career
Member of Dim Sum Dollies
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 陳美廩
Simplified Chinese 陈美廪
Hanyu Pinyin Chén Měilǐn

Selena Tan (born 29 July 1971) [1] is a Singaporean executive producer, director, writer, actress, businesswoman and former lawyer. She is best known as one of the cabaret trio, the Dim Sum Dollies. [2] [3] In 2000, Selena founded Dream Academy, which produced a variety of performance shows.

Contents

Early life

Tan was born in 1971 in Singapore, to army officer Lieutenant Colonel Charles Tan, of the Singapore Armed Forces, and gold broker Daisy Lim. As the eldest of her siblings, she had two brothers and two sisters. She studied at Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, Raffles Junior College and graduated with a law degree from National University of Singapore.

She started acting at age 14 and was taught by the late theatre actress and director Christina Sergeant. [4]

Tan also appeared in school productions and community theatre pieces until her undergraduate years. She also acted in plays and performances while working full-time as a general litigation lawyer. [5]

Career

Tan left the legal profession in 1997 to fully immerse herself full-time in the local arts and entertainment scene. [6]

In 1998, Tan staged her own standup with Selena Exposed! [7] Theatre company Action Theatre subsequently restaged Selena Exposed! for its comedy festival in 1999 and reinterpreted her piece as Broadway Baby Kailan. Dr Low Guat Tin, then a teacher-trainer director with the National Institute of Education (NIE), was so impressed with Selena's performance in Broadway Baby Kailan that she invited Selena to stage a show for Teachers' Day – The Other Side of the Teacher's Table. The three-night show enjoyed mild success. [8]

In 2000, Tan utilised her life savings to set up Dream Academy, an independent arts and entertainment company. Dream Academy has since produced the Crazy Christmas series, Happy Ever Laughter, Broadway Beng, Meenah and Cheenah, The Hossan Leong Show, Kumar's standup comedies at the Esplanade and later the Dim Sum Dollies in 2002. [9]

In 2011, Tan opened a restaurant known as Daisy's Dream Kitchen, showcasing her mother Daisy Lin's Peranakan Cuisine in Singapore. It is currently located at the Tamasek Club. [10] In 2022, Tan set up an affiliated stall known as Daisy's Dream at Urban Hawker in New York City, a hawker center that sells Singapore-themed dishes. She manages the restaurant and stall along with her and mother and brother, Roy. [11]

Personal life

Tan has been married to lawyer John Pok since 2005. They have one son. [12]

Filmography

Film and television

Theatre

References

  1. "Selena Tan". Facebook. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. A blast from the past for the Dim Sum Dollies
  3. Model child
  4. Mayo, M. (2013, February 23). Drama teachers group to hold a memorial for Christina Sergeant. Today Online
  5. Kwok, Y. (2005, March 28). Laws of attraction. The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG
  6. Yong, S. C. (2002, July 30). A flair for transformation. The Straits Times, p. 25, Retrieved from NewspaperSG
  7. Chia, C. (2006, July 31). Selena exposed. The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG
  8. Oon, C. (2000, January 26). The world's now her stage. The Straits Times. Retrieved from Factiva.
  9. About us. Dream Academy website
  10. "Daisy's Dream Kitchen". Time Out Singapore. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  11. Cole, Kirstin; Jondonero, AJ (28 September 2022). "Daisy's Dream serves up Singaporean favorites at Manhattan's Urban Hawker". WPIX . Midtown Manhattan, New York City . Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  12. Singapore, National Library Board. "Selena Tan | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-05-04.