Huzir Sulaiman

Huzir Sulaiman (born 8 June 1973) is a Singaporean-Malaysian director and actor. He is the co-founder and Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre. A critically acclaimed and award-winning playwright, his Collected Plays 1998-2012 was published in 2013. His essays and commentary pieces have appeared in The Star, The Straits Times and The Huffington Post.

Theatre career Sulaiman directing includes Thick Beats for Good Girls (2018), FRAGO (2017), The Good, the Bad and the Sholay (2015), Interrogating the Interrogators: Selected Plays of Chong Tze Chien (2015); #UnicornMoment (2014); the 15th anniversary production of Atomic Jaya (2013); City Night Songs (2012); and The Good, the Bad and the Sholay (2011), for which he was nominated for Best Director in the 2012 Life! Theatre Awards. Huzir was educated at Princeton University, where he won the Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize and is a Yale World Fellow.

Academic career

Currently an Adjunct Associate Professor with the National University of Singapore's University Scholars Programme, Huzir has taught playwriting at the National University of Singapore's English Department; the School of the Arts, Singapore; New York University Tisch Asia; and Nanyang Technological University.

Other career He also heads Studio Wong Huzir, a creative consultancy.

For a short time in the early part of the 1990s, he hosted an afternoon talk show on WOW FM, a now-defunct Malaysian radio station. He also had a brief television stint starring as Bendul, a Malaysian version of Mr Bean, popularized by Rowan Atkinson.

In the 1990s, Huzir also spent a year writing sketches with the Instant Café Theatre Company before starting the Straits Theatre Company in 1996. He began writing plays in 1997. He also dabbled in film writing, writing the screenplay for the Malaysian film Dukun.

He also contributed articles to The Star and The Huffington Post, and involved himself in the publishing of the online magazine POSKOD.SG.

Personal life

Sulaiman's father was Haji Sulaiman Abdullah (1946-2023), who was born G. Srinivasan Iyer, a Tamil Brahmin who later converted to Islam. Sulaiman was a veteran lawyer who served as Malaysian Bar Council president. His mother was law professor Hajjah Mehrun Siraj (1945-2021), a Commissioner with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, daughter of women's rights activist Khatijun Nissa Siraj (1925-2023).

Sulaiman married Claire Wong, a lawyer, actor and director, in 2004. Sulaiman is a permanent resident in Singapore. 2017 FRAGO Written by Lucas Ho and produced by Checkpoint Theatre. It ran from 13 to 23 July at the Drama Centre Black Box in Singapore. Its ensemble cast was made up of Ali Anwar, Adib Kosnan, Chong Woon Yong, Alfred Loh, Timothy Nga, Zaaki Nasir, Cerys Ong, Stanley Seah, Derrick Tay, Jo Tan, and Tan Sieow Ping. 2018 Thick Beats for Good Girls Directed and dramaturge. Written and performed by Pooja Nansi and Jessica Bellamy. It was held at the Drama Centre Black Box. 2020 Two Songs and a Story Created, directed and dramaturge. Co-directed with Joel Lim.

The Music of Checkpoint Theatre Co-directed with James Khoo. Vulnerable Directed and dramaturge. An 8-part podcast is available for listening on Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube. Two new episodes released every two days from 17 June. Session Zero Directed and dramaturge. 2022 Chamber Readings: The Weight of Silk on Skin by Huzir Sulaiman Directed and playwright. 2023 Brown Boys Don't Tell Jokes Written by Myle Yan Tay. 2023 Tender Submission Co-directed with Chen Yingxuan. Written by Lucas Ho. 2024 Secondary: The Musical Directed

Plays + Theatre Year Title Notes 1997 Lazy Hazy Crazy This was Huzir's first full-length solo show after starting the Straits Theatre Company. 1998 Atomic Jaya First presented on 11 March 1998. It has been re-staged three times since in 2001, 2003, and 2013. The Smell of Language Directed by Krishen Jit in 2001, and performed by Huzir Sulaiman. Its premiere was 3 August 1998 at The Actors Studio Theatre in Kuala Lumpur. Hip-Hopera It was first produced in 1998, by the Straits Theatre Company. 1999 Notes on Life & Love & Painting Directed by Huzir Sulaiman in 1999, it was produced again in 2004, directed by Krishen Jit. Election Day Directed by Krishen Jit. Directed in 2004 by Claire Wong at The Arts House, Singapore. 2000 Those Four Sisters Fernandez Directed by Krishen Jit. 2002 Occupation Directed by Huzir Sulaiman and Claire Wong. Whatever That Is Directed by Krishen Jit. 2003 They Will Be Grateful Directed by Krishen Jit. 2004 Opiume: The Narrator's Tale It was performed as part of Mark Chan's chamber opera, Opiume. It was commissioned by the Singapore Arts Festival and Hong Kong New Visions Festival in 2004. 2005 Colony of Singapore Written in under National University of Singapore's (NUS) Art House Writing Fellowship. 2007 Cogito Commission of the Singapore Arts Festival 2007. Featuring Noorlinah Mohamed, Claire Wong, Neo Swee Lin, and James Shubert. 2011 The Weight of Silk on Skin Directed by Claire Wong and performed by Ivan Heng. 2016 The Last Bull: A Life in Flamenco Directed by Claire Wong. 2019 Displaced Persons' Welcome Dinner Commission of the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2019. Directed by Claire Wong.

Screenplays + Theatre Year Title Notes 2007 Dukun A Malaysian Horror film released in 2018.

Publications Eight Plays (2002, Silverfish Books) Huzir Sulaiman: Collected Plays, 1998-2012 (2013, Checkpoint Theatre)