Claire Devine
Artistic Director
Claire Devine has lived and worked in Singapore, as a theatre professional since 1996. An accomplished theatre director, educator and facilitator with ‘amazing energy and captivating presence’ Ken Wall, World renowned creativity and innovation guru, 2007.
Artistic Director of the Asian Youth Theatre Festival (2017- to date) - the largest youth theatre festival in Asia and the AYTF Residency Programme, that both serve to educate, inspire and unite Asian youths through the artistic sharing of pedagogy, practice and performance.
Artistic Director of Buds Theatre, a fringe theatre company providing theatre as a vehicle for change. Most recent theatre credits include: Community project Going
Local 1-3, Singapore Memory Project (2015), Pigeons (2015), It’s a Father’s Day (2016), Don’t Kancheong Kiasi & Kiasu (2017), MBS Musical Theatre Revue (2017) for Buds Theatre. spell#7 National Language Class Installation (2015), National Language Class (2016). Commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore, for their inaugural opening. Artistic Director of Arts Programme, Play Me I’m Yours, Singapore (2016-17).
Co-designer of the popular “Stagecraft” program offered by The Thinking Network™ and an accredited practitioner and user of the Neethling Brain Instrument.
Claire has worked with multiple organisations including but not limited to: The Law Society Singapore/Brunei, Singapore Actuarial Society, TSMP Law Firm, Apple Sg, Crimson Logic, UBS and coordinator of the HEADSS-UP Training programme for KK Women and Children’s Hospital.
Claire also co-created the current Voice Production and Studies course elective at NTU and facilitated for both the aforementioned programme and the Theatre Games programme, for the Visual & Performing Arts Department, National Institute of Education.
Published by Greenwich University Press in 2007, by Kanes Rajah PhD: Chapter 2 Stagecraft – The key to effective communication, presentation and public speaking.
Rebecca Lee
Artistic Director
Rebecca graduated with a BA (Hons) in Acting from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2008. She is an actress and drama educator and has taught in both local and international schools in Singapore. She is the Artistic Director of Buds Theatre and Director of Arts Space, The Playtent.
Her notable theatre credits include: Death & Dancing (2008/14), The Importance of Being Earnest (2009), Colder Than Here (2010), Shades (2011), The Acid Test (2012), Community project Going Local 1-3, Singapore Memory Project (2015), Pigeons (2015) It’s a Father’s Day (2016), Don’t Kancheong Kiasi & Kiasu (2017), MBS Musical Theatre Revue (2017) for Buds Theatre.
Spell#7 National Language Class Installation (2015), National Language Class (2016), commissioned by the National Gallery Singapore, for their inaugural opening. Artistic Director of Arts Programme, Play Me I’m Yours, Singapore (2016/7). Festival Director of Asian Youth Theatre Festival, 2017-2019). Rebecca facilitates the Drama Clubs at Eunoia Junior College, Fajar Secondary School and Marymount Convent School. She is currently working with Eunoia Junior College to set up their pioneer Drama Programme. Rebecca is a mentor for Buds Youth Theatre, Buds Theatre’s youth wing and a strong advocate of youth arts education.
Nikki Cimafranca
Production Manager
Ricky Nelson “Nikki” Cimafranca is a freelance artist-teacher, choreographer, theatre designer, manager and director based in Dumaguete, Philippines. Nikki holds a Bachelor in Secondary Education from Negros Oriental State University. He has been working in theatre since 2006 and is currently a theatre lecturer at Silliman University College of Performing and Visual Arts.
Nikki served as President of YATTA (Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts) from 2016 to 2020 and is currently a Senior Artist Mentor. Nikki has worked extensively with YATTA since 2006, his most recent directorial credits with them include: Pulang Langob (2021), Saving the Blue (2019), Isla Tawak (2018) and Dagit (2017).
As performer and artist Nikki has represented the Philippines at various festivals and conferences including: Asian Youth Theatre Festival (Singapore/Malaysia/ Myanmar 2017-2020), Ricca Ricca Festa (Japan, 2018-19), Nanying International Folkloric Dance Festival (Taiwan, 2016), World Cultural Dance Festival (South Korea, 2015) and the International Conference for Contemporary Performing Arts (Australia, 2014).
Nikki is also a highly dependable Production Coordinator and Manager. From intimate theatre productions to regional festivals, Nikki’s credits include: Asian Youth Theatre Festival (2020), Tanghal National Theater Festival (2012 & 2019), Dumaguete Arts Festival (2016-2020) and many more.
As a dancer, Nikki is an affiliated member of the Kahayg Dance Company. He is also the artistic adviser of YANO (Young Advocates of Negros Oriental) and mentor to NORSU-Kabilin Grupo Artista sa Entablado. Nikki is a founding member of D’Salag Collective which aspires to promote innovative and artist oriented local theater.
Nikki is currently the resident production manager at Buds Theatre, Singapore, using his expertise to manage the Asian Youth Theatre Festival and its wider movement.
Zahratun Nafisah
Office Manager
Buds Theatre CompanyZahra graduated with a Diploma in Marketing from Nanyang Polytechnic in 2018. She is also certified in Budgeting and Fundraising Strategies for Charities, Team-building and Leadership for NPO Leaders and has used this knowledge to benefit the non-profit arts sector in Asia. Zahra believes in the power of social media and harnessing its potential to raise awareness for theatre. Zahra’s theatre credits include: Production Assistant and Front of House Manager for Asian Youth Theatre Festival (2019), Zoom Moderator for AYTF Residency Programme (2020) and Front of House Manager for From Scratch (2020). Zahra was also the facilitator for the Budgeting Module at the AYTF Residency Programme (2020).
Aisyah Ahmad
Outreach
Buds Theatre CompanyAisyah is an aspiring marketing manager for the arts and events industry. With her experience in event management, she is a creative individual who loves sharing ideas and developing concepts. Aisyah has worked in Front of House for The Second Breakfast Company’s The Hawker (2019) and for multiple performances at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival (2020). Her passion for the performing arts has seen her working in the dance industry as an Assistant Stage Manager for the World Supremacy Battlegrounds Singapore (2019). Aisyah believes in using the arts to raise awareness for important causes. To this end she has been part of a team that created “Beating: We Are Purple Human”, an online exhibition educating the public about Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) through art.
Hani Junid
Marketing
Buds Theatre CompanyRaiyhani Junid, also known as Hani, graduated from Orita Sinclair School of Music and Design in 2019, majoring in Visual Communications. She specializes in marketing and social media strategies, particularly for the arts industry. Hani has been immersed in media her whole life, she is a model and Instagram Influencer and also runs her own Youtube channel and she does acting on the side. Hani’s love for Visual Communication saw her winning a design competition by the brand Ripples in 2014. The bag she designed was produced by Ripples and sold nationwide. Hani has worked on the design and marketing campaigns for the following projects: Singtel and Disney’s Dream Big Princess Academy 2016, Formula One GP Singapore 2017, Neon Lights Festival 2018, Pesta Warna and Neon Lights Festival 2019.
Henrietta Sabhan
Administration
Buds Theatre CompanyHenrietta Sabhan was fortunate to have great exposure to the arts from a young age, this developed her passion in the field and resulted in her pursuing a career in Technical Theatre. A lover of music and dance, she performed in Chingay 2014. In 2017, Henrietta worked in Front of House for Gateway Theatre’s Opening Festival. She was part of the Logistics Crew for IGNITE! Music Festival 2019 and was the Project Coordinator for Trepidation, an iLight 2020 Installation.
Haniz Idayu
Production Management
Buds Theatre CompanyHaniz Idayu is a Performance Production graduate from ITE College Central. During her time on the course, she picked up various skills such as stage management, playwriting and production management. Although relatively new to the theatre scene, she has shown immense interest in theatre production and is looking to enhance her skills in the performing arts industry. Haniz graduated from the Video Production programme at ITE College West in 2016. She has experience in scriptwriting, directing, acting and producing. Though most of her films were school-based, she has always shown enthusiasm in bringing her ideas to life. In 2019, Haniz was the Production and Technical Intern for SingTheatre. Her most recent work with them was as Assistant Stage Manager for their production of A Spoonful of Sherman.
