Darren Yap is an Australian actor and director based in Sydney, Australia.
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).Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp222
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.In Conversation with Darren Yap NIDA Retrieved 8 July 2022. Following UWS, Yap graduated from the director's course at NIDA.
His life partner is the composer Max Lambert.ABC Radio Sunday Brunch Darren Yap Retrieved 26 January 2024.
Career Yap has a successful career in acting and directing theatre.Darren Yap thinks small for Hayes Theatre Co’s star-studded Miracle City Retrieved 14 August 2017.Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam premieres at Riverside Retrieved 11 November 2018.
Directing
Theatre Year Title Role Type 1998 The Boy from Oz Resident Director World Premiere 2005 The Admiral's Odyssey Director Action Theatre, Singapore – World Premiere 2006 Dick Lee’s Man of Letters Director Singapore Repertory Theatre – World Premiere 2006–08 Miss Saigon Associate Director Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manchester, Dublin & Edinburgh with Cameron Mackintosh 2009 I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Director NSW regional tour with Seymour Centre & Kookaburra Musical Theatre & Singapore with Mediacorp VizPro International 2009 Steel Magnolias Director Seymour Centre with Blackbird Productions 2009 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Director Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore 2009–10 Mamma Mia Resident Director / Associate Director 10th Anniversary Australasian tour – Perth, Adelaide, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brisbane & Melbourne 2010 Pinocchio the Musical Director Vizpro International & Singapore Repertory Theatre 2010 A Night with the Phantom concert Director Brighton, UK 2010–11 Miss Saigon Associate Director Korea with Cameron Mackintosh 2011 Thoroughly Modern Millie Director Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore 2011 Miss Saigon Associate Director Holland with Cameron Mackintosh 2012 Miss Saigon Associate Director Japan with Cameron Mackintosh 2013 King King Live on Stage Associate Director World Premiere with Global Creatures 2013 Babies Proms Director CDP Theatre Producers 2013–14 A Murder is Announced Director Australian national tour with Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Berwick 2014 Miss Saigon Associate Director Tokyo with Cameron Mackintosh 2014 Miracle City Director Hayes Theatre with Luckiest Productions 2014 The Serpent's Table Co-director Sydney Festival with Griffin Theatre Company & Performance 4a 2015 Lotus Sydney & Playwriting Australia Playreadings Director Performance 4a 2015 Little Diana and the Big Fuzz Director Hayes Theatre 2016 Ladies Day Director Griffin Theatre Company 2017 Diving for Pearls Director Griffin Theatre Company 2017 The Great Wall (One Woman's Journey) Director Drama Centre, Singapore with Glowsticks Productions – World premiere 2017 Miracle City Director Sydney Opera House 2018 Letters to Lindy Director Australian national tour with Merrigong Theatre & Canberra Theatre Centre 2018 Spot the Dog Director CDP Productions 2018 Ghost, The Musical Director Tokyo 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 2020 Double Delicious Director C.A.A.P, Sydney Festival & Asia Topia 2020 2020 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Director Tokyo with C.A.T Productions & Shinjuku Productions 2020–21 Next to Normal Director NIDA graduation season 2022 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Director Tokyo with C.A.T Productions and Really Useful Group 2022 The Last Five Years Director La Boite Theatre, Brisbane 2022 The One Director Ensemble Theatre‘The One’ Ensemble Theatre Retrieved 8 July 2022. 2022 Yong Director Sydney & Victoria with Monkey Baa Theatre 2023 Tim Director Glen Street Theatre, Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Riverside Theatres Parramatta & NSW regional tour with Christine Dunstan Productions 2023 Clyde's Director Ensemble Theatre 2024 Zombie! The Musical Director Hayes Theatre David Williamson’s The Great Man Affiliate Director Sydney Theatre Company Katherine Thomson’s Navigating Affiliate Director Sydney Theatre Company Miracle City Affiliate Director Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Events Year Title Role Type 2000 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony Associate Director Homebush Stadium, Sydney 2006 15th Asian Games Closing Ceremony Segment Director Doha, Qatar 2006; 2007; 2010 NSW Premier's Gala Concerts Director Sydney Entertainment Centre with Venables Entertainment 2008; 2009 Chinese New Year Parade Director City of Sydney 2011 SpongeBob SquarePants Parade Director Sea World for Gold Coast for Nickelodeon 2015 Opening of the National Gallery & Art Carnival, SG50 Celebrations Artistic Festival Consultant & Art Carnival Director Singapore 2016 NSW Premier's Gala Concerts Director Allphones Arena, Sydney with Venables Entertainment 2016 Cairo MISR Pre-Show Celabrations Associate Director Cairo with World Events 2019 Abu Dhabi 48th National Day Celebrations Associate Director Abu Dhabi with Betty Productions Red Sea International Film Festival Director Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2020 World Expo Dubai 2020 Staging Director Al Wasal Plaza, Dubai with Artists in Motion
Acting
Theatre Year Title Role Type 1989 Anything Goes John Hayden Attractions 1990 Shadow and Splendour Mori / Local Policeman / Mozart Singer Queensland Theatre 1990 Capricornia Cho Sek Ching STCSA 1991 Chess Ensemble Victoria State Opera 1992 Cockroach Opera Roima Belvoir Street Theatre with Company B 1993 M. Butterfly Song Liling Melbourne Theatre Company 1994 The Wedding Song NIDA 1995 Miss Saigon Thuy Capitol Theatre, Sydney for Cameron Mackintosh 1995 The Quartet from Rigoletto Ensemble Theatre 1995 Sydney Stories Various characters Sydney Theatre Company 2003 Songket Koua Neng Vang Griffin Theatre Company 2006 Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of Somerset Hop Lee Bille Brown Theatre with Queensland Theatre 2019 Aladdin Disney Theatrical Productions
Television Year Title Role Type 1988 Mission: Impossible Quon TV series, season 2, episode 5: "Countdown" 1988 Richmond Hill TV series 1989–92 Tanamera - Lion of Singapore Paul Miniseries, 7 episodes 1991 Embassy Hung TV series, season 2, episode 3: "The East Wind Blows West" 1992 Bony Chang TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Bird in the Hand" 1993 G.P. Jimmy Lee TV series, 2 episodes 1993 The Leaving of Liverpool Dave Miniseries 1992 Children of the Dragon Miniseries 1994 Heartland Dr Nguyen TV series, 2 episodes 1994 Over the Hill Kevin TV series, 1998 A Difficult Woman Dr Wei Miniseries, 3 episodes
Film Year Title Role Type 1996 Floating Life Lone Feature film 2007 The Home Song Stories Adult Tom Feature film
Awards and nominations Year Nominated work Award Category Result 1999 The Boy from Oz (world premiere) Green Room Awards Best Re-Staging by a Resident Artist Diving for Pearls BroadwayWorld Regional Award Best Director of a Play Miracle City Glugs Theatrical Awards Outstanding Mainstage Musical Diving for Pearls Glugs Theatrical Awards Outstanding Mainstage Production 2022 Monkey Baa Theatre Company's Yong Sydney Theatre Awards 2024 Zombie! The Musical Sydney Theatre Awards Best Direction in a Musical
References