The British Theatre Playhouse (BTP) is a professional theatrical and musical production company incorporated in Singapore in 2004. With the motto Bringing to the World the Best in British Entertainment, the BTP has produced and presented British plays, musicals and concerts internationally, in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. In 2012, the BTP also established a UK branch office, in order to work more closely with British playwrights, writers, actors, directors, musical directors, and set and costume designers.
So far, the BTP has produced 26 plays and musicals, making it a largely active production and touring company, as it has been steadily achieving at least 2 productions per year since its foundation.
Founding history
The founders of the British Theatre Playhouse are Cecilia Leong-Faulkner and John Faulkner. Cecilia and John met in Kuala Lumpur when Cecilia was working for American Express International in Kuala Lumpur which sponsored the play Bedroom Farce by Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE and John was appearing in a dinner-theatre play at The Regent Hotel for the late British actor and producer Derek Nimmo. The idea for the foundation of the BTP came to them over a dinner one evening back in 2002, two years before the foundation of the BTP in 2004, when a comment was made about the absence of British plays in Singapore. Cecilia is currently the managing director of the company.
John Faulkner (also known by his equity performer's name Richard Denning) has worked as a producer, director and performer in London, UK, and in over twenty other countries. He is currently the artistic director of the BTP.
Thanks to their long-standing promotion of the British culture in the area through the British Theatre Playhouse, Cecilia and John were also invited to meet The Queen and Prince Philip on the occasion of the Queen's state visit to Singapore in March 2006. On another occasion, Cecilia was invited to meet Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton when they officially visited Singapore in September 2012. Further to the above, Cecilia also collaborated with the welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers and was thus invited to meet its Royal Patron, Princess Anne, at a reception on board the Royal Albatross yacht on 3 November 2016. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Singapore on 30 October 2017 on a royal visit to strengthen ties between Britain and Singapore/Asian countries. In conjunction with the visit, Cecilia was invited to meet Prince Charles and his wife at a VIP reception held at Eden Hall hosted by the British High Commissioner, Scott Wightman and his wife, Anne Wightman.
Patrons
British Theatre Playhouse has had several patrons connected with British diplomatic representation in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The Life Patron since the foundation of the BTP Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG. Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG is the former British High Commissioner to Singapore and former British Consul-General in New York, USA, as well as the Director General and Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Business Council.
Furthermore, HE Nikesh Metha has been the British High Commissioner to Singapore since July 2024. He is the current Patron of the British Theatre Playhouse, succeeding Mrs Kara Owen, who became the British High Commissioner to Singapore from 2019 - 2024. Mrs Kara Owen succeeded Mr. Scott Wightman, who became British High Commissioner to Singapore in 2015, who in turn succeeded Mr. Paul Madden CMG FRGS (2007 - 2011).
Moreover, in Malaysia, the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mr. Charles Hay, was the Patron of the British Theatre Playhouse in Malaysia, succeeding Mrs. Victoria Treadwell CMG MVO. She succeeded Mr Simon Featherstone CMG (2010 - 2014), after he succeeded Mr Boyd McCleary CMG CVO (2006 - 2010).
Mr. Mark Kent also accepted to be the Patron and was the British High British Ambassador to Thailand.
Honorary advisors
The British Theatre Playhouse also has six Honorary Advisors.
Steve Puckett has been a board member of the Charities Aid Foundation - South East Asia and the Lien Aid Foundation, as well as an Advisory Board Member of Singapore Polytechnic and Director of Newcastle University International. He is also the Founder of various companies including the Singapore-based Asia-wide energy consulting company Tri-Zen. Previously, he was the President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, the Chairman of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and until the end of the 1990s he held senior executive positions at ExxonMobil.
Stephen Mangham is one of the partners in Mangham Gaxiola McGarrybowen, which has been Singapore's biggest ever advertising agency start up. Prior to that, he used to be the chairman of the Ogilvy Singapore Group. Under Stephen's leadership, Ogilvy almost trebled their revenue and in less than six years they grew from 240 to 600 people. Mangham has graduated with a degree in law from Oxford University.
Sophie Brown trained as a Chartered Accountant with PwC in London in 1999 before working in the industry focusing on M&A and debt structuring. She has worked for private equity-owned, family-owned and FTSE 250 businesses and been Finance Director of several different companies.
Damian Adams is a corporate lawyer and partner with the international law firm Watson Farley & Williams. Based in Singapore since early 2000, Adams has over two decades of experience in structuring, negotiating, managing and executing complex cross-border investments and transactions – from greenfield, early-stage and growth capital investments to joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions. He advises venture capital fund managers, private equity and infrastructure investors and international organisations across various sectors, with a particular focus on advising founders, companies and investors on early and growth-stage financings. He has also been an active member of The British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore for more than 15 years, serving variously as a Business Group Chair, Secretary and as an elected board member and President of the British Chamber of Commerce.
She spent eighteen years with the BBC covering business and politics, anchoring from its Asia bureau and from London's Broadcasting House. She has anchored live on location on breaking stories such as the Trump-Kim summits, the Hong Kong protests, the Sri Lankan Easter Sunday bombings, among others. She's contributed to BBC World Service radio and written for the BBC news website. She has produced and presented BBC documentaries on TV and radio about Singapore. Sharanjit Leyl is the new Chancellor-Elect of Bath Spa University, succeeding Oscar winner Jeremy Irons.
Susan Peh is the Chief Executive Officer of Adsan Law LLC and has been practicing law for over 37 years. She co-heads the Asset Recovery & Insolvency practice group and oversees the Private Clients Practice as well as the Charities and Pro Bono teams.
Apart from the practice of law, Susan enjoys music. She was offered a place to study at the prestigious Royal College of Music, London, which she had to give up for academia. Susan is a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music and a Fellow of the Trinity College of Music (London) in Piano Performing. She has won many piano competitions in Singapore including the First Prize (Open Section, Pianoforte division) in the First National Music Competition in 1980 and was the winner of the Philips Award (First Prize, Open Section) of the Singapore Musical Society’s Annual Piano Competition. Susan serves as the Vice Chairman and one of the founding directors of Jazz Association (Singapore). She sits on the Board of Trustees of the SG Eco Fund. She also serves as Director at the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital and is a mentor at the Young Women’s Leadership Connection. She believes in giving back to the community that helped build her up, and in creating a lasting legacy for future generations.
Productions The British Theatre Playhouse has commissioned the third in a series of children's illustrated storybooks to bring back the popular storybook character, Covi, the little green dinosaur, to inspire youngsters during Christmas lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the founder and chief executive of the British Theatre Playhouse, Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, it is important to innovate as art can be re-imagined by tapping into the intellectual creativity of writers; novels are the theatre of the mind where readers can immerse themselves in another world. In the new book entitled Covi, the little Christmas dinosaur, Covi becomes a hero when he helps Santa deliver presents to children during a Christmas lockdown. Featured in the new book is a real-life hero, Harmonie-Rose Allen, a Paralympic gymnast and the first junior ambassador of a charity dedicated to fighting meningitis. Seven-year-old Harmonie-Rose lost all her arms and legs to meningitis when she was only 10-months old and has gone on to defy all the odds. The third Covi book has found positive reviews and was featured in Good Morning Britain hosted by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid and the author of the book, Susie Cullen was interviewed by BBC World New arranged. Through the British Theatre Playhouse's "Give A Child A Book" campaign, a total of 300 books were purchased and donated to the Singapore Children's Society, including $500 raised for the same charity.
Beatlemania - A Musical Journey performed by The Cavern Beatles To celebrate the 65th anniversary of The Beatles, The British Theatre Playhouse created Beatlemania - A Musical Journey performed by The Cavern Beatles, direct from Liverpool, endorsed and authorised by the famous Cavern Club, the birthplace of the Beatles. On 21 February 2025, the British High Commission in Singapore hosted a Meet and Greet for The Cavern Beatles held at the Crown and Anchor, attended by the British High Commissioner to Singapore, HE Nik Metha and the Deputy High Commissioner, Lucy Huges, and esteemed guests.
On 22 February 2025, the show was presented at the British Theatre Playhouse's "Art for Charity" gala in Singapore at One Farrer Hotel, supporting the Business Times Budding Artists Fund and the Singapore Cancer Society. The next day, on 23 February 2025, in collaboration with the Timbre Group Singapore, The Cavern Beatles performed to a full-house at Timbre+ One North's live music venue. After Singapore, the show then toured to Kuala Lumpur, where it was performed at PJPAC for the JWYE Foundation's charity gala, supporting underprivileged children through scholarships, tuition, resources, and opportunities for a brighter future. It was an honour for the Founder of the British Theatre Playhouse, Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, to introduce the performers to Her Majesty, HRH Tunku Azizah, the Queen of Pahang and former Permaisuri Agong, immediately after the show.
The Australian Bee Gees Show In December 2023, the British Theatre Playhouse, in association with Worldwide Entertainment, brought The Australian Bee Gees from Las Vegas to perform for One Farrer Hotel's year-end revelry. The event sold out.
Big Girls Don't Cry In February 2024, the British Theatre Playhouse brought Big Girls Don't Cry back to Singapore to present a charity gala performance and reception at the One Farrer Hotel to support two charities: the Samaritans of Singapore and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. In October 2022, with strict Covid-19 restrictions lifted, the British Theatre Playhouse, in association with Worldwide Entertainment, partnered with One Farrer Hotel to present a musical concert from London West End, Big Girls Don't Cry, inside the hotel's Grand Ballroom - the opening night attended by 550 people was a sell-out.
He Writes The Songs