| Yeo Yann Yann 杨雁雁 |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 20 February 1977 Malaysia |
| Other names | Yann Yeo |
| Height | 1.56m |
Yeo Yann Yann (Chinese: 杨雁雁; pinyin: Yáng Yànyàn; born 1977 in Malaysia) is a Singapore-based actress. A pioneer-graduate of The Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP),[1] she has worked in theatre, television, and film; recent performances include Singapore Dreaming (as Mei), Thunderstorm 雷雨 (as Fan Yi 蘩漪) and a movie in August 2007, 881.[2] Besides acting, Yann Yann also hosts bilingual events and performs for corporate skits and projects. She was born in Malaysia, and is of Chinese descent.
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Indisputably, Yann Yann is amongst the leading actresses in the Singaporean theatre scene. Her most dazzling performance was in Thunderstorm (2006, The Theatre Practice) as the character Fan Yi (蘩漪).
Her linguistic flair was also demonstrated in performances like "Legends Alive Online : Mama Looking For Her Cat 2006" (English, Chinese and Hokkien), "Boxing Day : The Tsunami Project " (English, Chinese, Cantonese, Malay) etc.
Thunderstorm is a classic Chinese play written by renowned playwright Cao Yu in his teens.
When Thunderstorm was staged previously, the audience generally disliked the adulterous, eccentric Fan Yi. Some even claim that Fan Yi was the root of all tragedies in Thunderstorm.
However, things changed in 2006, when The Theatre Practice staged Thunderstorm in Singapore. Yann Yann won the hearts of the audience with her salient acting, successfully portraying the pitiful inner side of Fan Yi. Through her vivid adaptation, the audience started to sympathise with Fan Yi. The audience do not condone the actions of Fan Yi still, but they can now understand the rationality behind them.
It was an amazing feat for Yann Yann because she turned the tables of this previously hated character and injected new flavor in Fan Yi. Yann Yann added, "The most detestable character also has her adorable, pitiful side. I aim to bring that out."
Yann Yann received the Best Actress Award at the 7th Life! Theatre Awards 2007 in recognition of her splendid performance.
| Year | Title of Performance | Produced by |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Petaling Street Warriors | Juita Entertainment |
| 2009 | Crab Flower Club | Toy Factory Productions |
| 2008 | To Kill A Mockingbird | Sharon Ang |
| 2008 | National Language Class (Rerun) | Spell Seven Performance Club |
| 2008 | Chesty Nutty Bang Bang: The Hairspray of the Phoenix | STAGES |
| 2007 | The Tosca Project | The Theatre Practice |
| 2006 | Legends Alive Online : Mama Looking For Her Cat 2006 [1] | The Theatre Practice |
| 2006 | Thunderstorm 雷雨 [2] | The Theatre Practice |
| 2006 | National Language Class [3] | Spell Seven Performance Club |
| 2006 | Stranger At Home 独在家乡为异客 | DramaBox |
| 2006 | A Beautiful Companion [4] | Theatreworks |
| 2005 | Separation Forty | The Necessary Stage |
| 2005 | The Admiral’s Odyssey [5] | Action Theatre |
| 2005 | Boxing Day [6] | The Necessary Stage |
| 2004 | Wu Jun Ru And You and Me And Him 吴君如和你和我和他 | The Theatre Practice |
| 2004 | Private Parts [7] | Vizpro |
| 2004 | Tempest [8] | The Theatre Practice |
| 2004 | Water Station [9] | TTRP |
| 2003 | Lights Up | The Theatre Practice |
| ? | The Day I Met The Prince | The Theatre Practice |
| 2003 | Lim Tzay Chuen | TTRP/Theatreworks |
| 2003 | Tartuffe | TTRP |
| 2003 | The Tiger Tally | TTRP |
| 2001 | Dragon Dance | The Finger Players |
| 2000 | Invisibility [10] | Drama Box |
| 1999 | Red Hawk | The Theatre Practice |
| 1998 | Storm | Toy Factory |
| 1997 | Comedy Of Mistakes | Toy Factory |
Her role as Mei in the movie, Singapore Dreaming also garnered rave reviews from the Press for her performance. Mei has been brought up against the favoritism of her parents. Mei is the underappreciated daughter of the family, married to CK, whom she occasionally henpecks. Indignant that younger brother Seng was sent overseas when she was the one whose academic performance was more distinguished, she bears a patent grudge against Seng. Mei's struggle against her family prejudice, career obstacles, financial difficulties allowed Yann Yann to fully display her flair in acting.
What was interesting was although the producers were unacquainted with Yann Yann, they used her face as a reference when writing for the character, Mei.
The film bagged the Montblanc New Screenwriters Award at the 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival, and was the first Singaporean film to receive an IFFPA-recognised international feature film award.
| Year of Release | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Love Matters | Lead |
| 2008 | 18 Grams of Love [11] | Lead |
| 2008 | Muallaf (in post production) [12] | Supporting |
| 2008 | 12 Lotus [3] | Bit part |
| 2007 | 881 [13] | Lead |
| 2007 | One Last Dance | Bit part |
| 2006 | Singapore Dreaming [14] [15] | Ensemble |
| 2006 | High Cost Of Living [16] | Supporting |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Ah Ma [17] |
| 2007 | Flat Dreams [18] |
| 2006 | Tracks [19] |
| 2006 | Hello? [20] |
| 2005 | Heave |
| ? | The Last Flight of the Red Butterflies |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | GhostBoys (series for 3G phones) |
| 2005 | POV Murder (series for 3G phones) |
Previously only noted for role as Chen Mei Li (陈美丽) in The Right Frequency, Yann Yann has been progressively seen more frequently on local television programmes since 2008. Notable performances include Food Goin' Bananas (2008) and The A-Go-Go Princess (2009). In 2009 also, she played as the female leading actress in The Iron Lady (女头家), produced by ntv7, Malaysia.[4]
| Title |
|---|
| The Iron Lady (Malaysian TV series) (女头家) |
| The A-Go-Go Princess (穿越阿哥哥) |
| Food Goin’ Bananas |
| Stories of Love: Anthology Series |
| 18g of Love – HD Telemovie |
| Do Not Disturb [21] |
| In Her Prime |
| Right Frequency (播音人) |
| A Date With Kym (钟琴有约) |
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Golden Awards NTV7 (Best Actress)[5] WINNER |
| 2009 | 9th LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Actress (National Language Class) |
| 2007 | 7th LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Actress (Thunderstorm) WINNER |
| 2007 | 7th LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Ensemble Acting (Mama Looking For Her Cat) |
| 2006 | 1st Front Awards [22] |
| 2005 | 5th LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Ensemble Acting (Wu Jun Ru And You And Me And Him) |
Yann Yann talks about her love of acting, her acting mentor (the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun)[23] and pursuing her aspirations (in Chinese). [24]
Radio station Lush995 speaks to Yann Yann on her recent and latest acting projects [April 2007] [25]
Yann Yann has also been featured in the Singapore Speak Chinese Campaign (华语cool!) in her character image for the Singaporean local film 881 by Royston Tan.