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).

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. Following UWS, Yap graduated from the director's course at NIDA.

His life partner is the composer Max Lambert.

Career

Yap has a successful career in acting and directing theatre.

Directing

Theatre

YearTitleRoleType
1998The Boy from OzResident DirectorWorld Premiere
2005The Admiral's OdysseyDirectorAction Theatre, Singapore – World Premiere
2006Dick Lee’s Man of LettersDirectorSingapore Repertory Theatre – World Premiere
2006–08Miss SaigonAssociate DirectorAustralia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manchester, Dublin & Edinburgh with Cameron Mackintosh
2009I Love You, You're Perfect, Now ChangeDirectorNSW regional tour with Seymour Centre & Kookaburra Musical Theatre & Singapore with Mediacorp VizPro International
2009Steel MagnoliasDirectorSeymour Centre with Blackbird Productions
2009The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeDirectorLasalle College of the Arts, Singapore
2009–10Mamma MiaResident Director / Associate Director10th Anniversary Australasian tour – Perth, Adelaide, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brisbane & Melbourne
2010Pinocchio the MusicalDirectorVizpro International & Singapore Repertory Theatre
2010A Night with the Phantom concertDirectorBrighton, UK
2010–11Miss SaigonAssociate DirectorKorea with Cameron Mackintosh
2011Thoroughly Modern MillieDirectorLasalle College of the Arts, Singapore
2011Miss SaigonAssociate DirectorHolland with Cameron Mackintosh
2012Miss SaigonAssociate DirectorJapan with Cameron Mackintosh
2013King King Live on StageAssociate DirectorWorld Premiere with Global Creatures
2013Babies PromsDirectorCDP Theatre Producers
2013–14A Murder is AnnouncedDirectorAustralian national tour with Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Berwick
2014Miss SaigonAssociate DirectorTokyo with Cameron Mackintosh
2014Miracle CityDirectorHayes Theatre with Luckiest Productions
2014The Serpent's TableCo-directorSydney Festival with Griffin Theatre Company & Performance 4a
2015Lotus Sydney & Playwriting Australia PlayreadingsDirectorPerformance 4a
2015Little Diana and the Big FuzzDirectorHayes Theatre
2016Ladies DayDirectorGriffin Theatre Company
2017Diving for PearlsDirectorGriffin Theatre Company
2017The Great Wall (One Woman's Journey)DirectorDrama Centre, Singapore with Glowsticks Productions – World premiere
2017Miracle CityDirectorSydney Opera House
2018Letters to LindyDirectorAustralian national tour with Merrigong Theatre & Canberra Theatre Centre
2018Spot the DogDirectorCDP Productions
2018Ghost, The MusicalDirectorTokyo with Theatre Creation
2018All Out of Love: The MusicalDirectorNewport Performing Arts Theater, Manila
2018; 2020Jesus Wants Me for a SunbeamDirectorRiverside Theatres Parramatta, Belvoir Street Theatre & Merrigong
2020Double DeliciousDirectorC.A.A.P, Sydney Festival & Asia Topia 2020
2020Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatDirectorTokyo with C.A.T Productions & Shinjuku Productions
2020–21Next to NormalDirectorNIDA graduation season
2022Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatDirectorTokyo with C.A.T Productions and Really Useful Group
2022The Last Five YearsDirectorLa Boite Theatre, Brisbane
2022The OneDirectorEnsemble Theatre
2022YongDirectorSydney & Victoria with Monkey Baa Theatre
2023TimDirectorGlen Street Theatre, Sydney, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Riverside Theatres Parramatta & NSW regional tour with Christine Dunstan Productions
2023Clyde'sDirectorEnsemble Theatre
2024Zombie! The MusicalDirectorHayes Theatre
David Williamson’s The Great ManAffiliate DirectorSydney Theatre Company
Katherine Thomson’s NavigatingAffiliate DirectorSydney Theatre Company
Miracle CityAffiliate DirectorWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts

Events

YearTitleRoleType
20002000 Summer Olympics Closing CeremonyAssociate DirectorHomebush Stadium, Sydney
200615th Asian Games Closing CeremonySegment DirectorDoha, Qatar
2006; 2007; 2010NSW Premier's Gala ConcertsDirectorSydney Entertainment Centre with Venables Entertainment
2008; 2009Chinese New Year ParadeDirectorCity of Sydney
2011SpongeBob SquarePants ParadeDirectorSea World for Gold Coast for Nickelodeon
2015Opening of the National Gallery & Art Carnival, SG50 CelebrationsArtistic Festival Consultant & Art Carnival DirectorSingapore
2016NSW Premier's Gala ConcertsDirectorAllphones Arena, Sydney with Venables Entertainment
2016Cairo MISR Pre-Show CelabrationsAssociate DirectorCairo with World Events
2019Abu Dhabi 48th National Day CelebrationsAssociate DirectorAbu Dhabi with Betty Productions
Red Sea International Film FestivalDirectorJeddah, Saudi Arabia
2020World Expo Dubai 2020Staging DirectorAl Wasal Plaza, Dubai with Artists in Motion

Acting

Theatre

YearTitleRoleType
1989Anything GoesJohnHayden Attractions
1990Shadow and SplendourMori / Local Policeman / Mozart SingerQueensland Theatre
1990CapricorniaCho Sek ChingSTCSA
1991ChessEnsembleVictoria State Opera
1992Cockroach OperaRoimaBelvoir Street Theatre with Company B
1993M. ButterflySong LilingMelbourne Theatre Company
1994The Wedding SongNIDA
1995Miss SaigonThuyCapitol Theatre, Sydney for Cameron Mackintosh
1995The Quartet from RigolettoEnsemble Theatre
1995Sydney StoriesVarious charactersSydney Theatre Company
2003SongketKoua Neng VangGriffin Theatre Company
2006Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of SomersetHop LeeBille Brown Theatre with Queensland Theatre
2019AladdinDisney Theatrical Productions

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1988Mission: ImpossibleQuonTV series, season 2, episode 5: "Countdown"
1988Richmond HillTV series
1989–92Tanamera - Lion of SingaporePaulMiniseries, 7 episodes
1991EmbassyHungTV series, season 2, episode 3: "The East Wind Blows West"
1992BonyChangTV series, season 1, episode 1: "Bird in the Hand"
1993G.P.Jimmy LeeTV series, 2 episodes
1993The Leaving of LiverpoolDaveMiniseries
1992Children of the DragonMiniseries
1994HeartlandDr NguyenTV series, 2 episodes
1994Over the HillKevinTV series,
1998A Difficult WomanDr WeiMiniseries, 3 episodes

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1996Floating LifeLoneFeature film
2007The Home Song StoriesAdult TomFeature film

Awards and nominations

YearNominated workAwardCategoryResult
1999The Boy from Oz (world premiere)Green Room AwardsBest Re-Staging by a Resident ArtistWon
Diving for PearlsBroadwayWorld Regional AwardBest Director of a PlayWon
Miracle CityGlugs Theatrical AwardsOutstanding Mainstage MusicalNominated
Diving for PearlsGlugs Theatrical AwardsOutstanding Mainstage ProductionNominated
2022Monkey Baa Theatre Company's YongSydney Theatre AwardsWon
2024Zombie! The MusicalSydney Theatre AwardsBest Direction in a MusicalWon