Stella Kon: Beyond Emily of Emerald Hill

Stella Kon is known for creating the beloved Emily of Emerald Hill – possibly the most frequently staged play in Singapore. She is also a novelist and musical theatre writer, and she has adapted her landmark play into a musical after falling in love with the genre. In this episode, Stella talks about the difference between writing plays and musicals, her favourite actor who played Emily, and her writing process.

What Stella Talked About

• 02:15 – How Stella felt watching the first version of the play Emily of Emerald Hill come to life
• 04:13 – Why the character of Emily resonated with many and inspired countless adaptations
• 05:25 – Her favourite portrayal of Emily
• 06:10 – How the play evolved from draft to final product 
• 07:07 – About creating Emily the Musical
• 08:26 – How Stella wrote “Love Was All I Wanted” for Emily the Musical
• 09:19 – What draws Stella to the musical genre
• 11:21 – Her musical Lim Boon Keng, which is based on the life of her great-grandfather 
• 13:03 – Her new novel, 4 Pax to Emptiness
• 14:37 – Common themes in her work
• 16:33 – Her writing process, practices and rituals
• 18:45 – Her writing influences
• 20:10 – What’s next for Stella Kon
• 20:49 – Her advice to writers
• 22:17 – Writing is…
• 22:39 – Stella’s proudest moments

Transcript and Resources

• Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/stella-kon-beyond-emily-of-emerald-hill/transcript/
• Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-20/issue-2/jul-sep-2024/emily-of-emerald-hill-stella-kon/

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This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Doppler Soundlab. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Stella for coming on the show.

BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.