Lucas Ho (third from left) with director Claire Wong, and actors Julius Foo and Oon Shu An. Photo courtesy of Checkpoint Theatre.

Literary Arts faculty member Lucas Ho's new play The Heart Comes To Mind premiered online in June this year.

Originally written for live theatre, work on the production started in January, and was almost complete when the circuit breaker was announced in April. The joint presentation of Checkpoint Theatre and the Esplanade eventually transformed into a "historic piece of art-making amidst COVID-19", and was streamed as an audio experience at the Esplanade's website.

In a review of the play carried by The Straits Times, it was stated that it "is easy to hear why" this decision was made as "Ho's writing is imagistic and larded with poetic turns of phrases which 'read' well", and that many nuances of the recording "show the playwright's ear for dialogue and ability to capture characters".

Congratulations, Mr Ho!