Multi-award winning Singaporean playwright Desmond Sim’s The Swimming Instructor is making a splashing comeback from 4 to 7 December 2025 at Pentas 2, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac).
First staged in Singapore to full houses with two more subsequent outings, The Swimming Instructor made its Malaysian debut in 2009 under the direction of Christopher Ling. Sixteen years later, Ling and Sim reunite to revive this sizzling poolside comedy-drama with an all-new cast and several exciting updates.
The story centres on Johan, a no-nonsense swimming instructor who, unbeknownst to him, becomes an object of affection (and desire). Enter Jan, a wealthy daddy’s girl with little direction in life and Dave, a go-getting advertising executive, the trio form a unique and unexpected bond over sunscreen and small talk.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface, there lies undercurrents of love, lust and loss as the ”witty script” is also “heartbreakingly poignant” (The Flying Inkpot). Secrets are unearthed and audiences gradually learn of each character’s complicated past, the ripples that connect them and how they try to come to terms with it. As Jan says in the play, “no amount of swimming can outrun your feelings”.
The 2025 staging, strongly flavoured with themes of identity and conformity, stars real life advertising guy Andy Poon, multi-talented jazz crooner and personality Kai Chalmers, and Tania Ashwini, Best Newcomer in SHORT+SWEET Theatre Malaysia 2024.
“I wanted to revisit this funny yet moving work but within the context of today’s world,” said Ling. “Apart from updating the script, I worked closely with Marco George, an Italian-Malaysian singer-songwriter, to create a new soundtrack featuring seven songs, including a brand-new number entitled “Floating in Time” along with a fresh sound design by Kirthana Kuhendran and scenography by Yusman Mokhtar for this staging.”
While Ling has been steadfast in developing Bahasa Malaysia works such as Saccharine and Anak-Anak Malik since joining The Actors Studio as its Associate Artistic Director, this will be a chance for his fans to revisit his earlier directorial efforts as his character-driven storytelling continues to shape the local theatre landscape.
The Swimming Instructor: post-show talk & playwriting workshop
Audiences will be treated to a free post-show talk on 7 December featuring 2009 cast members, Michael Chen and Davina Goh, alongside the 2025 team. Marco will be performing selected songs from the production live during the talk. Non-ticket holders are welcome to join by making a donation to klpac.
Aspiring writers wanting to kickstart their own playwriting journey can also join Sim’s workshop entitled Writing A Memorable Short Play from 3 to 7 December 2025 held in conjunction with the play. Perfect for beginners as it covers the essentials of playwriting, Sim will be sharing his wealth of knowledge from more than 30 years of experience.
The Fulbright fellow with a Masters of Arts (Literature) from the National University of Singapore has over 30 plays, two feature films including the award-winning Beautiful Boxer and two published anthologies under his belt. No stranger to Malaysian audiences, his plays have also been staged at klpac multiple times including Food, Sex & Death (2011–2015) and Postcards from Rosa (2013).
Tickets are priced from RM68 to RM100 (Patron of the Arts) with concession tickets at RM48. Grab the early bird price at RM40 by 16 November or opt for the Lovebirds (Group of 2) and Threesome (Group of 3) bundles at RM120 and RM150 respectively after. A bundle for the show ticket and playwriting workshop is also available. Visit CloudJoi for both ticket purchase and workshop registration.
Photos by Tat Chin.
