About Membership
As an association, members form the backbone of SDEA. SDEA has over 200 drama educators, teaching artists, practitioners, arts managers and others who have an interest in supporting our purpose. This page will detail what there is to know about SDEA membership and how you can get involved.
Types of Membership
There are currently 2 types of membership that you might apply for: Ordinary and Associate Membership.
In all cases, there is a SGD40 admin fee that will be charged to you upon approval of your membership.
Ordinary Membership
Ordinary members are VOTING members of SDEA. They may also hold positions of office within the committee.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents or foreign citizens working and based in Singapore
- Individuals who, in accordance with SDEA’s Constitution, are engaged in drama and/or theatre education, administrating or promoting drama education/the performing arts in general
- Individuals who are 21 years of age or above
Associate Membership
Associate members are NON-VOTING members of SDEA. They may NOT hold positions of office within the committee.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents or foreign citizens working and based in Singapore
- Individuals with active passion and interest in the promotion of drama education and the performing arts in general but do not meet SDEA’s criteria for Ordinary membership
- Foreign drama educators not based in Singapore may also apply
Your membership is applicable for two years, after which it will be renewed or will be lapsed. After your membership is lapsed, you will have to apply again during which you will be charged the SGD40 admin fee.
Membership Renewal
Your membership with SDEA is renewed every two years from the day you joined. In 2019, SDEA removed our annual membership fee. Membership renewal is free and automatic, if you fulfil the renewal criteria.
Your membership will be automatically renewed if you have engaged with SDEA at least once over the last two years (counting back from your renewal deadline). This includes but is not limited to:
- Participating in an SDEA programme or event (e.g. workshops, conferences, panel discussions, COPs)
- Joining a committee, subcommittee, interest group, or workgroup
- Donating to SDEA
If you are not engaged with SDEA, we will contact you to inform you and ask if you would like to remain a member. You then need only to update your profile details before your membership lapses if you wish to remain one.
If at any point, you wish to cancel your membership with us, you can let us know by emailing membership@sdea.org.sg.
If your membership is lapsed, you will have to apply again should you wish to join us, during which you will be charged the SGD40 admin fee.
From 1 April 2023 onwards, the membership renewal process will be as follows:
Engaging with SDEA
Here are some of the ways members can actively participate with SDEA.
- Participate in programmes. Pick any one of our many programmes - from CET and Professional Development Workshops to Panel Discussions and Conferences.
- Join a subcommittee. We welcome members who would like to volunteer their time at being a part of a subcommittee and have an active role in the functions of the association. These range from programme-based subcommittees that are in charge of specific programmes like the Level Up! Fest or Theatre Arts Conference, to more functional subcommittees who undertake projects and decisions throughout the year such as the Advocacy or CET subcommittee.
- Join a workgroup, focus group, or community of practice. Periodically, we will hold workgroups, focus groups, or community of practice sessions for members in service of advocacy or professional development goals. This is a good chance to meet other members and educators.
- Start an interest group. Members can create interest groups and be supported by our full-time secretariat. If you'd like to find out more, drop us an email and we're happy to chat.
- Attend the AGM. SDEA holds our AGM in the third quarter of every year. At the AGM, you can get updated on the year in review, and vote on association wide matters including electing a new committee every two years.
- Run for the Committee (during an election year). Be a part of the Committee, learn what it takes to lead a major grant company, and be the change in the community you want to see.
- Speak with us! You are welcome to drop by our office and chat with our friendly secretariat staff! You can find our operating hours and contact details here.
Members Portal
The Members portal is this site you are on now, sdea.wildapricot.org. It is separate from our main website www.sdea.org.sg. The portal is a one-stop shop for members and anyone who wishes to engage with SDEA. Through the portal, anyone can register for upcoming events, sign up for membership, and stay up to date on the latest happenings at SDEA.
Members can log in to the portal and update their details as well as post on exclusive forums, and get discounts when applying for paid programmes.
Here is a video overview on the main functions of the SDEA Members Portal and how to use it.
Updating Your Profile Details
1. Log in to the Members Portal and update your information
a) Click on your name in the upper right corner of the page.
i) Click on Edit Profile to update your Personal Particulars (email, phone number, avatar/photo).
ii) Update your Education and Employment info and upload most recent CV
iii) Update Who are you? section including Who do you work with?
iv) Make sure to save your changes and updates
b) Click on Privacy
Select your privacy settings. Decide what information you'd like to share with everyone, members-only, or no one. We recommend that you keep your name, avatar (photo), Organization, hats worn and communities engaged accessible to everyone. This way if someone is trying to look for a collaborator, you're easy to find! We recommend that you have at least your email accessible to members-only.
Make sure to save your changes and updates!
c) Click on Email Subscriptions
i) Select your email preferences.
ii) Manage your subscriptions. Do you want to receive emails about upcoming events?
iii) Subscribe to any of our forums. You'll receive notification that a new reply or topic has been posted.
Member Directory
The Member Directory conveniently lists SDEA's current membership. By default it is listed in alphabetical order by family name, but you have the ability to search the directory. You can search for names or you can search for members who work as directors or whatever you want. By keeping our member information up to date, our member directory becomes a very useful tool for collaboration and connection.
If the member has not shared their email/phone, you can still contact them by clicking on the "Send message" button from their member profile on the directory. Your email address and their email address remains unseen until the recipient opens and responds to the email.
The Member Directory also allows you to contact other members directly. As long as the other member has shared their email/phone with other members, you can directly email or call the other member through the directory on the website (or through the Members section of the App).