 In September 2006, Tan directed a main season production for The Necessary Stage, "Fundamentally Happy" held at The Necessary Stage Black Box.The play toured to Malaysia for stagings at The Actors Studio in January 2007, before being reprised as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2007 at the National Museum Gallery Theatre.The play was adapted into a film in 2015 by directors Tan Bee Thiam and Lei Yuan Bin, starring Adibah Noor.