Commenting on the local play Emily of Emerald Hill, SMU Associate Professor of Theatre/Performance Studies Margaret Chan still recalls with disbelief that "whole audiences would burst into tears". There was just something about Emily, her climb from rags to riches and descent to emotional rags that resonated with the Singaporean consciousness. She added: "I believe that Stella wrote the play in a matter of weeks, and that remains the best – because it's not 'crafted', in a sense, she didn't have to go and consciously put in all these structures."