[3] In October 1986, she portrayed war heroine Elizabeth Choy in the Kim Ramakrishnan play Not Afraid to Live, which was staged by TheatreWorks.
Caroline Ngui of The Straits Times praised her performance, writing that she "gave the character a tensile strength and a rich voice.
[5][6] She portrayed the titular character in the ancient Greek tragedy Medea, which was staged by Asia-in-Theatre Research Centre in February 1988.
Judith Holmberg of The Straits Times wrote that Lim was "regal and, at best, calmly controlled", and that "while this rein on her emotions fitted in with that expected of the Greeks' idea of the true civilised person, it seemed hardly the style of a woman driven to contemplate barbaric deeds and beating her breast loudly.
Her performance in the film was criticised by Jennifer Lien of The Business Times, who wrote that Lim was "stilted, especially in the interactive scenes".
[18] Elizabeth A. Kaiden of The Straits Times praised her performance in the play, writing that Lim "avoids sentimental indulgence of any kind", and that her "stoic strength balances Png's charming physicality.
[20] In the same year, she guest-starred in two episodes of the television sitcom Three Rooms and appeared in an adaptation of the Kōbō Abe play Friends.