Showing 1 - 10 of 16
Performance in the wild
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 26/05/2022
» For Kok Heng Leun, memories of Pulau Ubin, an island northeast of mainland Singapore, go as far back as when he was a teenager.
A stroll through nostalgia and hope
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 21/04/2022
» After the first Covid lockdown in Thailand in 2020, the first performance that brought Bangkok theatregoers back to the physical space was Fullfat Theatre's Save For Later. At that time, the number of cases in Thailand was at a negligible level, and the idea of physical distancing and other pandemic measures were still a novelty. These inconveniences and constraints inspired and pushed theatre artists to experiment and create. Digital technology had a large presence in live performances back then, even in on-site ones.
Bonds that can't be broken
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 29/07/2021
» Some digital theatre productions that I've seen since the pandemic began have tried to make up for the loss of intimacy and sensory experience that live audience participation allows and the sense of connection to the performance and each other. Sometimes our participation makes the show or is the focus of the show. We the audience help tell the story.
The evolution of khon
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 22/04/2021
» Choreographer Jitti Chompee's ongoing khon project, which includes Melancholy Of Demon, a dance performance that I reviewed earlier this month, is supported by the Ministry of Culture and departments and offices under its umbrella. This is a surprising level of governmental support granted to a contemporary dance artist who wants to do not-so-genteel things with khon and the character of Tossakan. I still remember how in 2006 the Ministry of Culture reportedly forced Somtow Sucharitkul to change the scene in his opera Ayodhya that depicted the death of Tossakan (Ravan in the opera version) onstage, a practice that is considered a bad omen in Thailand.
The evolution of an artist
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 01/04/2021
» It's impossible for me to critique choreographer Jitti Chompee's latest show Melancholy Of Demon without viewing it as part of a larger project, which also includes a film, a book, a photo exhibition, a dance demonstration and a seminar of a more academic nature. The show was staged at Lido Connect from March 18-22. This review is the first part of an essay about the project and focuses only on Melancholy Of Demon.
Keeping theatre alive
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 27/05/2020
» How do you prove to the government you're a theatre artist? When large gatherings are banned and theatres are closed and your work deemed non-essential, how does that affect your income ? Or does it? Are you eligible for the government relief fund Rao Mai Ting Kan then? Is theatre-making a job in Thailand to begin with?
A political message of hope
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 06/09/2019
» Back with the second of three productions to celebrate its 33rd anniversary, DreamboxTheatre Bkk steps into the future with a new playwright and fifth sung-through musical, Namngoen Tae: The Musical.
Pearls of wisdom
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 22/05/2019
» Nana Dakin is a familiar name on the Thai theatre scene. The member of B-floor Theatre is known for her intelligent and sensitive pieces of physical theatre that deal with such issues as identity, migration and violence.
No comfort for young women
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 17/08/2018
» One of the biggest issues commanding media attention in the past year has been that of gender violence. And Peel the Limelight has dedicated this year to staging plays that shed light on the topic from different angles, starting with a production of Agnes Of God, about a young nun with a history of abuse. That was followed by I Am My Own Wife, a one-person play about the life of a transgender woman during World War II and the Communist regime in East Berlin.
Thailand looks to its artistic big brother
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 17/05/2018
» In the past two decades, Bangkok has sprouted several big and small international performing arts festivals -- Bangkok Theatre Festival being the largest event for local productions and Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music being the largest for international productions. Then there are emerging festivals spearheaded and run by new bloods like the Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting that launched last year and the biannual Bangkok International Children's Theatre Fest now in its second instalment.