Showing 1 - 10 of 25
The Last Supper?
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 16/06/2022
» It's no surprise that as Covid restrictions are easing around the world, people are seeking new experiences to pluck themselves from mundanity, and to see, touch, smell and taste things in ways that awaken them. Why sit inside a theatre when you can walk around an art space or a neighbourhood while stories are spoken into your ears? Why only eat in cafes and restaurants when you can do that and watch a scene of a play unfold? Why dine in a restaurant when you can dine in an old airplane and participate in strange, semi-religious rituals?
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.
A decade in the limelight
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 30/12/2019
» In choosing the 10 best theatre productions of the decade, I started by listing some of my favourite productions, based almost purely on enjoyment. That would not do, of course. The more important questions are those of cultural and artistic impact. So of the shows that made it on this list, some are Thai-theatre-scene firsts, some are rarities, some are triumphs of age-old and underappreciated crafts. But all of them are ambitious, original and uncompromising. They have become indelible to me and, I hope, to many others. And they excited me then as much as they excite me now, looking back months and years later.
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.
A double bill of different
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 05/07/2019
» Cleaning has never looked so fun, violent and spooky. Young theatre artists Kawin Bhichitkul of Dee-ng Theatre and Surat Kaewseekram of B-floor Theatre spin visually exciting tales with disposed objects in a double-bill performance, What's Left: Resonance From The Discarded, at WTF Bar & Gallery.
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.
Transmitting human angst
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 01/03/2018
» Second time's a charm for Fullfat Theatre at Warehouse 30. The company returns to the space that had dwarfed and overwhelmed the troupe's first play [Co/exist] with its sheer size and uninsulated high ceiling. With the new play, Taxiradio, playwright-director and Fullfat co-founder Nophand Boonyai has successfully tamed the rugged space to achieve not only live performance suitability, but also intimacy.
Radical Beauty
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 08/06/2017
» Prumsodun Ok has broken many rules. The Khmer-American artist studied classical Cambodian dance -- an art dominated by women. He then founded the first gay dance company in Cambodia, Prumsodun Ok & Natyarasa. He and his company perform Cambodian dance in costumes designed to expose more skin than the traditional ones. They also dance male and female parts.
Asserting the female voice
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 19/01/2017
» Tonya Pinkins was one of the first actresses to ever perform Eve Ensler's seminal The Vagina Monologues, a theatre work in which women read out a number of monologues regarding female experience. In 1999, Pinkins starred alongside Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire) and Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Nashville) in the original off-Broadway production at the Westside Theater. The cast grew to 100 actresses over the course of that year, with three actresses per performance.
Redressing history
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 24/11/2016
» Two new plays have examined the notion of 'justice'. One digs into the political history of Chile and Thailand, the other takes us inside an American jury room