Showing 1-10 of 39 results
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Of madness and joy
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 25/11/2019
» We review two original works -- a Thai-language political satire and an English-language musical -- with LGBTQ central characters.
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Angel on a mission
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 27/06/2019
» The theatre scene is marking a few anniversaries this year. First, B-floor Theatre celebrated its 20th birthday with an outdoor musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This month, an even older company, Dreambox, originally named Dass Entertainment, kicked off its 33rd-anniversary celebration with a revival of an old musical from its early days. The company will bring back another musical in November, Mae Nak: The Musical, which came from what they consider to be the company's second period in their development. And in a few months, Dreambox will stage Namngoen Thae, a new musical adapted from a historical novel of the same name by one of Thailand's most popular novelists, Lin Lyovarin.
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Garden of dreams and delights
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 09/05/2019
» B-floor Theatre, Thailand's only physical theatre company, turns 20 this year. And they are marking the occasion with Shakespeare.
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Shows for all seasons
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 15/03/2018
» March kicked off with the return of French choreographer Jérôme Bel to Bangkok, bringing with him two productions to close the French Highlights #3. Then English-speaking theatre company Peel the Limelight celebrated International Women's Day with the premiere of their latest production of Agnes Of God in their new and larger venue, Peel the Limelight Studio, just across from their old home, Spark Drama Studio, at Jasmine City building in Asok. And Bangkok-based Japanese theatre artist Shogo Tanikawa founded his own theatre company Scene Zero and gave birth to a new play. Here are our reviews of these performances.
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Freeform art
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 01/12/2017
» A decade ago, theatre was still seen an art form on the margin in Thailand. That is less true today. Visual art and design events are beginning to include theatre in their programmes. The new art and design event Freeform Festival has revived an abandoned school building at ACMEN Ekamai Complex with exhibitions, workshops, food trucks, plays and dance. Their performing arts programme is a solid one. Hopefully, this will become another platform for quality theatre in the future.
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Gender identity, animals and Kafka
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 02/11/2017
» Every two years, Jitti Chompee puts on his festival director's hat. The dancer-choreographer and founder of 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre founded Unfolding Kafka Festival in 2015. In its first year, the festival featured four performances, one installation and a workshop. This year, the performing arts portion of the festival has doubled in number.
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A story for our times
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 07/09/2017
» Under oppressive regimes, artists are often forced to turn true stories into metaphors or disguise them in the stories of others to escape censorship, or much worse fates. The atmosphere of fear and the sense of stagnation perpetuated by such rule can have such insidious effects that the practice of wrapping true stories in the safe veil of the cryptic sometimes crosses into self-censorship and becomes habit-forming.
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