Merdeka State of Mind documentary screenings, at APW, 8 & 9 Sept, 8pm A celebration of freedom of expression in Bangsar, this festival features two nights of timely documentary screenings: the subjects of child brides in Malaysia, and the Orang Asli blockades currently under siege in Kelantan. The director for each film will be […]
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (3 – 9 Sept 2018) Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (620 words, four-minute read) 拾念劇集 La Cie Maxmind’s Isle of Dreams (蓬萊) was the headlining event for the George Town Festival’s Taiwan-focused showcase this year. It is a three-hour long work of musical theatre, original in story and in language, loosely adapted from the geography and mythology detailed in the Classic of
La Cie Maxmind’s “Isle of Dreams”: The Dark Fantastic Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (620 words, four-minute read) Ombak Potehi is Ombak Ombak Art Studio’s glove puppet theatre group established in 2015, consisting of young people – all under 30 – producing and performing puppet theatre, having been trained by experts from Penang’s Beng Geok Hong Puppet Troupe. To date, they’ve written and produced three works:
Ombak Potehi’s “Kisah Pulau Pinang: The Penang Story”: A Slice of Malayan History Read More »
Everyone is always watching and being watched in Pratthana: A Portrait of Possession, the latest play by Japanese director Toshiki Okada. The play begins with a Narcissus-like image—a young man gazes into the water as he describes a scene of a man being watched by another. Behind the actor, crew members tip an orange plastic
“Pratthana: A Portrait of Possession”: Of Politics and Desire Read More »
Potehi puppet theatre is a traditional Hokkien art form brought to Southeast Asia by immigrants from southern China several centuries ago. Despite originally being performed in Hokkien, potehi came to be performed in the different languages of the region, and is practised around Southeast Asia. Ombak Potehi is Ombak-Ombak ARTStudio’s glove puppet theatre group established
AExGTF Chats: Prof Tan Sooi Beng of Ombak Potehi at George Town Festival Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Yogyakarta and Jakarta from 27 August 2018 – 2 September 2018 The City of Yogyakarta is full of exciting events this week. On Monday and Tuesday, Hongkong’s Theatre Ash, in collaboration with Studio Tari Banjarmili, presents City of Darkness. Directed by David Glass, City of Darkness is a tragi-comedy
Weekly Picks: Indonesia (27 August – 2 September 2018) Read More »
Teh Tarik With The Flag, at Balai Seni Negara, 23 July–17 September. 14 Malaysian artists reflect on our relationship and identity with the Jalur Gemilang flag, and create artwork that reference it. Artists include Anurendra Jegadeva, Chong Kim Chiew, Sulaiman Esa, Hasnul Jamal Saidon and Hayati Mokhtar. More info here. Mud & Mashed Hydrangea
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (27 Aug – 2 Sept 2018) Read More »
Duration: 35 mins At SeaShorts 2018, which took place from 1 – 5 August 2018 in George Town, Penang, we caught up with Cambodian film director, screenwriter and producer Rithy Panh, and Park Sungho, programmer for S-Express Cambodia (a selection of Cambodian short films at SeaShorts), who’s also a programmer for the Cambodia International Film
Podcast 45: On Southeast Asian Film with Rithy Panh and Park Sungho Read More »
By Bernice Lee (1300 words, five-minute read) “Asian Festivals Exchange” puts together works selected from two East Asian festivals — Yokohama Dance Collection and Seoul Dance Collection — two works performed by T.H.E. Second Company, and a work-in-progress supported by M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival and Seoul Performing Arts Festival. It is a very full
“Asian Festivals Exchange” at M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2018 Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali and Jakarta from 20 – 26 August 2018. Continuing the spirit and celebration of independence, Bentara Budaya, one of Indonesia’s main network of venues and supporters of the arts presents Ode Bulan Agustus, a series of local collegiate choir performances in 4 different cities. The first performance
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Artist-sharing: Hymen Instinct by Sonia Kwek, at Rumah Attap Library & Collective, 22 Aug, 8pm Performer Sonia Kwek, in conversation with her Malaysian collaborator Lucian, will share documentation and a new script of her solo work Hymen Instinct before the performance goes to the Asia Weekend Theatre Festival in Taiwan. The aim is to have an
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (20 – 26 Aug 2018) Read More »
The opening weekend of the George Town Festival 2018 also saw the opening of the Griffith Creative Arts Room at Wisma Yeap Chor Ee, Penang: a room dedicated to presenting the works of creative arts from the students and faculty of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. This is the first time a university has been invited
AExGTF Chats: The Griffith Creative Arts Room at George Town Festival Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1050 words, four-minute read) George Town Festival is now in its ninth year, and one of the distinctive qualities in every edition is the balance it strikes between presenting international touring works, and Malaysian shows that are rooted in local society and culture. Kelantan – A Living Heritage, the headliner event opening
“Kelantan: A Living Heritage”: Tributing the Traditional Read More »
The SeaShorts Film Festival ran for its second edition as the official pre-festival to the annual George Town Festival from 1st to 5th August in a radical geographical shift away from the Kuala Lumpur home of its parent organisation, Next New Wave. It showcased more than 120 short films scattered over 22 programmes in two
Three Short Films about Women at SeaShorts 2018, George Town Read More »
Duration: October 2018 – March 2019 “What distinguishes the good, valuable theatre critic … is that you sense that [they are] writing about a cause – about a theatre in his or her mind. The … writing is possibly in some ways cloaked, but it is a crusade.” – “The Theatre Critic as Thinker”, New
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: ArtsEquator’s Reading Group for Critics Read More »
By Kathy Rowland (1165 words, 5-minute read) Coloured ink on paper. Only a society that polices gender and sexuality can turn ordinary photos into weapons of mass gay conversion. Over the past eight iterations, the George Town Festival (GTF) has built an international name for itself as a gem of a festival – a small,
In George Town, a Proxy War for the Nation Read More »
A white circle 10 metres in diameter greets us on entering the flexible performance space in Loft 29. I stand next to B-boy Erak Mith of Tiny Toones (Phnom Penh, Cambodia). He is locked in eye contact with Aaron Lim of D-City Rockers (Darwin, Australia) directly across the circle and I recognise the calm, unflinching
“Between Tiny Cities (រវាងទីក្រុងតូច)”: De-cyphering Conversation Read More »
Kenapa Tak Tukar Nama, at klpac, 18–19 Aug, 1:30pm This monologue follows Muslim convert Hoe Mei Ying as she navigates the complexity of identity and faith, and tackles a common question: Why have you not changed your name upon conversion? Yiky Chew plays five characters with various takes on the question, and is a performance
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (13 – 19 Aug 2018) Read More »
The Ordinary and The Unspectacular by The Theatre Practice 16 – 19 August 2018 After each breath Before the next Time streams into the moments of timelessness The Ordinary and The Unspectacular is a contemplation of the minutiae of everyday life. When each snapshot in time is magnified, the everyday becomes estranged and the simplicity of
Weekly picks: Singapore (13 – 19 August 2018) Read More »
The annual Asian Restored Classics (ARC) festival is an initiative by the Asian Film Archive (AFA). It’s the first of its kind in Singapore, providing a platform to celebrate the best of Asian cinema by screening the restored historic and iconic films to be appreciated by new generations of audiences. The past two editions of
Asian Restored Classics 2018: Revisiting the Past In New Light Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Solo from 13 – 19 August 2018. Indonesia is celebrating its national day this week. To celebrate the 73rd year of independence, the State Secretariat presents Indonesia Semangat Dunia, an exhibition of the presidential art collections that have been collected since the early years of President
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By Chloe C. Chotrani (933 words, five-minute read) Closing the ninth M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival is the annual Binary – International Showcase: a double bill by Astrid Boons (Belgium/Netherlands) and Shamel Pitts (Israel/United States). In Vestige, an attempt to empty the body of its humanness, choreographer and performer Astrid Boons pushes the physicality of
By Bernice Lee (1100 words, six-minute read) M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival has become a staple of the contemporary dance scene in Singapore. It has used its resources to bring forward voices, particularly from the region, in an act of affirmation. Balancing local and international artists, bringing in projects mostly of an indie nature, this
“Off Stage” at M1 Contact 2018: Communicating Beyond The Stage Read More »
Between Tiny Cities (រវាងទីក្រុងតូច), a two-hander dance performance dovetailing b-boy vocabulary with contemporary dance, was the result of a three-year cultural exchange between Tiny Toones in Cambodia and Darwin City Rockers in Australia. It was presented at George Town Festival 2018, running over the opening weekend of 4 – 5 August. We interview choreographer Nick
AExGTF Chats: “Between Tiny Cities (រវាងទីក្រុងតូច)” at George Town Festival Read More »
Since 2010, photographer Stefen Chow and his economist partner Lin Huiyi have been challenging perceptions of what it means to be poor across the globe. Their award-winning project The Poverty Line, which will exhibit at this month’s George Town Festival in Malaysia, compares 29 countries through photographs of the food choices available to those living on the poverty line
Photo project examines how food challenges the notion of poverty (via SEA Globe) Read More »
The Fall of the House of Usher, Lot’ng Arts Space, 2–12 Aug Promising a twisted journey into the mind of a mysterious house and the equally enigmatic residents. Presented by theatrethreesixty, this play is directed by Nicole-Ann Thomas, and the performance highlights physical theatre. More info here. 2+1 = TIGA trio, at Space.Toccata, 8
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Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Bali dan Jakarta from 6 – 12 August 2018 We start this week with a rare Sumbanese traditional songs offering. Rumah Sanur in Bali presents It’s Showcase Vol. 2 – “Poetic Voices from the island of Sumba”. Ata Ratu will share traditional Sumbanese songs and culture while playing
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This article is the second in a series of essays by students from the Singapore Management University Arts and Culture Management programme. Never had I thought that I would be working with these monstrous little creatures. Yet, there I stood on my first day of work at The Artground (TAG), watching a group of pre-schoolers
Duration: 48 min Matt Lyon and Naeem Kapadia are back on ArtsEquator’s theatre podcast, and with a bang: nearly an hour’s worth of discussion on the Singapore Theatre Festival 2018 which just ended on 22 July. They discuss Thomas Lim’s Supervision, Tan Tarn How’s Press Gang and the verbatim performance One Metre Square: Voices from Sungei
Podcast 44: Singapore Theatre Festival 2018 Read More »
