Festival Friends

FESTIVAL FRIENDS is a panel discussion that takes the significance of friendships as a starting point for investigating modes of collaboration, capacity building and festival making within the Southeast Asian region. With prolific practitioners Syazni Bakar and Amali Hj Rosli from National Theatre Festival Brunei, and Sahirrah Safit and Masturah Oli of Asian Youth Theatre Festival (SG), the panel topics will include the challenges of building robust artistic networks across the region, the nuances of working as a creative producer, and the importance of creating platforms that amplify diverse artistic voices.

Following the panel discussion will be a Producers Social networking session hosted by Producers SG, where Bruneian artists and producers will have the opportunity to hang out and network with their new Singaporean friends.

FESTIVAL FRIENDS is part of The Idea of North – a 4-day festival commemorating the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

SPEAKERS:

Syazni Bakar, National Theatre Festival Brunei

Syazni is a theatre enthusiast and has been involved with theatrical performance since 2010. He’s been active in the creative scene as he has worked with multiple creative organisations that produced stage performances, creative events, and photo and video productions. He co-founded the theatre company 247 Studios in 2019, with a hope to further develop the theatre community, and offer opportunities for creatives in Brunei who would like to try theatre. In August 2021, Syazni organised Brunei’s first National Theatre Festival.

Amali Hj Roslin

Amali Hj Roslin has been active in the Bruneian creative industry since 2013, taking the rare opportunity to put his degree in Professional Communications and the Media into good use. He has delved into theatre, music, film and TV both audience-facing and back-end. His keen interest is mainly to empower and develop local talents, whilst consequently strengthening and expanding the creative industry. Through 247 Studios, as Co-Founder, he has embraced the art of producing as a form to merge his passion for the arts both on and off the stage. Believing Brunei has much more to offer to the world, he is constantly on the search for ways to level up its creative industry at both the individual and community level.

Sahirrah Safit

A National Arts Council of Singapore Scholar, Sahirrah has attained a BA (hons) in Theatre Arts- Acting Major from the University of Essex, United Kingdom in 2012. Passionate about all things theatre, she has performed, directed, produced and stage-managed numerous shows with various theatre companies and production houses both locally and internationally for over 10 years. A strong believer in theatre arts education, she has taught in multiple schools and institutions, as well as an adjunct lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic. Over the years, Sahirrah has developed a strong passion for teaching and believes theatre has the potential to empower youths to create a better world for all. Sahirrah has worked behind the scenes for AYTF as a consultant, facilitator and co-ordinator until 2023, when she formally took on the role of Festival Director.

Sahirrah recently started her own company Fat Cat Theatrics and hopes to engage more youth in Singapore through Art invested projects.

Masturah Oli

Masturah Oli is an actor, host and theatre-maker. She graduated with BA (Hons) in Theatre Arts from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, validated by the University of Essex (East 15 Acting School). She was awarded Best Graduate and represented her cohort as Valedictorian. Masturah was also a recipient of the MENDAKI Special Achievement Award for Excellence, MENDAKI Anugerah Award (2017) and the SINDA Excellence Award (2017).

In April 2024, Masturah was cast as the lead role in Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, How I Learned To Drive, as part of Esplanade’s TRIP programme for young Directors. Other Selected Theatre include: Mari Kita Main Wayang, (The Esplanade, 2023), Fair Play (Wild Rice, 2019 & 2023), Opposition (The Necessary Stage & Drama Box, 2022), Blank Can Change (The Necessary Stage, 2021), Acting Mad (The Necessary Stage, 2019 & 2022), Anak Melayu (Teater Kami, 2019), Rubber Girl on the Loose (Cake Theatre, 2019)

Masturah is also a theatre educator, she teaches Drama programmes at Yishun Innova Junior College, Bedok View Secondary School, Raffles Institution and Marymount Convent School. In 2023, Masturah was appointed as Co-Artistic Director of Buds Theatre and looks forward to bringing her creative and artistic vision to life.

Moderator: Shaifulbahri Mohamad

Shaifulbahri Mohamad (Shai) is a creative producer and arts educator. He is the Artistic Director of Bahri & Co and an Organising Member of Producers SG. He graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with an MA in Creative Producing (Distinction).

He enjoys working with artists who make art collaboratively across mediums, with a view towards transnational collaborations that break borders and barriers in art-making. He has produced work in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the United Kingdom and is currently developing projects with South Korea and Canada. He recently returned to performance-making, creating the theatrical walking experience, Tampines Boy.