Weekly Picks: Malaysia (19–25 Nov 2018)
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, at klpac, 22–25 Nov A Puccini opera of love and heartbreak set in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1904. Presented by KL City Opera, this tells the story of a US Naval officer who marries a young Japanese woman…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (12–18 Nov 2018)
Bisikan Monsoon — Open Rehearsal, at Selangor & KL Kwang Tung Association, 13 Nov, 5:30pm An invitation to view the rehearsals for Kwang Tung Dance Company’s Bisikan Monsoon (the show is travelling to China later in the month). This opportunity…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (5– 11 Nov 2018)
IF WALLS COULD TALK vol.55, at The Gaslight Cafe, 8 Nov, 8pm The ever-popular Walls returns with its open mic for spoken word, and featured acts. This chapter features fresh indie band Senja, and writer Zedeck Siew with artist…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (29 Oct – 4 Nov 2018)
Man Bai, at No Black Tie, 30 Oct, 9pm The award-winning singer songwriter Man Bai is best known for his hit single and karaoke staple, Kau Ilhamku. He also has three solo albums. Man Bai will be doing a one…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (22–28 October 2018)
The 11th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2018, at Publika, 22–28 Oct This annual environmental film festival has been here since 2008, and grown over the years in breadth. It tackles a whole host of critical environmental issues, including…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (15–21 October 2018)
No Black Tie Ivory Series presents ‘To The Moon’, at No Black Tie, 15–16 Oct, 8pm Part of No Black Tie’s 20th anniversary celebrations, To The Moon draws inspiration from the likes of Jean-Philippe Rameau, Louis Couperin, Ludwig van Beethoven,…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (8–14 October 2018)
Cerpan-Cerpen: New Works, at OUR ArtProjects, 11 Oct – 3 Nov. Jalaini Abu Hassan, better known as Jai, needs little introduction in Malaysia’s visual arts scene. This solo exhibition by Jai has a loosely-interconnected series featuring mundane scenes of life…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (1–7 October 2018)
Lopung Is Dead! – Pangrok Sulap’s Inaugural Solo Exhibition, at A+ Works of Art, 4–27 Oct Artist collective Pangrok Sulap’s first solo exhibition comprises recent and ongoing work. Expect woodcut print works with a DIY punk aesthetic and confrontations with…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (24 – 30 Sept 2018)
I AM A DEMON | Varnam – Edit, at DPAC, 28–29 Sept, 8pm This double bill of Pichet Klunchun’s “I Am A Demon” (solo performance) and Padmini Chettur’s “Varnam – Edit” (two-hander) are part of Jejak Tabi Exchange 2018. “I Am…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (17 – 23 Sept 2018)
PAN Productions presents Popgiler, at No Black Tie, 19–20 Sept, 9pm A night of pop songs throughout the years, in the best jazz bar in town, with performances by award-winning vocal powerhouses Dina Nadzir, Elvira Arul, and Lynn Tan. The…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (10 – 16 Sept 2018)
BoboKL Presents: Cheryl Tan with Michael Veerapen, at BoboKL, 14–15 Sept, 9:30pm Cheryl Tan is a performer better known across the border in Singapore for her performances in musical theatre productions like Forbidden City and Dick Lee’s Singapopera. See Cheryl…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (3 – 9 Sept 2018)
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…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (27 Aug – 2 Sept 2018)
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…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (20 – 26 Aug 2018)
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…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (13 – 19 Aug 2018)
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?…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (6 – 12 Aug 2018)
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…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (30 July – 5 Aug 2018)
The New Play Project: Book One, at klpac, 1–5 Aug Four staged readings from a project that focuses on storytelling by four KL writers; Ridhwan Saidi, Adiwijaya Iskandar, Juno Hoay-Fern Ooi and Terence Toh. There will be Q&A opportunities after…
Weekly Picks: Malaysia (14 May – 20 May 2018)
By Lainie Yeoh Majlis Himpunan Warga Seni PH (Pakatan Harapan), Auditorium MATIC, 15 May 3pm Despite the name (Assembly of Artists PH), this is not officially sanctioned by Pakatan Harapan, nor does it seem to be organised by Pakatan Harapan…
Onde Onde Open Mic
Gerakbudaya’s Onde Onde Open Mic is a new monthly multi-genre showcase of Malaysian secrets and narratives — with childhood snacks and discounts on selected fiction and poetry books. Gerakbudaya – ‘movement of cultures’ – is a community hub and bookstore…
Teater Modular
TEATER MODULAR is a series of original Malaysian playlets by Ridhwan Saidi. There will be 13 playlets overall. The playlets will be named playlet #1, playlet #2… until playlet #13 respectively. For each four playlets, it will be staged. The…
“The Human Voice”: Regrets? A Few. But Then Again, Too Few to Mention
By Vincent Vichit-Vadakan (840 words, 7-minute read) The Human Voice at Loft 29 on the closing weekend of George Town Festival marks the first collaboration between veteran actress Susan Lankester and Joe Sidek, the festival’s founder and driving force, here…
“Langkau”: Atau Kisah Mesin Basuh Yang Bertanya
Oleh Ridhwan Saidi (750 patah kata, 7-minit bacaan) Langkau sebuah joget sinkretik, joget fizikal, atau malah joget pascamoden (jika boleh kita gelarkan) yang berlingkar tentang sebuah mesin basuh yang bertanya. Ceritanya metafiksyen yang straight-forward dan salah satu poin reviu ini adalah…
Art That Moves: Lim How Ngean
Art that Moves is an occasional series where we ask artists and other creative workers to reflect on artworks, performances or events that were personally important to them. Lim How Ngean (PhD) is a performance-maker, dramaturg and dance researcher. In recent…
Lighten Up: “Terbalik… Mesti Kena Mata” by Five Arts Centre
By Ann Lee (1470 words, 10-minute read) Terbalik… mesti kena mata was billed as an “experimental workshop” performance that attempted to “displace the normal hierarchy found in performance-making” by having the lighting designer, Mac Chan, as the principal artist. Co-directors,…
Symposium: Librarians of The World, Unite!
This symposium is organised by Buku Jalanan, an open-air reading group that began in 2011, in the township of Shah Alam. With the aim to “bring books down from exclusive shelves and out to public spaces for all”, Buku Jalanan,…
Kata Terkesat Dilempar Estragon: Kritik!
Oleh Ridhwan Saidi (860 patah kata, 8-minit bacaan) I Ia bermula dengan saya tiba lambat ke Meeting of Writers/Critics/Reviewers in Performing Arts di Cafe White Sands, DPAC, Damansara. Di sekeliling meja sudah ada 13 orang membincangkan tentang perbezaan di antara ulasan…
SEA-based Theatre Educator Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the US
By Kathy Rowland (930 words, 8-minute read) On Tuesday, 21 February, the Boston Globe published an article headlined “Ex-teacher molested pupils, Milton Academy says”, linking Rey Buono to sexual abuse of minors in the US in the 1980s. By the…
To Biennale or Not To Biennale (Part I)
By Sunitha Janamohanan (2900 words, 30-minute read) This is the first of a two-part essay on origins and rise of biennales within the context of Malaysia’s aspirations for a world-class international visual art mega-exhibition. Read Part II here. Part…
Faith in Tokyo: A review of ‘Nadirah’ and ‘Family’
by Mio Yachita (1,260 words, 10 minute read) 2016 was a busy year for theatregoers in Japan, and an especially fruitful one for those with an interest in Malaysia. The Kyoto Experiment 2016 (22 Oct – 13 Nov) featured the…