(Updated at 2:18pm, 7 March 2011) DURING his college days at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, singer-songwriter Reza Salleh would organise open-mic gigs, where he would entertain campus crowds with his music. Moving back and forth between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur proved to be a stepping stone for Reza in developing his craft. Today, he [...]

SINCE 2003, I have been involved in the Children’s Theatre course at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Each year, Associate Professor Dr Jenny de Reuck coordinates a unit that trains students in the various aspects of putting on a theatre production, which she also writes and directs. The objective is to teach not just [...]

DUE to the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak, the public has been urged to avoid crowded places and to wear face masks when mingling with crowds. One supposes theatres, concerts and other arts events would certainly be affected. Dwindling audience numbers and show postponements would surely be the case. But has it been? How have pandemics in [...]

SINGER-songwriter Azmyl Yunor started out as a busker Down Under in Perth back in 1997. Since his return to Malaysia in 2000, he has tirelessly supported and developed the local independent music scene, and has gigged on a regular basis. Azmyl has also organised events such as the singer-songwriter showcase KL Sing-Song, which is back [...]

BEHIND many a talented artiste or group is Ahmad Izham Omar. Names such as Too Phat, OAG, Poetic Ammo, Ruffedge, VE and Innuendo were under the Positive Tone label, which he founded and became managing director of in 1994. In recent years, he’s unearthed more local talent through Malaysian Idol, So You Think You Can [...]

RAPPER Wee Meng Chee, aka Namewee, was wrapped in controversy in July 2007 because of his national anthem parody Negarakuku. The six-minute video clip, which has been accessed by half a million viewers, touched on several “sensitive” issues such as police abuse, racial discrimination, and indolent civil servants. At that time certain quarters, including government [...]