YOU know the old adage/cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Here’s a prime example. In June, I joined a touring group of theatre performers from Perth, Australia to the Temple of Fine Arts in Johor Baru (JB), where we put on a show. Having been to the Temple of Fine Arts in Kuala […]
Merely Playing
Art that entertains and educates
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 […]
Your feedback counts
WORKSHOP performances and previews are an important step in the process of staging a theatrical production. Generally, workshops are presentations of works in progress, in the forms of semi- or full staging, or even just readings. Previews usually feature the end product, either a complete performance of, or just highlights. Both workshop performances and previews […]
Keeping HIV/AIDS centrestage
THE stage, like any other forum, can be used to discuss issues that affect humankind, even though not all forms of theatre are interactive. Often there is a clear divide between the stage and the seats, which creates a sometimes necessary distance between audience and performer. This tends to work in favour of both actor […]
Viva la Reformasi!
MANY a bored reader has sighed at the impression that there seems to be nothing of greater significance to report on than Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim‘s sodomy trial. But on some level, the proceedings of the trial — including the lurid details involving the de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader, his former aide […]
A pig-headed perspective
(Pic by theodore99 / sxc.hu) JUST recently, pigs’ heads were left in mosques, after previous arson and vandalism attacks on churches, a Catholic school, a Sikh gurdwara and two surau. These attacks on places of worship are apparently related to the ongoing tussle over the “Allah” issue. In the last edition of Merely Playing, I […]
The consequences of bad habits
WITH the state of affairs in Malaysia today, one wonders what it would take for extremists to get riled up over what they might deem “inappropriate” and “sensitive” content. What kind of situation or context might pose a threat to those who fear encroachment upon their faith, and who only know how to react through […]
How rude!
(Pic by LinusB4 / sxc.hu) RECENTLY, during a visit to the cinema, I encountered the infamous subset of Malaysians who seem to enjoy ruining the viewing experiences of others by being inconsiderate. You know the kind: those who let their mobile phone ring during the movie, or check their SMSes and distract you with the […]
Musicals for mental health
THIS edition of Merely Playing belatedly commemorates World Mental Health Day, which falls annually on 10 Oct. According to an article in theSun, an estimated 450 million people around the world suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It added that in Malaysia, some 400,227 patients sought psychiatric help in government […]
The critic’s critic
“Criticism, positive or negative, should be substantiated … Often a theatre production’s worth rests upon critical feedback. Future projects are sometimes at stake because of ‘bad feelings’ as a result of negative reviews … The worst thing is when the reviewer knows nothing about theatre.” – Jerome Kugan PEOPLE tend to observe something and make […]
