FIVE ARTS CENTRE REPORT 2015 2015 marked the second year

 FIVE ARTS CENTRE
REPORT 2015
2015 marked the second year of our two-year tenTenTEN! programme, which celebrated the
30th Anniversary of Five Arts Centre in 2014, and marked the tenth year since the passing of
founder member Dato’ Krishen Jit in 2015.
2015 kicked off with the Unfinished Business Conference.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Conference on Krishen Jit’s Performance Practice and
Contemporary Malaysian Theatre
9 – 11 January 2015
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre – KLPac
Conference Convenors: Charlene Rajendran and Ken Takiguchi
Produced by: Lim How Ngean and Marion D’Cruz
From 9 – 11 January 2015, we held a conference entitled Unfinished Business: Conference on
Krishen Jit’s Performance Practice and Contemporary Malaysian Theatre. Held at the
Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), this Conference brought together 160 local
and international participants including arts practitioners, writers, academics, and students.
The Conference had an eclectic range of sessions including keynote addresses, academic
paper presentations, story-dialogues, workshop dialogues and performances. The Conference
was a resounding success, gauging from the feedback and comments that we received.
“A great dialogue about the legacy of one of the pillars of Malaysian theatre. For those like
me, who were not privileged to know the man or to have any direct relationship with him, it
was a fabulous history lesson, and an opportunity to ponder the impact of his work, future
directions etc. I was most touched to learn of his incredibly nurturing personality - which
seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the various sessions, and the porous transitions
between classical, contemporary, Malay, English, local, global, etc.... and rather than being
confined by specificity of genre, he chose (at the risk of being presumptuous) to use whatever
was needed to make interesting or meaningful art. Bravo Five Arts Centre!”
Joseph Gonzales, Dean, Faculty of Dance, Aswara.
Performance by Ivan Heng
Perforrmance by Jo Kukathas
Performance by Huzir Sulaiman and
Claire Wong
Page 1 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Keynote Speech by Kanaga Sabapathy
Workshop by Marion D’Cruz
Story Dialogues: Namron
Workshop by Chee Sek Thim
Zahim Albakri
Jillian Ooi
Keynote Speech by Makoto Sato
Workshop by Janet Pillai and Mark Teh
Faridah Merican
Presentations: Charlene Rajendran
Fahmi Fadzil
Janet Pillai
Mark Teh
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Page 2 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Cakap Dapur: R&D Stories
By Leow Puay Tin
Directed and performed by Chee Sek Thim
Produced by Suhaila Merican
5 – 8 February 2015 at Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC), Kuala Lumpur.
14 – 16 August 2015 at Sinkeh, Penang.
Cakap Dapur: R&D Stories is playwright Leow Puay Tin’s latest work. It is a performance
text developed from a workshop on research and documentation by Professor Mohd Anis
Mohd Nor. It takes the audience through a series of text modules touching on history,
culture, identity, self and nation. The three-month rehearsal process was an experimental
laboratory, where the performer/director gave a series of readings to invited audiences for
feedback. Chee Sek Thim performed this in Kuala Lumpur in February and in Penang in
August. Cakap Dapur also introduced the audience to some important concepts on creating a
performance. With every line delivered, Chee bridged the distance between the stage and audience. There
was just something magnetic about the Penang-based actor and director. He also projected
a congenial demeanour, making him endearing and approachable………………In the
end, Cakap Dapur was an insightful exploration of not only theatrical issues but also of
grander themes of identity, culture and nationhood.
The Star, February 2015.
Chee Sek Thim in Cakap Dapur: R&D Stories
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TPAM Performing Arts Meting in Yokohama
7 – 15 February 2015
Yokohama, Japan.
June Tan and Mark Teh were invited to attend the TPAM Performing Arts Meeting in
Yokohama, the longest established international platform for contemporary performing arts
in Asia. At TPAM, apart from watching performances and networking with performing arts
professionals, June gave a talk on The Personal and the Political: Five Arts Centre’s
Response to Contemporary Malaysia, while Mark participated in a panel session on Asian
Page 3 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Artists and Future Co-Productions. Mark was also invited to deliver an artist presentation
about his multidisciplinary work, and was featured in an exhibition highlighting young
Southeast Asian performing artists, at Yokohama Creativecity Center and BankART.
Mark Teh presenting
June Tan presenting
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We Will Read These Names
A reading of 963 names of unsung heroes by Marion D'Cruz and the audience.
12 April 2015
artACT
mapKL@Publika
artACT was an event where art met activism in exhibitions, documentaries, performances,
talks, workshop/forums and more, in aid of good causes, to spark awareness, to raise hope,
and to talk about issues that matter. Marion D’Cruz read the names and details of 963 people
arrested under the ISA. The audience were invited to help read the names.
Marion D’Cruz reading
Page 4 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Roundtable dialogues for the Staging History Publication
11 April 2015
Gallery Seksan, Kuala Lumpur.
Organised by Kathy Rowland, June Tan and Hoe Hui Ting.
As part of Five Arts Centre's 30th Anniversary Celebrations, we published a book of play
scripts, entitled Staging History: Selected Plays from Five Arts Centre Malaysia 1984 2014. The book contains 15 play scripts from Five Arts Centre's productions, critical essays,
archival images and a bibliography of Malaysian theatre. One of the sections in the book
included edited transcripts from two roundtable discussions organized in April. The first
roundtable was with collaborators involved in the design, set, lighting and other design
aspects of a production. The second roundtable brought together directors, performers and
playwrights.
The objective of both roundtables was to discuss the process of negotiation, collaboration,
conflict and resolution - that goes into creating a production, from concept to rehearsals,
bump-in and eventual staging of the work.
The following were the participants of the workshops:
Roundtable 1: Theatre-Making: Design
Panel: Carolyn Lau, Mac Chan, William Harald Wong, Wong Tay Sy,
Moderated by Grey Yeoh.
Roundtable 2: From Text to Stage, From Stage to Text
Panel: Imri Nasution, Janet Pillai, Leow Puay Tin, Marion D’Cruz, Mark Teh
Moderated by Carmen Nge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2 minute solos
16 – 19 April 2015
Festival Bo:m in Korea with Korean and Malaysian artists.
Seogyo Art Space, Seoul, South Korea.
In October 2014, members of Five Arts Centre met up with Korean practitioners on a
research tour as part of the Korean-Malaysian Exchange Programme, organised jointly by
Korean Arts Management Services (KAMS) and the Malaysian Jabatan Kebudayaan dan
Kesenian Negara (JKKN). One of the Korean practitioners was Seunghyo Lee, the Director
of Festival Bo:m who invited June Tan to co-produce 2 minute solos with Festival Bo:m with
artists in Korea.
Established in 2007, Festival Bo:m is an annual international spring festival held in Seoul,
showing experimental and avant-garde works of interdisciplinary art. It has built a reputation
as being a platform for visual arts, theatre, dance and performance in Korea. Festival Bo:m
Page 5 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre 2015, the 9th edition of festival, took place from March 27 to April 19 with a focus on
Malaysia.
2 minute solos was first conceived by Marion D’Cruz and was presented in Kuala Lumpur in
2013 and in 2014. 2 minute solos, as a conceptual framework, provides a platform for
practitioners to perform a solo piece for 2 minutes repeatedly, in a number of different
spaces. The audience, in small groups, moves from space to space until all have seen all the
solos. The theme of the solo can be curated, or not, and the performance can choose to
respond to the chosen site, or not. 2 minute solos aims to create intimate performance, where
the practitioner is challenged to get their message to the audience in two minutes.
For Festival Bo:m there were 7 practitioners – two Malaysian dancers based in Korea (one a
contemporary performer/choreographer, the other a hip-hop performer/choreographer), a
Korean contemporary dancer, a French student studying in Korea, an Australian artist, a
visiting Malaysian artist, and a European artist based in Seoul.
Cutting ribbon ceremony for Malaysia Day at
Festival Bo:m
The Malaysian team at Festival Bo:m with 2 minute
solos performers
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Page 6 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Boh Cameronian Arts Awards
26 April 2015
Soju Club, Sunway Resort Hotel, Petaling Jaya.
At the 12th Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, Five Arts Centre was awarded the inaugural Boh
Cameronian Most Inspiring Award, and Marion D’Cruz was honoured as an Arts Legend
along with Faridah Merican, Rahim Razali, Chin San Sooi and Normah Nordin.
Five Arts Centre receives the Most Inspiring Award from the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards
Page 7 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Baling
Conceived and directed by Mark Teh
Produced by June Tan
Performed by Anne James, Fahmi Fadzil, Faiqsyazwan Kuhiri and Imri Nasution.
5 – 8 September
Asian Arts Theatre Opening Festival, Gwangju, South Korea.
The new and ambitious Asian Arts Theatre in South Korea, commissioned Mark Teh to
create a new version of Baling for its Opening Festival, which featured 33 international
productions. Baling continues a series of documentary performances that have been
developed by Mark and his collaborators since 2005, that centre around the historic 1955
Baling Talks between Tunku Abdul Rahman, David Marshall and Chin Peng, and their
attempts to end the Malayan Emergency. The four performances of Baling were performed
to sold-out audiences, and the production has been invited to tour to festivals in India, Japan,
the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Switzerland in 2016.
“I usually don’t do such straightforward work,” Kim said later, about ‘Baling.’ She was
talking about how she selected the pieces for the opening festival. “I went to many countries
– not just one trip, but repeatedly, in order to get to know the cities, the people, what’s going
on. The performers in ‘Baling’ sit between activist and artist, but you can understand why
they do that. I met young people in Malaysia. They really want to talk about this, and I felt it
was necessary to share what they felt.
Artistic Director Seong Hee Kim on why she chose Baling for the Opening Festival in
The Hindu (India), 12 November 2015.
Mark Teh's 'Baling Talks' and Kyohei Sakaguchi's 'Zero Republic' were impressive in the
festival, in that they introduced the emerging artists while focusing on the theme of Asia.
NT Newspaper, 13 September 2015.
Baling being performed in Korea Page 8 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Baling being performed in Korea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sharing by Mariko Mori
12 September 2015
Five Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
The Community-based Art Project: Some examples from Japan and Malaysia
In this is a sharing session, Mariko talked about her work in Japan, focusing on the
community-based project in Maizuru city and Saitama city. She also shared her observations
about Malaysian community art and its social background, in comparison to Japan.
Mariko Mori is an Art Producer, Curator and Researcher from Japan. After graduating from
Nanzan University, where she majored cultural anthropology, she has worked at Furukawa
Art Museum as a curator; at Aichi Prefectural Arts Promotion Service and Kyoto Performing
Arts Center. Since 2007, she has worked for wide range of contemporary art, theatre, dance,
and music, as a producer and curator on a freelance basis. Since 2009, she has started to
work as a director of MAIZURU RB, a community-based art project in Maizuru City/Kyoto,
and established a new non-profitable incorporated association TORINDO. She is a program
director of Roppongi Art Night 2014, a member of executive board Arts NPO Link, and a
project director of Saitama Triennale 2016. She has been in Kuala Lumpur since April 2015,
as a researcher about community art in Malaysia, supported by The Cultural Affairs Agency,
Government of Japan. Five Arts Centre is host organisation for her stay and research in
Malaysia.
Page 9 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Sharing by Mariko Mori
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Malaysiaku Celebrations
Forum: Urban Labs-Urban Communities
16 September 2015
Art Printing Works, Jalan Riong, Kuala Lumpur.
This was a forum organized in conjunction with the Malaysiaku Celebrations organized by
Ed Soo. The forum looked at how urbanites function in a highly mobile and interactive
environment, yet one which can be competitive, individualistic and distancing. Privacy and
privatisation take away spaces or opportunities for the engagement of the social and civic self
in city living. The forum highlighted initiatives related to communitarian conceptualization of
place-making in urban settings.
The panel comprised:
Hardesh Singh: “Pedestrianism is the New Black”
Hardesh talked about how cities and urban spaces are political in nature – everything from
brain-drain to class-divide, and how some of the work in BetterCities aims to chip away those
structures.
Hardesh Singh is the founder of PopDigital - a multi-disciplinary digital practice with
interests in a variety of new-media operations including an online TV platform, a digital
agency arm, an online magazine focusing on the communities and cultures of Kuala Lumpur
(Poskod.my), and The Cooler Lumpur Festival. As one of PopDigital's flagship
projects, Hardesh founded BetterCities (2011), a campaign about people and places, anchored
in the belief that our city’s vibrancy, sense of community and shared identity can be nurtured
at a pedestrian level through critical discourse, creative intervention, participatory action and
more private-sector thought-leadership in the areas of urban well-being.
Janet Pillai: “A Dialogical Design Process”
Janet talked about the importance of continuous dialogue between multiple stakeholders in a
public design project (of the Chowrasta wet market in George Town, Penang), and how this
Page 10 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre interaction contributed to knowledge exchange and mutual respect.
Janet Pillai is a researcher, practitioner and activist in the field of arts and culture education,
specialising in creative pedagogy, cultural research and community outreach. She established
Arts-ED, a non-profit organisation which works in community area revitalisation projects, in
partnership or consultation with artists and professionals, local agencies and
community. Pillai also contributes as educational resource person in regional organisations
and has authored articles and books on the subject of arts and culture education. She
currently works as a project-based consultant.
Elizabeth Cardosa: “City Walks”
Elizabeth talked about what goes into the designing of heritage walks as part of the This KUL
City project, a year-long programme which promotes greater public awareness of KL's
historic past and the people who made the city what it is today.
Elizabeth Cardosa previously worked in cultural development with the British Council
Malaysia and is now with Badan Warisan Malaysia, a national NGO whose objective is the
promotion, protection and preservation of Malaysia's built and cultural heritage. She is
involved in a range of activities from advocacy and public awareness raising programmes, to
technical restoration and research projects, as well as education and training programmes.
Also known for her commentary on heritage conservation issues, Elizabeth regularly lectures
on Malaysia’s cultural heritage and is a member of several heritage technical committees.
Hamdan Abdul Majeed: “An Overview of Strategies and Projects by ThinkCity”
Hamdan gave an overview of strategies, challenges and projects done by ThinkCity in
Penang.
Hamdan Abdul Majeed is a Director at Khazanah Nasional Berhad. He leads KNB’s
regional office in the Northern Region of Malaysia, with the mandate to seek out strategic
investment opportunities to catalyze growth and development in that region. Hamdan also
serves as Executive Director of ThinkCity, an urban regeneration agency managing a public
grants program to catalyze urban regeneration in the George Town UNESCO World Heritage
site. Think City managed over 100 projects ranging from complex physical conservation
work, to incubating an affordable housing scheme to temper gentrification and Asia’s first
Business Improvement District.
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Page 11 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Cheras, THE MUSICAL!
Written by June Tan
Directed by Chee Sek Thim
Music by Adriane Palikat
Choreography by Suhaili Micheline
Performed by Marina Tan, Jayson Phuah, Tan Yon Lynn, Brian Chan, Nisya Aziz and
Vernon Adrian Emuang
Produced by Marion D’Cruz, Myra Mahyuddin and June Tan
22 October – 1 November 2015
Theatre KuASH, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Cheras, THE MUSICAL! told the story of the starry aspirations of Cherrie Lum, the
fabulous but failed 80’s pop star, along with her ambitious daughter Blossom, and her
doubting son Jackson. Placing their bets on a singing contest as their ticket to stardom, they
try to get out of their lives in Cheras. The story unfolds revealing the insights into the
characters, and their realization that they need to find happiness in what they have.
The strongest part of the musical, in my opinion, is its well-rounded and memorable
characters, which were all brought to life effectively by the talented cast.
Indeed, Cheras proved to be a very character-driven musical, something we don’t see very
often on the local stage.
The Star, 27 October 2015.
Musical director Adriane Palikat and Tan have done a stellar job with the songs – Love Jam,
with its delightfully literal dance moves (choreographed by Suhaili Micheline), is an
earworm to be nurtured like a beloved pet.
Critics Republic, 16 November 2015.
Marina as Cherrie Lum
L to R: Vernon as Uncle Chong, Marina as Cherrie Lum, Jayson as Jackson,
Lynn as Blossom Lum.
Page 12 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre L to R: Nisya as Victory, Marina as Cherrie, Brian as
Destiny.
Vernon as the loan shark.
Nisya as Win Win Loh
Blossom, Jackson and Cherrie
…..and they find their dreams in each other……
Page 13 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Staging History: Selected Plays from Five Arts Centre Malaysia 1984 – 2014
Edited and introduced by Kathy Rowland
Designed by Jun Kit
Produced by June Tan
Book Launch
21 November 2015
Five Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
In October 2015, Five Arts Centre published a book entitled Staging History: Selected Plays
from Five Arts Centre Malaysia 1984 – 2014. Edited and introduced by Kathy Rowland, the
book features 15 iconic, innovative and memorable plays from Five Arts Centre’s 31-year
history, and includes the work of some of Malaysia's most respected playwrights and
creators, including Beth Yahp, Charlene Rajendran, Chin San Sooi, David Wong, Faridah
Merican, Foo May Lyn, Huzir Sulaiman, Jo Kukathas, Kee Thuan Chye, Krishen Jit,
Leow Puay Tin, Marion D'Cruz, Mark Teh, Nam Ron and Teater Muda. The book also
features an essay by Ken Takiguchi, as well as reflections from collaborators over the
years, including Carmen Nge, Carolyn Lau, Grey Yeoh, Imri Nasution, William HaraldWong and Wong Tay Sy.
The book is designed by Jun Kit and Karmen Hui, assistant edited by Yong Yen Nie, and
produced by June Tan.
“Staging History — Selected Plays from Five Arts Centre Malaysia 1984-2014” is not just a
book of plays, it is also a testament to Five Arts Centre’s enduring legacy. Furthermore, with
Five Arts Centre being one of the strongest pillars of Malaysian performing arts, this book is
also a historical record of three decades of the best in the scene.
The book is an impressive tome, not just in size but in terms of cataloguing the huge impact of
Five Arts Centre on the performing arts scene. It also comes with a timeline at the back,
illustrating when these shows were first performed.
This is definitely a book for lovers of not just Five Arts Centre but Malaysian performing arts
in general. It is definitely a must for collectors and those who want to either relive or reintroduce themselves to this wonderful play and Five Arts Centre’s consistent legacy of
quality Malaysian plays and stories.
Malaysian Reserve, 25 November 2015.
Page 14 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre In the bookstores
Speeches: Ravi Navaratnam
Installation for the Book Launch
Caroline Russell
Kathy Rowland
Page 15 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Guests from Yayasan Sime Darby
Readings:
Suara Rimba 1984 Here and Now
Daulat
The Book Team
A Chance Encounter
Page 16 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre KRISHEN JIT ASTRO FUND 2015
Press Conference on 25 November 2014
Five Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Five Arts Centre managed the Krishen Jit Astro Fund for the 10th cycle last year. We
received 48 applications and the fund gave out 7 grants. The press conference to announce
the grantees was held at Five Arts Centre on 25 November 2015. The event was attended by
past grantees, friends and members of the media.
2015 GRANTEES
YEOH LIAN HENG – Lostgen’s Contemporary Art Space
The Grant:
RM8,000
The Project: TransActions in the Field – Artists’ Residential Programme
TerryandTheCuz
The Grant:
RM8,000
The Project: SK!N – Contemporary Dance Performance
SHARMINI RATNASINGAM – Rhythm In Bronze
The Grant:
RM5,000
The Project: Bites of Delights – Children’s Music Theatre
SENG SOO MING – Pitapat Theatre
The Grant:
RM5,000
The Project: An Enemy Of The People. At The Moment – Theatre Performance
MOHD SHAHRUL MIZAD BIN ASHARI
The Grant:
RM3,000
The Project: Now or Neverland - Dance Theatre Collaboration
DHANENDRAN MAHESWARAN
The Grant:
RM2,000
The Project: Say It Like You Mean It (SILYMI) – Mentorship Program
JUN ONG
The Grant:
The Project:
RM2,000
Gerai Tai Tai – Experimental Stall
Page 17 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Speech by Ravi Navaratnam
Krishen Jit Astro Fund “Survival Mugs.”
Krishen Jit Astro Fund 2015 Grantees
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Besides all these projects and events…
Five Arts Centre members continued to work at full time jobs and did many individual
projects – much too many to list in this report!
We had many visitors from Japan, Korea, Shanghai, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany,
Singapore, New Zealand and other places – artists and producers looking at networking and
future collaborations.
Page 18 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre ABOUT FIVE ARTS CENTRE
Five Arts Centre is a dynamic collective of Malaysian artists and producers, dedicated to
generating alternative art forms and images in the contemporary arts landscape. It is wellknown for cutting edge performances in theatre, dance, music and young people’s theatre,
and incorporates aspects of the visual and digital arts as well. The collective has performed
and presented its work in Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, India, Egypt, Australia,
Canada, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and the
United Kingdom.
Since it was formed in 1984, by theatre directors Chin San Sooi and Krishen Jit, and dancerchoreographer Marion D’Cruz, Five Arts Centre has been committed to articulating the
complexity of Malaysian culture and identity through explorations and fusions
of local vocabularies, forms and traditions, in relation to the global, modern and crosscultural. As such, it has been instrumental in the growth of a Malaysian identity in the arts,
that draws from multiple influences and hybrid histories.
For over three decades, Five Arts Centre has been at the forefront of creating experimental,
interdisciplinary and intercultural work, providing platforms for the next generation of arts
practitioners. Contemporary social, political and cultural issues impinging on Malaysian life
are precipitated by way of performances, exhibitions, creative seminars and research
workshops.
From 2004 to 2006, Five Arts Centre was the manager of Arts Network Asia, a regional
organisation supporting arts work in Asia. In 2006, ASTRO and Five Arts Centre launched
the Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund to support artistic work by Malaysians and others committed to
the development of the arts in Malaysia. At the 12th Boh Cameronian Arts Awards in 2015,
Five Arts Centre was awarded the inaugural “Most Inspiring Award”.
Today, the collective consists 13 individuals from diverse generations and disciplines.
They are Anne James, Chee Sek Thim, Chew Kin Wah, Fahmi Fadzil, Ivy N. Josiah, Janet
Pillai, June Tan, Kubhaer T. Jethwani, Mac Chan, Marion D’Cruz, Mark Teh, Ravi
Navaratnam, and Suhaila Merican.
MEMBERS OF FIVE ARTS CENTRE
Anne James was trained in theatre at Universiti Sains Malaysia and Northwestern University
(USA). She is a much respected actor and dancer (Marion D’Cruz and Dancers) who has
performed both locally and internationally. She has worked with many directors including
Krishen Jit, Kee Thuan Chye, Richard Schechner, Ong Keng Sen, Joe Hasham, Will Gluth,
Hiroshi Koike, Ivan Heng, Zahim Albakri, Jo Kukathas, Natalie Hennedige and Chee Sek
Thim. Her appearances in film include Amir Muhammad’s Big Durian, Bernard
Chauly’s Gol dan Gincu, Nik Amir Mustapha’s award winning film KIL and Terbaik dari
Page 19 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Langit. She was most recently in the short film Pineapple Town directed by Singaporean film
director Tan Pin Pin for SG50. Anne teaches voice and acting at local institutions.
Chee Sek Thim started performing with Marion D’Cruz and Dancers in 1994 and has since
gone on to acting and more directing, having worked under Leow Puay Tin and Krishen Jit.
From 2003 to 2008, he founded and managed Reka Arts Space – a gallery that supported
young and alternative artists. During this period he also taught at the Department of
Performance and Media, Sunway University. He is currently based in Penang where he
continues with his work in theatre. He recently directed and performed Cakap Dapur: R& D
Stories (2015).
Chew Kin Wah is a versatile performer who has been performing on the Malaysian stage
since the 1980s. He has performed in numerous Five Arts Centre productions, including Yap
Ah Loy: The Play, Skin Trilogy, Family and Dumb Waiter. Kin Wah is one of the most wellknown faces on the Malaysian television screen, appearing in 3 of the most popular local
television shows, the long-running English Sitcom Kopitiam, Cantonese serial Homecoming
and Malay soap Astana Idaman 3. He now works mostly on films.
Ivy N. Josiah is a women’s rights activist being a pioneer member of Women’s Aid
Organisation (WAO) and the WAO Executive Director for over 15 years. She now works as a
Fundraiser for WAO. Ivy advocates for women’s human rights including civil and political
rights at the national, regional and international levels. Her theatre involvement includes
producing plays, costuming and the occasional acting. She was a dancer with Marion D Cruz
and Dancers and a theatre judge for the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards hosted by Kakiseni.
Fahmi Fadzil is a performer and writer. He is the principal coordinator for a wayang
experimentation group Project Wayang and helps run Bright Lights at Midnight, a graphic
design and multimedia studio. Fahmi has performed in numerous award-winning theatre
productions, including Second Link: Riding the Nice Bus (2006), Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari
(2007) and Baling (2015, 2016,) and was the recipient of the Mandarin Oriental Fan of the
Arts Most Promising Artist Award at the 5th Annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2006.
He was also a finalist in the theatre section for the 2008/9 cycle of the Rolex Mentor and
Protégé Arts Initiative.
Janet Pillai is a researcher, practitioner and activist in the field of arts and culture education,
specialising in creative pedagogy, cultural research and community outreach. She established
Arts-ED, a non-profit orgainisation which works in community area revitalisation projects in
partnership or consultation with artists and professionals, local agencies and community.
Pillai also contributes as expert resource person with the education training units of UNESCO
Bangkok and APCIEU Korea and has authored numerous articles and two books.
Pillai is also a theatre director who works in collaboration with performing artists and young
people to produce multi-media productions in community settings. A former associate
professor at the School of Arts, University Science Malaysia, she now works freelance as a
trainer, researcher and project consultant.
Page 20 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre June Tan is a biologist from Imperial College, London involved in toxic waste management
and renewable energy from 1997 to 2009. In the performing arts, June has stage-managed,
tour-managed and produced theatre, dance, talks and site-specific projects. June’s most recent
work includes writing Cheras, THE MUSICAL! (2015) and producing and tour-managing
Baling (2015). Productions she has stage-managed include Family (1998, Berlin tour 1999),
Split Gravy on Rice (2002, Singapore tour 2003); and as Producer, Projek Angkat Rumah
(2010), The 1955 Baling Talks at the Singapore Arts Festival (2011), 2 minute solos (2013)
and others. June also co-written for film Interchange (in production) and Split Gravy on Rice
(2015). For TV, she wrote the telemovie Transmisi Kampung (in production) and Autumn di
Hatiku Season 2, which was nominated for ‘Best Digital Fiction & Non Fiction Programme/
Series’ at the 2014 Asian Television Awards.
Kubhaer T. Jethwani is an up and coming film director in the Malaysian advertising
industry and has worked extensively in theatre, radio, film, and TV. He was a founding
member of Akshen, and his varied contributions to Five Arts Centre have included publicity
work, stage managing, writing, as well as acting.
Mac Chan has worked as a lighting designer and Theatre Consultant. He is a four -time
winner of the Best Lighting Design award at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, and in 2006
received a National Arts Award for his lighting design work. He is also extensively involved
in researching Asian performing arts spaces, and has been invited to many international
forums and conferences to participate in discussions on the development of theatre
architecture and technical theatre in Asia.
Marion D'Cruz, began dancing at the age of 6 and started making dance at the age of 16.
She graduated with a BA in Performing Arts and an MA in Dance from Universiti Sains
Malaysia and has studied classical, modern and contemporary dance in Malaysia, Indonesia,
London and New York. In 1983 she formed Marion D'Cruz and Dancers who have
performed extensively both locally and internationally. One of the pioneers of contemporary
dance in Malaysia, her work has gone through many phases where she has broken many rules
to create interesting projects that empower both performers and audiences. Marion
choreographs, performs, produces and teaches fulltime at the Dance Faculty of ASWARA
(The National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage).
Mark Teh is a director, researcher, curator and educator whose diverse, projects are
particularly engaged with the issues of history, memory and the urban context. His
collaborative practice is situated primarily in performance and education, but also operates
via exhibitions, interventions, new media and writing. His most recent projects include
directing Baling (commissioned for the Asian Arts Theatre Opening Festival, South Korea,
2015), Something I Wrote (2013), and Gostan Forward (2009, 2010, 2012, 2014), and cocurating the Save Our Placards project at the Museum of London and Hyde Park, UK. Mark
teaches at the Department of Performance and Media, Sunway University.
Page 21 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre Ravi Navaratnam began his theatre involvement as an actor in the 1980s. He soon moved
on to production and administrative work for Five Arts Centre. Ravi works in Corporate
Finance and continues to be active on the production and finance side of Five Arts Centre.
Suhaila Merican recently retired from corporate life and now works part time in her Alma
Mater, the Food Science and Technology Faculty in UPM. Suhaila is married and has a 14
year old son. She has performed in 3 Children and Lady White, Chin San Sooi's productions
in the 90's and produced a number of stage productions for Five Arts Centre, the most
recent, Cakap Dapur: R&D Stories (2015) by Leow Puay Tin.
Office/Production Manager:
Hoe Hui Ting graduated from New Era College Drama and Visuals Department in 2011. She
is an active freelance stage manager and has worked with well-known theatre companies in
Malaysia such as Instant Cafe Theatre, Five Arts Centre, Pentas Project, O Puppet Theatre
and others.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In conclusion…
Five Arts Centre continues to operate from our studio and office in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
Five Arts Centre is supported by ASTRO, Yayasan Sime Darby, AnCasa Hotel and
Resorts, Kino-I Pictures, The Ministry of Tourism and Culture, The National
Department of Arts and Culture and many other corporations and individual Friends of
Five Arts Centre. We are extremely grateful for this support which has allowed us to grow
over the past 31 years, in the quality, expanse and amount of our work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Report prepared by:
Marion D’Cruz
+6 012 7270913
marionfdcruz@gmail.com Page 22 of 22 Five Arts Centre, 27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +6 03 77254858 Email: fiveartscentre@gmail.com / www.fiveartscentre.org / facebook.com/fiveartscentre