https://www.thenutgraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2010-11-13_The-Incident-Room_Creativity-and-Innovation-in-Design.mp3 IN this interview with BFM89.9, Veritas Design Group principal Lillian Tay and Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah chairperson Suryani Senja Alias talk about what needs to be done to nurture and keep creative talent in Malaysia. On building designs and architecture, Tay says that “buildings have to serve a purpose and give it life beyond […]
arts
Surprises and football inspirations
Merely Playing by Nick Choo
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 […]
Non-Muslim rights: What Rais can do
By Teo Nie Ching
Umno leaders should stop pretending that they are sensitive to Chinese [Malaysian] rights. There are sufficient gambling avenues available to non-Muslims to indulge their habits. The non-Muslim communities have never requested for more opportunities to gamble. […]
A liberal and creative Malaysia?
By Deborah Loh“[‘Push factors’] in some countries of origin have also unfortunately played a part, including a lack of intellectual liberties and fair economic opportunities. “To reverse the brain drain into a brain gain, we need to create the right liberal ecosystem and to stimulate creativity. There should also be a fair ecosystem to reward and encourage […]
Your feedback counts
By Nick ChooWORKSHOP 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 […]
What the film censors want
By Shanon Shah begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlightingWHO would have thought that on the issue of film censorship, Malaysia and the US would have so much in common? Just look at the Home Ministry’s updated film censorship guidelines, which took effect on 15 March 2010. The four broad areas covered are: public peace and security; the religious; the socio-cultural; and manners and […]
“Every right to be here”
By Nick ChooShanthini Venugopal, with son Hari and cat (All pics courtesy of Shanthini Venugopal)SINGER, actor, director and teacher Shanthini Venugopal has been in the Malaysian theatre industry for nearly three decades, having worked with various theatre companies since 1981. She is a pioneer member of The Instant Cafe Theatre Company. She has starred in films, including […]
Wayang ways
By Nick ChooWayang Rakyat at The Curve, 2007 (© Khoo Eng Yow) THE Malay word for “theatre” is “wayang”. But say the word “wayang” and the first thing many of us would associate it with is “kulit”. Small-scale, community-focused, traditional; of yellow lights and opaque screens; tinny voices, dalang and gamelan. Funny how the multifaceted nature of […]
Malaysian musicals rock
By Marina MahathirWHATEVER anyone wants to say about the Malaysian theatre scene, when it comes to musical theatre, I think we are getting somewhere. PGL the Musical promotional picture (source: pglthemusical.com.my) I have seen three different musicals at Istana Budaya — P Ramlee the Musical, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) the Musical and lately, Cuci the Musical — […]
Cultivating a theatre of Malaysian stories
By Nick ChooPLAYWRIGHT and performer Leow Puay Tin has been involved in the theatre scene for more than 20 years. Working alongside the late, renowned Malaysian director Krishen Jit, she devised Tikam-Tikam: And Her Grandmother Said in 1983, and later wrote acclaimed plays, Three Children (1984), Ang Tau Mui (1993) and Family (1995). A common thread running […]
