Front Row

With Malaysia currently under the Recovery Movement Control Order, the performing arts scene is slowly beginning to stage shows again. And they are trying various ways to make this work while still complying with the SOPs provided by the government. For percussion ensemble Hands Percussion Malaysia, this involves presenting their first live-streamed show, called Reflections, in collaboration with the Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC). We speak with Hands’ and DPAC’s artistic director about getting back to performing, what it is like to do live shows without a live audience, and possible future directions.

Image Source: Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC)

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Artist CC Kua’s arts residency at Rimbun Dahan was an unexpectedly isolated one as the Movement Control Order came into place. So she spent her time allowing her thoughts to run playfully unrestrained amidst the lush tropical rainforest garden, while simultaneously dealing with the anxiety of being amidst the global pandemic. All of these are captured with a sense of humour and whimsy in the art she created during this time, which is showing at an exhibition called “All By Myself”. We speak to CC about her work and the creative process.

Image Source: CC Kua

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After months of staying indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we reconnect with the cities we live in? The Sound of X project by Goethe-Institut might have an answer: by using the sounds, noises and acoustics of our urban environments to rediscover the stories they have to tell. The project gathers sound artists from Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand to present works that attempt to answer the question, “What does your city SOUND like?”. We speak with Han-Song Hiltmann, director of the Goethe-Institut Singapore and regional project head of Sound of X, and two sound artists: Uzair Saal from Kuala Lumpur and Rani Fitriana Jambak from Medan, Indonesia.

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The BOH Cameronian Arts Awards Gamechangers is a recognition of artistic Malaysians who have been trailblazers in their fields, and have made a name for themselves internationally as well as at home. One of this year’s Gamechangers is screenwriter/producer Adele Lim, who worked her way up in Hollywood - she was co-showrunner/executive producer for Starcrossed, and most recently co-wrote the screenplay adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians and the screenplay for Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. We speak with Adele about her work and her achievements.

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With the Malaysian arts industry having come to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order, arts workers are still trying to figure out what the future might hold. The 17th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, which is happening online on July 2, therefore, is both a celebration of the industry and a rallying point for coming together. We speak to Low Ngai Yuen, president of awards organiser Kakiseni, about the awards, its significance, and going virtual for the first time. 

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From podcasts to online cooking demos to a digital comedy album, Malaysian comedian and self-professed grumpy person Kavin Jay has been using the past few months to explore different ways to use the digital space for comedy - but he is also the first to admit, nothing beats doing it live. We catch up with Kavin to talk about his recent projects, the state of comedy in Malaysia, and reimagining what stand-up comedy is in the age of COVID-19 and physical distancing.

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As they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the current halt on live performances, the KL Shakespeare Players have embarked on a series of online interactive storytelling sessions, aimed at children. We speak with performer Lim Soon Heng and storyteller Johnny Gillett from the KL Shakespeare Players about the intricacies of delivering live performances remotely for a younger audience, and the mechanics of making it financially sustainable. 

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Sketch comedy “Indicinelive!” is set to take the digital leap with its upcoming “Quaranstream Edition” - possibly Malaysia’s first multicast live online show. We speak with the people behind the show - director Freddy Tan, creative advisor Tung Jit Yang, and actor Jon Chew - about this “new normal” of performing arts.

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Like many local industries, the Malaysian arts and culture sector has gone through several upheavals in 2020 - first, with the sudden entry of the Perikatan Nasional government, and then, to a larger extent, by the global COVID-19 pandemic. As the industry begins the process of regrouping, what are some possible ways forward? We speak to Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, dancer, choreographer, and founder of the Sutra Foundation, for his thoughts.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent need to avoid public gatherings, as well as the implementation of the Movement Control Order, art exhibitions, galleries, and museums have been forced to shut their doors. This has affected not just planned shows and exhibitions, but in many cases, the livelihoods of artists. We speak with artists Sharon Chin, Rupa Subramaniam, and Haris Rashid, about the challenges being faced by visual artists, what  needs to be done, and what the way forward might be.

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