Playwright Fasyali Fadzly, who made his name in the indie Malay theatre scene, is publishing his debut collection of plays called “Teater Juta-Juta”, bringing together the last decade of his writing for the stage. We speak with Fasyali about his evolution as a playwright, and why it’s important to create a published body of Malaysian theatre works.

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Vocalist, percussionist and composer Santosh Logandran is known for his fusing of Indian carnatic music with a diverse array of musical styles. He’s won multiple awards, has his own band called Nadir, and has performed with the likes of Zee Avi. Santosh is launching his own solo album, called “In Pursuit of Santosham” with a night of performance - so we catch up with him on the musical journey that has led him here and what we can expect from the album.

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Two Malaysian choreographers are coming together to present a double bill of contemporary dance performances, in a show called “Woman - On - Man - Men”. While unified around the idea of the Ego, each choreographer explores the theme from his or her own perspective. We speak with dancers/choreographers Kenny Shim and Suhaili Micheline about the show.

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Relatively underrated as far as musicals go, “Chess The Musical” isn’t one that make it to Malaysian shores very often - and is now being staged here by the Bentley Music Academy. Written by Tim Rice with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA fame), the musical uses a chess tournament to satirise the politics of the Cold War between Russia and America. We speak with the show’s musical director Kevin Field and vocal coach Nicole Thomson about what makes this show so unique, and what we can expect from this particular staging.

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“Rewind, Replay” is an exhibition by local artist Siund Tan that uses the nostalgic idea of watching television while growing up to reflect on everything from fables and folklore to history. We speak with Tan and Sophia Shung, director of Suma Orientalis gallery, about the exhibition and the inspiration behind his works.

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The National Art Gallery, or Balai Seni Negara, is the premier national institution for the visual arts. What does it have planned for 2020 and beyond, and what role does it see itself playing when it comes to educating the Malaysian public on the visual arts? And what can we expect from the Kuala Biennale 2020? We speak with Zanita Anuar, Director of Exhibition Services, Collection and Conservation, and curator Intan Rafiza Abu Bakar, both from the National Art Gallery.

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As 2019 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with The Star’s culture editor Daryl Goh and artists Ruby Subramaniam and Blankmalaysia, about the local visual arts scene in 2019, and what they hope 2020 will bring. Click here to listen to part 1.

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Local stand-comic Luwita Hana Randhawa has decided to explore her experiences of being an introvert in the most antithetical way possible - by getting up onstage to talk about it. We speak with Luwita about being an introvert and a comedian, and how these two aspects some together in her performance.

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As 2019 comes to a close, we look back at the ups and downs, the hits and misses, of the Malaysian arts over the past year. Here, we speak with actor Chacko Vadaketh, director/playwright Khairi Anwar, and dance producer Bilqis Hijjas, about the local performing arts scene in 2019, and what they hope 2020 will bring. Click here to listen to part 2.

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An art exhibition called “Domestic Bliss” brings together an artist and curator each from Malaysia and Vietnam to present a joint show here in Malaysia. The exhibition is a collaboration between ILHAM Gallery here in KL and The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. We speak with the exhibition’s curators Khatijah Rahmat and Le Thuan Uyen, about this cross-cultural artistic collaboration and how the theme of “domestic bliss” allows for an exploration of home and belonging.

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