Front Row

Mek Mulung is a 400-year-old Kedahan art form that brings together dance, drama, and music. Despite its long history, however, Mek Mulung is relatively little-known as part of Malaysia’s cultural history. “Mek Mulung: Lakhon Dewa Muda” aims to bring the art form to a wider audience, and introduces a new generation of performers - in this case, the young performers from Sekolah Seni Malaysia Perak who have won several major international awards. We speak with the show’s choreographer and co-directors.

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A music carnival by Trinity College London called “Music for All” will emphasise the involvement of special needs students. The show features both performances as well as training for music teachers on working with these students. We speak with the show’s curator, as well as a music teacher of students with special needs, on why events like this are so essential.

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Poetry and theatre come together in “Pohlithik”, a play about student activism and finding one’s voice. We speak with the scriptwriter and two of the actors from the show.

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Back in 2017, “Kandang”, a local Malay-language adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, premiered to sold-out shows and much acclaim. Two years later, the play returns to what many might call a rather different Malaysia - so what could “Kandang” have to say about our Malaysia Baru? We find out from the show’s director and cast members.

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What’s taken stand-up comedian Phoon Chi Ho so long to put on a solo show? And why is he calling it “Creepy”? We head straight to the source to find out.

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Urban legend and personal narrative come together in “Fragrance” (or “Wangian”),, a monologue inspired by  the murder of a young woman and the hauntings along the Vale of Tempe in Penang. We speak with the show’s playwright/director Noor Rizuwan and performer Darynn Wee about how facts, anecdotes, and myths mingle in the show to uncover what might be behind these events.

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Argadol, an artist from France, finds inspiration in pop art and street art. His first exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, called “Brave New World -  Today’s Key Issues Seen through Pop Art”, uses portraiture rendered with bold colours and motifs to examine modern living. We speak with Argadol about his work.

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For the first time ever, the prestigious Venice Art Biennale - which will take place from May to November this year - will feature an official Malaysia pavilion. We speak with the pavilion’s curator and project director Lim Wei-Ling about how she made it happen and what we can expect.

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The Dancebox Festival is a mini-festival stretching over 4 days, featuring 27 local dance groups in 4 different programmes. The festival will feature a mix of revived choreographies and new works, as well as performances from the wider dance community in Malaysia. We speak with the show’s producer and two practitioners who reconstructed performances from Malaysia’s dance history.

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Two groups of odissi dancers, from two different schools of training, nurtured in two different countries; “Odissi on High” brings together dancers from Malaysia’s Sutra Foundation and the Rudrakshya Foundation in Odisha, India. We speak with two dancers, one from each school, to gain insight into how their differences and similarities became the basis for a joint exploration of the Indian classical dance form.

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