Front Row

Despite years of awareness campaigns, people living with HIV and AIDS continue to face stigmatisation. A play called Forget Me Not aims to raise awareness about this discrimination with a story inspired by a real-life person living with HIV. Produced by Anomalist Production, the show features the talents of debut playwright Aishah Mohamad and up-and-coming director Azmi Hud. We speak with them about bringing issues that matter to the stage.

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While on his break from the UK, Aaron Teoh, Malaysian singer and performer, tells about his adventure going there as a house-husband and freelance actor. His wife was going to school. Hear how he auditioned and performed in several productions and will be returning to the UK to perform in The King & I as Prince Chulalongkorn, the oldest son of King Mongkut of Siam. Aaron also shares on his upcoming local performances with WVC Jazz Ensemble.

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Pudu Jail was one of those places that captured our imagination, both for its actual historical value and for the usual tales that circulate about a prison and its inmates. “The Pudu Jail’s Graffiti” exhibition takes us inside the prison to literally give us a look at its wall, with its documentation of the drawings and etchings that the inmates had done on its walls over the years. The exhibition is the product of documentation done more than a decade ago by Dr K. Azril Ismail, who is a photographer and researcher. We speak with Dr Azril about his experiences capturing these images, and why it is important to document these less-comfortable aspects of our history.

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Last year, Lee Ching scored high with her directorial debut, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). She used her own ailments and the experiences they afford as the impetus to create that piece. She kicks off 2019 with In/Out which also deals with something personal to her. She says, “I have been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. And because of Tourette’s, my executive function differs distinctly from many. [T]he subject matter [of being stigmatised, bullied, excluded] hits very close to home. It explores the inclusion and exclusion of a girl who is different.”

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Malaysian artists Chuah Shu Ruei and Wong Xiang Yi are presenting a two-woman exhibition at Rimbun Dahan Gallery, called “You Belong to Night & Rojak Aesthetics”. Though very different in terms of their approach to artmaking, both are exploring ideas of what it means to make art not just Malaysian, but accessible. We speak to both artists about the works they are showing.

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The Malaysian Jazz Piano Festival has grown over the years to become an important aspect of the annual music calendar, especially when it comes to its emphasis on young musicians and students, with not only performances but music clinics and competitions too. This year is the sixth edition of the festival. We speak to pianist Tay Cher Siang, who is one of the festival organisers, and Sharon Chong, who is participating.

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The actor, artistic director and winner of ADA Drama Awards, best actor in a leading role, shares on his creating and localising a French play ‘Maids’ by Jean Genet. He gives insights into his choices and changes--like the multilingual text, the reduction of the cast--and how such modifications shift the weight of the play.

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Editions in the visual arts refers to the reproduction of copies or replicas of artworks made from an original work. The valuation of editioned art works is subject to the number of original works; from the artist’s owned proof , to limited versus open editions, and the potential future reproduction of prints. But how does this concept apply in today’s digital world, where reproductions can be instantly made and shared? “Rethinking Editions” brings together 15 different visual artists to examine this idea. We speak to the exhibition’s curator, Sharmin Parameswaran, and two of the featured artists.

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The 2018 Malaysian elections didn’t just give us a new government - it also sparked the formation of a fellowship of local comedians. Calling themselves the 1Malaysia Comedians Bureau (1MCB - get it?), the group aims to tackle almost every subject under the sun with an unapologetically Malaysian approach. We speak to Keren Bala Devan and Brian Tan, two of the group’s members, ahead of their debut stand-up comedy show, “1MCB - Raw and Unaudited”.

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With the turn of the new year, spoken word poetry would have been in this country for more than a decade. From poetry slam and open mics to poetry collectives and print publications, join the past and present hosts of Speak Easy – who are themselves the pioneers of the scene in Klang Valley – as they reflect on the local spoken word poetry movement over the past ten years.

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