Front Row

The Tuyang Initiative works with the indigenous communities of Sarawak to promote culture and heritage, with the aim of both preserving these aspects and creating sustainable economic activities for these communities. The initiative is taking part in this year’s Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival, and one of the performers who will be featured is Mathew Ngau Jau, renowned sape master who was declared Malaysia’s Living National Heritage by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. We speak to Mathew and The Tuyang co-founder Juvita Tatan Wan about their work, and the necessity for professional and respectful representation when it comes to indigenous artists.

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What is it about Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet “Swan Lake” that continues to fascinate choreographers, performers, and audiences alike? With Ballet West UK staging the Asian premiere of the show here in Malaysia, we speak to lead dancers Jonathan Barton and Natasha Watson about their roles and the experience of bringing one of the most popular ballets of all time to the stage. The show will be staged from Aug 24 to 26, and Aug 31 to Sept 7.

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This musical first premiered in 2010 and ran for 35 performances. This tale about HIV/ AIDS is set in Malaysia and so captures the local responses to the disease and to those affected by it. The writer, Mark has updated the story on account of the medical progress made against this illness. And as the story is updated, so is the music to capture a more Broadway-show tune feel.

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This musical first premiered in 2010 and ran for 35 performances. This tale about HIV/ AIDS is set in Malaysia and so captures the local responses to the disease and to those affected by it. The writer, Mark has updated the story on account of the medical progress made against this illness. And as the story is updated, so is the music to capture a more Broadway-show tune feel.

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We kick off our brand-new review show, where we respond to, dissect, and generally get excited about various local arts creations. First up, “Teh Tarik with the Flag”, an art exhibition that brings together 14 Malaysian artists to explore the various symbolic meanings of the Malaysian flag, particularly within the context of the the country’s historic elections. Artist Ruby Subramaniam joins us to review and discuss the show (copious amounts of teh tarik may or may not have been consumed).

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Singaporean poet and spoken word artist Shivram Gopinath uses his works to talk about issues like culture and identity, while his most recent work explores multilingual poetry as a way of exploring the Indian experience in Singapore. He speaks to us about honesty and authenticity in poetry as a means of examining identity.

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The choir pays homage to Björk, the musician from Iceland, with musical arrangements by members of the choir themselves. The directors reveal the reasons for this concert and what the choir is hopes to achieve with its experimenting with percussion, acapella, music processing and even choreography. This production will deploy visual projection designs by students of Saito University College, marrying experimental visuals with live vocal experiments.

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When the Indian historical epic film “Mughal-e-Azam” was released in 1960, it set a new standard for Indian cinema. The tale of a grand romance between Mughal prince Salim and court dancer Anarkali, and the ensuing disapproval of Salim’s father Emperor Akbar, is still celebrated today as a classic. The movie has now been adapted into a lavish Broadway-style musical, which is making its way to Malaysia. We speak to the people behind the musical about the process of bringing this treasured story to the stage.

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After a short hiatus, Speak Easy is back for Season 2 with a new host, Sheena Baharudin, joined by last season’s host, Elaine Foster. We kick off this season with a change of scene by leaving the open mic stage in pubs for the experimental theatre space. Find out how poetry and cabaret come together to create a dazzling, delightful fusion of performance art.

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Who doesn’t love the circus? And now for the first time, Malaysians are going to be able to experience the Russian circus tradition, as The Moscow Circus rolls into town. We speak to the circus’ producers and, in a twist on traditional male roles, the ringmistress Karina Peace, about keeping circuses relevant and why there’s nothing quite like the live experience.

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