Home, but not alone

Published on September 10, 2007

 Two recent dance and theatre events have proved beyond doubt that Bangkok's Patravadi Theatre really is a home for performing artists.

Audience members watching the dance-theatre production "Remember…What You Have Done in 24 Hours?" on the theatre's main stage last weekend may well have forgotten they were in Bangkok.

Thanks to the international training and experience, in addition to the ingenious artistic vision of the Thai co-creators Jitti Chompee, Sarawanee Tanatanit and Tanon Sattarujawong, the total event was truly invigorating.

The story - what we do both consciously and unconsciously from dusk to dawn - was simple enough for the choreography to vary in style and tempo from one scene to the next and for the audience to follow comprehensibly throughout the one-hour performance.

Many of the audience members came to witness the skills of Sarawanee Tanatanit, a member of American Ballet Theatre who has scarcely performed in her native country. As a plus, they were able to see that Thailand has many more competent dancers than they might have imagined. These performers efficiently balanced techniques with emotional expression, and would be hard to pigeonhole as classical ballet or contemporary dancers.

"24 Hours?" was an interdisciplinary performing arts work - very rare in a country where most artists stick tightly to their camps. Even the musician in this production, glass harpist Weeraphong Thaweesak, was asked to move physically, almost like another member of the dance ensemble.

Various disciplines of arts - dance, theatre, music and film - converged and conversed in the remarkable scene "Pollution and Human Protection", featuring veteran dancer Peeramon Chomtawat in a film segment, which successfully took the story beyond the boundary of the stage.  Apart from its impressive overall visual presentation, the scene's subtle yet powerful message - that we are continuously corrupting our natural environment without ever realising the effect this has on us - stuck with the audience long after the performance.

Loud applause at the end of each of the three almost-sold-out performances offered solid proof that Thai performing artists are capable of creating world-class productions, and that these don't need to be staged in a huge auditorium. It also demonstrated that Thai audiences are enthusiastic about and ready for such shows. Perhaps, arts and cultural events organisers and sponsors should open their minds and widen their visions to make this kind of event more frequent.

A few days later, on the same stage, theatre troupes from 10 Bangkok secondary schools showcased their talents by staging scenes from two British plays "Oliver Twist" and "Friends" in the semi-finals of the English Drama Competition 2007.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Education's Office of the Basic Education Commission, the English Speaking Union Association Thailand, the British Council, and Patravadi Theatre, this annual event, now in its second year, aims to encourage Thai students to communicate in English.

Although eight teams selected "Oliver Twist", while the other two opted for "Friends", the interpretation, acting styles, as well as set and costume design, were varied enough to fully entertain the audience and the eight judges, myself included. We witnessed acting talents who didn't strain to perform or to present feelings and emotions to the audience, but simply concentrated on what they were doing in dramatic situations, clearly talking to and reacting with their scene partners.

Three teams from Samsenwittayalai, Surasakmontri and Yothinburana School advanced to the finals, scheduled for December at a venue still to be confirmed. Last year's champions Triam Udom Suksa were knocked out by only three and a half points. They shouldn't be discouraged - their scene was the only one directed by a high school senior student, even though the contest rules didn't require this.

Other teams shared significant prizes - best teamwork, best costume design, as well as recognition for actors and actresses in leading and supporting roles, so no one went home empty-handed. More importantly, they had already shown a high level of creativity, commendable teamwork, as well as language and theatre skills - a good sign for the future of Thai theatre.

One small suggestion for the finals: Selecting a more contemporary play with teen characters may be more fun for the participants and the audience.

On that note, I recommend Alan Bennett's "The History Boys", one of the most universally acclaimed British plays in recent years; and Philip Ridley's "Sparkleshark".

This weekend, Patravadi Theatre hosts a new intercultural dance theatre collaboration "PARA_dise: a woman? / Bando Kanduang", by Dutch-Indonesian theatre maker Gerard Mosterd and the world-renowned Bessie Award-winning Sumatran choreographer Boi G Sakti. Taking inspirations from the deeply-rooted matriarchal culture of Minangkabau community in West Summatra, the piece also features cutting-edge multimedia works by Wilhelmusvlug.

Performances are on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm.

Tickets cost Bt600 and Bt400 (half-price for students). For reservations, call (02) 412 7287-8. For more information, visit PatravadiTheatre.com and GerardMosterd.com.

The writer can be contacted at Pawit.M @ chula.ac.th.

Pawit Mahasarinand

 The Nation