A Week of French and Thai Theatre revives four thoughtful, moving productions
Alliance Francaise de Bangkok is hosting the inaugural Week of French and Thai Theatre tomorrow through Saturday with four re-staged productions, two French and two Thai.
The French actors will speak a lot, while the Thais will use their limbs more than their mouths.
It's all guaranteed to entertain us, regardless.
"Many people say theatre is difficult to explore in a country where you don't speak the language," notes the Alliance's Pierre Laburthe.
"But I think theatre in Thailand is one of the most creative fields here, so I want to explore it further."
The Alliance has its own amateur company, Deux Mondes, which is well patronised by local French expatriates as well as university students studying French.
"This is the first time we're staging a festival with both French theatre and Thai physical theatre," Laburthe says. "The latter we picked because we think our main audience will be foreigners, so it's a little easier for them to understand."
Deux Mondes will re-stage the contemporary plays "Sarah" tomorrow and "Le Cimetieres des Elephants" on Friday.
"'Sarah' is a very simple play, with only two characters, but quite interesting," Laburthe explains. "It's about Sarah Bernhardt asking her assistant to portray different characters in her life.
"'Le Cimetieres des Elephants' is about five women in a retirement house, recalling their past. They've all had very different lives, and they're always fighting among themselves."
Laburthe selected two Thai productions he's enjoyed, B-Floor Theatre's "Crying Century" and Nophand Boonyai and Dujdao Vadhanapakorn's "Grey Area".
Created by Teerawat Mulwilai and based the ancient Tai belief that all humans share the same origin, "Crying Century" addresses history's unending violence. It was part of the 2005 Physical Theatre Festival in Tokyo.
An experimental production about the gaps in modern Thai society, "Grey Area" premiered last month at Democrazy Theatre Studio and stands as the best-reviewed production so far this year.
Laburthe thinks the messages of both shows are "universal".
This week's event could be seen as a warm-up for the French-Thai cultural festival La Fete, which begins in May.
In the meantime the Alliance is hoping to work with a Thai company to create a new work to stage in September or October. It would be a follow-up to its collaboration with Kriengsak Silakong on a likay version of Marivaux's classic "The Island of Slaves" and last year's intercultural dance-theatre "Carmen".
Laburthe already has ideas for future editions of this week's festival.
"I want to work with professional companies from France, and maybe we can do some collaborations with Thai companies. This is just the first time - we'll see how we develop from here."
TOUT LE MONDE
- A Week of French and Thai Theatre is at the Alliance Francaise Bangkok on South Sathorn Road from tomorrow through Saturday.
- Tickets are Bt400 per show, Bt600 for two and Bt900 for all four at (02) 670 4231. Alliance members and students pay Bt250, Bt400 or Bt600.
- Find out more at www.Alliance-Francaise.or.th.
