What is Octopus?

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were infected by a deadly sexually transmitted disease?

What if you have exposed your loved ones to the deadly infection by your own choices?

What would your love ones do if they found out that they were infected because of you?

These are the questions that the main characters in “Octopus”, written by Steve Yockey, are forced to deal with after a hastily planned night of “fun” with the 4 of them places them in the situation where one of them turns out to be positive. As the story progressed, audience gets to see how the newly discovered information threatened the relationship that both couples have with each other and how each reacts differently to the news. In the actions that the characters take as the story unfolds, “Octopus” puts out a mirror for the audience to reflect on themselves and discover if what they see on stage would be something that they could consider doing if they find themselves in similar situations.

“Octopus” is not all doom and gloom as love in the age of AIDS/HIV is still love nevertheless. It is also a story of commitments and the lengths that people would go to keep what’s most important to them. It presents the audience with 2 different and parallel ways that people deal with the problem that still plague us even after all these years. One may have a better outcome than the other but it may not be the easier path to choose when all is said and done.

While “Octopus” is firmly situated in the context of the gay community, it is by no means limited by it. The questions raised, motivations scrutinized and message reveals resounds on a universal level no matter which part of the sexual preference spectrum the audience choose to identify with. Like the disease itself, the message in “Octopus” does not discriminate. It is for all to hear, understand and share.

So what is Octopus?

Short answer … it is a play directed by Kelvin Wong, featuring Malik Taufiq, Jack Lua, Nandang Abdul Rahman, Edmund Wong & Will Quah which will be performed at Pentas 2, klpac from Dec 16 – 22nd,2010.

It is also an unapologetic gay play to opens a window into a situation that most people would never want to find themselves in which allows them to examine the possibilities of the what ifs within the context of the universal story being presented on stage.

It’s something that you will miss out if you don’t go and watch it yourself

(Cast of the Malaysian production of "Octopus by Steve Yockey

*STRICTLY FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY*

Date & Time: 16 – 18 Dec & 20 – 22 Dec @ 8:30pm; 19 Dec @ 3pm
Venue: Pentas 2, klpac
Venue Map: http://www.klpac.com/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation
Ticket Price: RM38 (adults), RM25 (students & the disabled)

Coming Soon!

Tackling the World 10 minutes at a Time

I'm definitely going for the workshops this year after chickening out at the last minute last year. Anyone else coming?

Want to learn the Art of 10-minuters?

SHORT+SWEET Malaysia 2010

Workshops Now Open for Registrations

SHORT+SWEET Malaysia will be returning for a third season! And we're growing our SHORT+SWEET family in Malaysia once again... Last year, we introduced a new member, SHORT+SWEET DANCE. This year, we will be welcoming another addition SHORT+SWEET MUSICAL. You can look forward to six weeks of SHORT+SWEET festival this year.

As usual, we'll be starting off with a whole host of workshops conducted by SHORT+SWEET experts Alex Broun, who will be running the theatre workshops, and Nicole Stinton, who will be running the musical theatre workshops.

It's a fantastic opportunity to familiarise yourself with the whole SHORT+SWEET concept and it'll give you an early start to prepare for the festival in September / October 2010... do sign up with your friends!

THEATRE
Playwriting Level 1: 2 April @ 7pm - 10pm
Playwriting Level 2: 3 April @ 2pm - 5pm
Directing / Acting Level 1: 3 April @ 10am - 1pm
Directing / Acting Level 2: 4 April @ 10am - 1pm
Combined Session - Playwriting / Directing / Acting Advanced: 4 April @ 2pm - 5pm
Public Reading & Showcase: 4 April @ 7pm - 10pm

MUSICAL THEATRE
Composers & lyricists: 11 April @ 10am - 2pm
Performers: 11 April @ 2.30pm - 5.30pm
Performers / Composers / Lyricists: 11 April @ 6.30pm - 10pm & 12 April @ 6.30pm - 10pm

TO REGISTER
E-mail michelle@klpac.org your contact details & state which workshop you'd like to attend
(registration fee of RM10 applies)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
SHORT+SWEET 2010 Festival Dates
SHORT+SWEET Musical: 22 September - 3 October
SHORT+SWEET Dance : 6 October - 17 October
SHORT + SWEET Theatre: 20 October - 31 October

Open Auditions for klpac's T4YP 2010 Ensemble

Do you want to be in the limelight? Do you want to try to see if you're cut out for the theater stage? If you're between 16 to 25 years old, here's a chance for you!

Since 2008, klpac’s Theatre For Young People (T4YP) programme has been providing a platform for young people to express themselves by creating meaningful theatre.

Once again, we would like to welcome young people between the ages of 16 to 25 years old to be part of the T4YP Ensemble as actors for Season 2010. Previous theatre experience is not essential. However, commitment, creativity and dedication are …

Season 2010 runs for a period of six months from April to September and features three mainstage productions in Pentas 2 and a 2-week season of experimental theatre in the Indicine. Throughout the season, compulsory weekly rehearsals on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as Saturday afternoons.


Audition Details:
One Day Only: Saturday, March 27
Time slots: 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 6pm & 7pm to 9pm
Venue: Indicine, Level 2, klpac

Come Prepared with:

ONE Classical Monologue (2 minutes)

• Text in verse by Shakespeare, Monologue must be memorised

ONE Contemporary Monologue (2 minutes)

• Non-comedic/Serious, text in prose from any contemporary 20th, 21st century playwright or any movie screenplay, Monologue must be memorised

ONE Contemporary Monologue (2 minutes)

• Comedic/Funny, text in prose from any contemporary 20th, 21st century playwright or any movie screenplay, Monologue must be memorised

OPTIONAL: ONE Song (1 minute) to be sung acapella

Looking for monologues for the audition? Try these sites :

• Online Monologue Database: Actorama.com
• Shakespeare monologues: Shakespeare’s Monologues
• Contemporary movie monologues: Colin’s Movie Monologue Page
• Contemporary monologues – from plays: Monologue Archive, The Monologue Database

Audition is by appointment only!

Contact Ashraf Zain (Production Manager, klpac) on 03-40479037 or ashraf@klpac.org

Closing date for registration: Thursday, 25 March by 6.30pm
After this date, no entries will be accepted. No walk-ins will be entertained on the day.

For more information on T4YP and their past productions visit their blog at http://t4yp.wordpress.com/ also visit http://www.klpac.org/

The Week That Was – Feb 22 – 28, 2010

It was a quiet week at the office work-wise. People were just coming back from their long Chinese New Year break and we mostly catching up with all their messages and action items for work. For us who started work the week before, it was just a normal week at the office.

Highlight of the week was the “Bernarda Alba” musical that I watched at klpac on their preview night. It was definitely not the type of musicals that I was accustomed to so it was really an eye opening experience for me to watch. I have actually heard the soundtrack of the original cast production but it never really registered in my head until I actually got to see a full production of the piece. I guess it just goes to show that while listening to the original soundtrack CD might be enjoyable, it is still a poor substitute to actually watching it on stage.

“Bernarda Alba” was quite dark and somber but it was not without moments of charm and frivolity. A character study in effects of repression and social control, it tells the story of a domineering mother how literally imprisons her 5 daughters after the death of her 2nd husband in an attempt to protect them from the outside world. The reactions and conflicts that arose from this decision drove the narration which was beautifully conveyed through the songs being sung on stage. I definitely enjoyed myself at the performance even with the minor technical details that bugged me a bit while watching.

The other highlight of the week was my board gaming overdose. We had planned to have a board game session at a friend’s house on Sunday but a few of us wanted to have another session on the Friday before because it was a public holiday and they were all in town. We ended up going to the Boston’s Café near my place and staked out our own little corner to play our board games. We played and played and played! By the time we stopped, we had actually played almost 12 hours of board games in one sitting! We had “Settlers of Catan”, “No Merci!”, “Wits & Wagers”, “Times Up: Title Recall” & “Pictionary” on the table that day. Other than the 1 hour that we had to spend virtually in the dark thanks to a power outage at the café, it was just games and good company for the whole evening.

I was afraid that the guys would be all boadgame-ed out when Sunday came along but I guess that the board game bug has hit my group hard. After lunch at a nearby kopitiam, we adjourned to a friend’s house for games. We decided to whip up a batch of double chocolate chip cookies for the afternoon and proceeded to play several board games till it was time for dinner. We ended having rounds of “Settlers of Catan” (a group favorite), “Tribond”, “Kill Doctor Lucky”, “Wits & Wagers” & “Who Am I” that afternoon. I still didn’t get a chance to introduce the group to “Small World” yet but I hope to do so next time we come together for games.

It was a great weekend of games and great friends.

“Bernarda Alba” at klpac

klpac presents

BERNARDA ALBA

SYNOPSIS

“Bernarda Alba”, a musical, tells the tale of a powerful matriarch who imposes a strict rule on her household following her second husband's funeral: "Not a breath of outside air is going to enter this house. It's going to feel like we've bricked up the doors and windows," she proclaims.

Bernarda's five daughters, however, struggle with her cold wishes. The girls' dream and desires challenge their mother's harsh rules and the outside world begins to slowly permeate their isolated existence.

Cast: NICOLE-ANN THOMAS, ABIGAIL BARRAGRY, AMELIA CHEN, MIN LI, STEFANIE PAULUS, ASHVINA MARIE NAIDU, ELVIRA ARUL, SHERYL CHONG, TIONG WOOI, ROSDAYANA ROSTI & BELINDA HON

Director: CHRISTOPHER LING
Executive Producer: DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Artistic Director: JOE HASHAM OAM

Musical Director: TONY LEO SELVARAJ
Choreographer: PETER ONG
Vocal Director: STEPHEN TOK
Lighting Designer: SANDEE CHEW
Sound: MICHAEL THOMAS

Date & Time:
25 FEB (Preview)
26 – 27 FEB, 2 – 6 MAR @ 8.30pm
28 FEB & 7 MAR @ 3pm (Matinee shows)

Venue:
Pentas 2, klpac

Tickets:
RM48 (adults)
RM38 (senior citizens)
RM28 (students & disabled)

PROMOTIONS:
RM28 flat for preview night and Tues – Wed (2 & 3 MAR) shows

Box Office:
klpac @ Sentul Park (03-4047 9000) &
The Actors Studio @ Lot 10 (03-21422009/03-21432009)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/
Venue Map Link: http://www.klpac.org/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=235846122777

The Two Weeks That Was – Feb 8 – 21, 2010

The first week was quite busy in the office with everyone trying to finish things off before they leave for their Chinese New Year break. Being the only one in the office who doesn’t need to rush back home for reunion dinners, I had the luxury of taking my company mandatory leave days ahead of everyone else which I did during the week before Chinese New Year. Most of those dates were spent with household chores and some repairs especially those involving the electrical supply.

I guess that it’s a fact of living in a place that when you’ve live there long enough, you’ll bound to have to deal will problems related to aging electrical wiring and the like. For months, I’ve been having power supply brown outs whenever I turn on one too many electrical appliances. Electrical sparks at the power distribution boards became more frequent and things got worse when I can’t even run my microwave without tripping the power supply. I finally had enough and called the electrician to replace the power distribution board before I accidently burn the house down. Good thing that my landlord agreed to have the repair bill deducted for the month’s rent.

Several friends came together to organized birthday dinner with another friend who is celebrating his birthday in the same month. We all went to a small, out of the way, Japanese restaurant called “NIHON KAI” off Jalan Kelang Lama. I have to say that it was a wonderful find for me as they had a really good spread of dishes to choose from and all of them were priced reasonably well. All of us were led into one of those tatami mat private dining rooms where we proceeded to party like drunk Japanese salary men the night through. I’m sure that we sounded like that as we enjoyed the great food, drinks and company.

Chinese New Year came and went without much to mark it for me. We did get 2 boardgame sessions in during the break. The first one was with a group of friends in Sentul which lasted for a few hours where we tested out Settlers of Catan, Wits & Wagers as well as Taboo. Our hosts made us a wonderful lunch in between the games and we ended the day with dinner at Pavilion. The second session of games was on the following day at a café near to my apartment. We ended up spending almost 7 hours there playing “Settlers of Catan”, “Wits & Wagers”, “Kill Doctor Lucky” and “Wasabi!” The funny thing was that everyone else at the café seemed to have the same idea as every table there that night had some type of game happening. I’m guessing that people were already quite bored staying at home during the long break and hence why it seems like everyone was out with games there.

Being at work during Chinese New Year week was a bit if a drag since the whole office was almost empty expect for a few of us. Fortunately, nothing major happen during the period and I was able to handle a few of the issues that cropped up during the period on my own. I ended up taking some time during the week to visit Toybox and get my own copy of the “SmallWorld” board game that I hope to give it a test drive some time soon.

I ended the week with good food and company at a friend’s place on Sunday to watch as many episodes of “Glee” that we could squeeze in. We all ended up only finishing half of the 13 episode season but it was still a great time. I even got to do some cooking since we wanted to make cookies to go with the show and made dinner once everyone got their fill of the TV show. Having a proper kitchen is one of the things that I missed most after moving out of my parents’ house to live on my own. I definitely want to get a proper kitchen in the next place that I move in.

The Week That Was – Feb 1 – 8, 2010

Few highlights of the week.

Went to watch “Women of Silk River” which was staged at TAS@Lot10 on their opening night. I noticed that the crowd who came that night was not the usual crowd that I see at klpac but I’m guessing that a lot of them were friends, family and supporters of the production team as well as the cast. Overall, I loved the story even though there were parts of it that could have benefitted with a firmer editorial hand. I have to say that it is always interesting to watch a staging of a performance based on a devised play. When all the separate contribution comes together properly, things flow seamlessly that makes the audience forget that several voices contributed into the story of the piece.

After the show finished, a few of us stay back to have supper at a friend’s newly open eatery at Lot10. “Alsree Treasures Kitchen”@Lot10 had just opened the day before but because we know the proprietress, we got her to extend the dinner menu until they closed for us. I finally got her famous Beef Macaroni Soup that I have been hearing about from her but never got to taste. After the supper, we all agreed that the place would definitely be out hangout place for a pre or post show meal when we come for shows at Lot10.

This past weekend was also the weekend when my old school mates came back together for our 20th year anniversary reunion. Having transferred to a boarding school after my Form 3 year, I actually have two 20th year reunions to attend this year. Good thing that the one for the school that I attended from Form 1 to Form 3 decided to hold theirs in the beginning of the year and the other one towards the end of the year.

I have not seen most of the people who came to the reunion that day for at least 23 years and to say that a lot has change would be a major understatement. There were people there who I remember being so small and scrawny back then who have now blossomed into a person twice my size and at least a foot taller from me. A lot of them were shorter than me when I was in the same class with them back then but I’m guessing had a growth spurt after I left. It was nice actually getting back in touch with them but I have to say that I could scarcely remember about 75% of the people there. They have already started planning for the next gathering later in the year so hopefully more memories of those years will get jogged back in my mind.

The other thing that happen was me turning 37 on Sunday. Scary to think actually, turning 37 when there was a time back in darker days that I wondered if I would live past 28. If only my younger self could see me now and know that things would turn out all right despite how hopeless the situation at the moment felt. Still I cherish the years that have passed as life lessons that have made me the person who I am today. Without them, I guess I would have been a different person altogether and whether it would be for the better or for the worse, well that’s just another of the what-ifs that goes unanswered in my life.

The guys threw a party for me and one other friend who celebrates his birthday just 2 days after mine. As usual, good food & good company are the best ways of celebrating getting to add another year to the age box. The presents were a nice surprise with a highlight of a boardgame that they got out of my recent boardgame want list. I would be definitely breaking it out for the next games night with them. Still it was having friends like that that makes all the difference in the world.

I would not trade it for anything in the world!

The Week That Was – Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2010

The first month of the year closed off on a quite note work wise. Not much, other than the usual day to day work, has been happening in the month. Most of the time was spent planning for the rest of the year which hopefully will help once the next few months roll around.

The biggest item that happened in the past week was me being reminded of my parents’ mortality. As children, we always think that our parents will be there for us forever but as we grow older those youthful ideas get jarred by sometimes harsh realities that they don’t.

My father had recently been having some health problems and had to go for a checkup at the hospital. He was the type that would previously refuse to do so despite being asked to so many times by the family so for him to finally relent to go for the check up signaled to us that he was really hurting this time. True enough, he came back with a whole list of aliments that he has been ignoring all these years and now have caught up on him.

We all immediately knew that this is a major health scare for him when the first thing that he did after coming back from the checkup was to throw away all his cigarettes. Being a smoker for as long as I can remember, we knew that he must have finally come to the realization of what all that smoking was doing to his lungs. I have not personally seen his chest x-rays but according to my mum who did see it, his lung was already in bad shape. To top it all off, my father finally accepted that he does have diabetic condition that he has been in denial for years even with the doctor’s diagnosis.

My father has always been a confident person but after the medical checkup it seems that his confidence has been deeply shaken by the news. The family had long known that he has been in denial about his health issues and now it was already too severe to be ignored even by him. He now has his off and on days, health wise, but it is taking a toll on his confidence and the family.

He is currently still strong, walking around on his own and able to manage himself but I can’t help that eventually his strength will fail him. I have experience death in the family before but as they say, death of a parent is something totally different. I may even have many years ahead before it happens. As my father would often remind us that the males in our family generally lived well into our 80’s and he still has at least 20 years to go. But what kind of life would that be if you spend the next 20 years in a vegetative state? I duly hope that scenario is something that would never come to pass.

Mortality is quite disturbing when confronted.

“Women of Silk River” at TAS@Lot10

klpac presents

Women of Silk River

SYNOPSIS

Cleopatra. Joan of Arc. Nefertiti. Somehow we have always associated strong, courageous women with other parts of the world. This February, klpac's latest addition Kimmy Kiew takes a look at the lives of the unassuming Amahs in Malaysia.

Long before the influx of Indonesian and Filipino helpers, there were the Amahs from China. These women, often from poor families, were brought over to work as maids and were instantly recognisable by their white top and black bottom 'sam fu' attire and neatly plaited or bunned hair.

Women of Silk River takes a look at these invisible women who were employed to serve the household and make it run as smoothly and comfortably as possible. And yet there is so little known about their lives, their traditions, their beliefs, and, most importantly, the sacrifices they have made to to serve the household.

The devised play opens with the "sor hei" ceremony where their hair is combed into a bun and this signifies their new life as an Amah. Then, the tale of four Amahs, a British woman and a Japanese man unfolds...

Cast: DAWN CHEONG, PRISCA FLORENCE WONG, HELENA FOO, MIEN LY, NICOLE FUCHS & BEN TAN

Director: KIMMY KIEW
Executive Producer: DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Artistic Director: JOE HASHAM OAM

Date & Time:
4-6, 8 – 9 FEBRUARY @ 8.30pm
7 FEBRUARY @ 3pm (Matinee shows)

Venue:
THE ACTORS STUDIO @ LOT 10

Tickets:
RM35 (adults)
RM28 (senior citizens)
RM23 (students & disabled)

PROMOTIONS:
Buy 7 tickets and get 1 FREE!

Box Office:
The Actors Studio box office – 03-21422009/21432009 (walk-in purchases)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.theactorsstudio.com.my/
Venue Map: http://www.theactorsstudio.com.my/new-venue-the-actors-studio-lot-10/map/
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226830045988

The Fortnight That Was – Jan 10 – 24, 2010

“Hopefully I could keep to a schedule of a minimum of 1 blog entry per week this year. “

Right!

That went out the door almost immediately after I said it :-p

Anyway … I promise myself that I will update the blog once a week so that I don’t get too rusty when it comes down to writing. Which by the way also applies to my stage play writing which I still have yet to start. I have all these stories running around in my head but have not found the drive to sit myself down and write them all out. This has always been a problem for me. Once I get started then I would usually sail through the process but to find the momentum to overcome the initial bump to start can be at times infuriating. This is why I am totally envious of some of the people I know who can just sit there and churn out full plays in just a few weeks.

Work continues on steadily. Not many surprises in the 2 weeks. I guess it’s the nature of the work that I only really into high gear when something breaks down. Other times, I have plenty of down time to plan for improvements and other things that I want to do during the day. The only exciting thing that came up was the news that our team will be going for a team building excursion at the end of Feb. I have never been on one so I guess that you can say that I’m looking forward to the experience.

Had a few gaming nights within the 2 weeks. The first was to play “Munchkin Quest” that I finally got a copy of after waiting for it for months. As exciting as it was to get it, I have to say that our session experience was less than exciting. I don’t fault the game or the people playing but I think that MQ is a bit difficult to introduce to non gamers especially those who have never played any of the Munchkin card games before.

We had better luck with playing “Castle Keep” and “Wasabi!” in the other sessions. Both are simple tile laying games that people can get into pretty fast and were high on the fun quotient. “Wasabi!” especially got a vote from the group for a return engagement the next time we meet up for some games. I’ve read about the game for some time from the BGG website and knew that it would go down well with them.

My birthday’s coming up in a few weeks. Will be turning 37 this year. Every year is a happy surprise for me since there was a dark time in my life that I thought that I would never make it beyond 30. Happily those clouds are behind me and I look forward to each day with as much gusto as I can muster.

No one can ask for more.

The Week That Was – Jan 3 – 8, 2010

Another year rolls by and a new entry for this oft-neglected blog :-p

Hopefully I could keep to a schedule of a minimum of 1 blog entry per week this year.

2010 rolled in for me with the company of great friends who we celebrated with in Melaka. I could have not asked for a better group to see the new decade in. It’s actually funny to see the digits “2010” roll in as growing up we have always seen this decade to be the one to look forward to for all the futuristic bits and bobs. Having finally reached the promised date, I could not help but feel a bit disappointed that the reality didn’t really turn out as fantastic as the promise. Of course we do have technology now that we would never dream of 30 years ago but we are definitely still far away from the vision that the sci-fi masters have put out in both literature and films. Guess we will have to wait for another 30 years before the Jetsons style personal jet packs solve the traffic problems in KL.

Work continues to be without any surprises this week. Most of the time, I spent tying up loose ends from what was left over from last year’s work load. I’m looking forward to start implementing a few new projects and changes that I’ve been planning to at work. Hopefully I would be able to contribute more improvement ideas for the team in the year ahead. I’m definitely sure that some of the items I have planned would help out but it would take some time to get it in.

2009 saw me put in 3 plays to be staged at klpac and I look forward to be able to pen more for consideration. KL has been chasing me to submit something for “IndicineLive!” but I find myself hesitating because I don’t know if I can actually write something funny. It’s one thing to have humor in the script as an unintentionally byproduct but it’s a whole other ball game of trying to write something that you hope people would get a laugh out off. Still it is an intriguing challenge and I still have one more week to figure out if I’m up to the task. I probably try to put pen to paper this coming weekend and explore if I do have a funny bone to tickle.

Board games have recently featured a lot in my social life of late and I’m thoroughly enjoying them. Just recently we played a round of “Kill Doctor Lucky” with a group of people who never played it before and everyone had a good time. I’ve also found really good small plastic containers from the chain of 100Yen stores in town that help made the games pieces I already own more organized. To top it all off, I’ve caved in an purchased the iPod version of the popular “Settlers of Catan” board game and have been enjoying it since then. I would definitely be adding the game in my board game want list so I can get it and introduce me gaming rookie friends to it.

On a sad note, I woke up today to the news of the torching of a church in Desa Melawati that people are might link to the recent controversy of the court ruling of allowing the usage of the word “Allah” by the Herald. I stand by the belief that if Heralds wants to use the term in their mass publication then they should use the full terms that are used by the Christian Arabs throughout the Middle East. Using the terms "Allah al-‘ab" (الله الأب) meaning God the father, "Allah al-ibn" (الله الابن) mean God the son, and "Allah al-rūh al-quds" (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit instead of just “Allah” to refer to the aspects of the Catholic Trinty would clearly differentiate the usage of the terms.

Regardless, I personally condemn those who burn down/destroy/deface houses of worship as people who belittle the importance of religion for the people and have no right to claim themselves as being pious or religious. An eye for an eye will only leave us with a people who are blind physically, mentally and spiritually who would have no discourse to accept the first one eyed man as king.

“The Swimming Instructor” at KLPac

klpac presents

The Swimming Instructor

Ripples of love and loss

SYNOPSIS

Written by multi-award winning Singaporean writer, Desmond Sim, The Swimming Instructor has been staged thrice successfully in Singapore, enjoying full houses throughout its run. The sizzling poolside drama will finally be making its way to KL audiences!

Get ready to dive into a hilarious and poignant tale about the undercurrents of love, lust and loss as experienced by a down-to-earth swimming instructor (Michael Chen), a vivacious rich girl (Davina Goh) and a go-getting advertising executive (Niki Cheong).

The sexy comedy is set at a public pool where Guan is a no-nonsense swimming instructor who teaches kids swimming. Unbeknownst to him, he has become an object of affection (and desire!) Will Guan's admirers discover what's lurking beneath his seemingly calm surface?

KL audiences will have the exclusive opportunity to watch a slightly tweaked version of The Swimming Instructor. So, if you are up for some fun and laughter, make your way to klpac as the exciting cast of The Swimming Instructor readies itself to make a splash this December.

Advisory: recommended for mature audiences only

Cast: MICHAEL CHEN, DAVINA GOH, NIKI CHEONG

Director: CHRISTOPHER LING

Executive Producer: DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Artistic Director: JOE HASHAM OAM

Date & Time:
3 – 5, 8 – 12 DECEMBER @ 8.30pm
6 & 13 DECEMBER@ 3pm (Matinee shows)

Venue:
PENTAS 2, THE KUALA LUMPUR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (KLPac)

Tickets:
RM38 (adults)
RM28 (senior citizens)
RM23 (students & disabled)

Box Office:(KLPac) 4047 9000 (walk-in purchases)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/
Venue Map Link: http://www.klpac.org/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=293437825513

“Mukabuku” at KLPac

klpac presents

MUKABUKU
Uncovering the humanity behind the technology

SYNOPSIS

Whether you like it or not, online social networking sites are here to stay and are out to transform the way we stay connected to one another. Three writers take on the easily left unseen impact that these sites are having on our everyday lives.

The objective of klpac's T4YP Lab is to train young directors, designers and writers in theatre-craft via the production of a programme of short plays.

The very first T4YP Lab project features:

Top Friends by Mark Beau de Silva
Friends made, lost, made again. Topped. Under-ed, and Deleted. Sometimes you send them drinks. First performed as part of TEN: Theatrical Lightning Strikes Human Relationships by The T4YP Ensemble in 2008.

Profile by Mark Beau de Silva
“I think I will not ask him again why he has stopped calling. I am so stupid. His profile picture is so happy. Of course. So I will look happy too. Can you take a new picture for me. It’s for my profile.”

Could’ve Been by Alex Chua
A short story about obsession, idolism and the self-destructive need to be someone else. A man loses sight of himself and the love of his wife to his wanton desire to become Mark Zuckerberg.

Funeral Rights by Alex Chua
There is reason to be afraid of stalkers. Steven’s cyber stalker has come to his funeral, coming face-to-face with his real family and friends.

Addiction by Nandang Abdul Rahman
The demons that haunt us may not only be the ones that lurk at the bottom of bottles or the tip of a syringe. It may come in more innocent forms than you realize.

Remains by Nandang Abdul Rahman
Growing old, marking milestones and dealing with survivor’s guilt the Mukabuku way.

Cast: NABIHAN YAACOB, MICHAEL TAN, NUR ZAKUAN, ALFRED LOH, IVAN CHAN ATIENZA, GOWRI PAARY, FARAH RANI & UJVAL SIDHU-BRAR

Director: KELVIN WONG
Executive Producer : DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Artistic Director: JOE HASHAM OAM
Director in-residence: CHRISTOPHER LING

Date & Time:
20 – 21 NOV 2009 @ 8:30 PM
21 – 22 NOV 2009 @ 3:00 PM (Matinee shows)

Venue:
PENTAS 2, THE KUALA LUMPUR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (KLPac)

Ticket:
RM25 (adults)
RM15 (students, disabled & senior citizens)

Box Office:
(KLPac) 4047 9000 (walk-in purchases)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/
Venue Map Link: http://www.klpac.org/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=309331105415

Note To Self

I have often reminded myself about it but it only took that one time that I was careless for it to happen.

I had my laptop stolen from the boot of a car.

I should have known better.

I have been giving security briefings and reminding people to not leave their computer in their car for years. The one time that I broke that cardinal rule myself, it came back to bite me and it bit me hard. Oh, the irony of it all!

The signs were all there! I already had misgivings about taking the laptop on my recent road trip. I ended up not even using it anyway while we were away. We also had misgivings about going to Carrefour Subang Jaya that evening. On the way up from the parking lot, we received pamphlets about leaving valuables in the car. We even had to go back to the car when we remembered that we had left some cash in plain sight within the car. Never once that I give much thought of the laptop that I left behind. It was Subang Jaya! It was basically my neighbourhood.

I continued to have a bad feeling about something but by the time I acted on it, it was already too late. We came back to the car only to find that the rear side mirror that looked into the boot area of the hatchback has been smashed in and the contents of the boot moved around. The thief was able to get to my laptop bag which was beneath the other bags which was hiding it from plain sight. I'm guessing that they were able to see the bags from the outside and decided to try their luck as they might have figured that we had recently came back from a trip. Given that the parking space was fairly deserted, they might have sufficient time to root around the boot for something valuable to take.

After recovering from the initial shock, we proceeded to report the break in to the Carrefour security department and then to the police at the nearby Subang Jaya Police Station. Thankfully both experience were fairly painless and speedy. I do not have much hope of recovering the items stolen so the reports were more for documentation formalities that would be needed to report the theft to the office since it was a company laptop that I lost.

Once all the formalities completed, we went off for a late dinner and came back home to call it the day. I have to admit to a sense of being violated and a bit fearful after the incident that night. It was enough to get me rattled to the point that I had to lock up the main grill which I normally do only when I leave home on an extended trip. In my mind, I was worried if there was anything that they took that would lead them back to where I lived.

Thankfully that feeling subsided once I had a good night's sleep. The following day was spent dealing with the aftermath of the incident. As I am typing this entry, I have still to get everything that I lost sorted out. I expect that the next few days to be both quite slow and tedious. Not only do I need to get the hardware replacement sorted out but also have to figure out how to recover all the work/documents/items that I stored on the both the laptop and external hard disk that was taken.

It is hard for me not to feel somewhat disconnected knowing that I've lost a lot of things thanks to that moment of carelessness. It does feel like having your legs chopped off from under you especially when a lot of my work and personal life is linked to the items that I had stored on that computer. Recreating them would definitely be a huge task ahead. Like it or not, I have to tackle this face on.

Hopefully this blog entry will stay here as a reminder for myself not to every do somethng this stupid again!

“Oh Dad, Poor Dad” at KLPac

The Oral Stage Presents

OH DAD, POOR DAD

Grieving widow, neurotic son, the pet piranha & Venus flytraps … oh my

With support from the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) and produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc., New York, the Oral Stage is proud to bring to KL a unique tale written by noted American playwright, Arthur Kopit.

SYNOPSIS

A woman-in-mourning checks into a lavish hotel with her neurotic son, a pet piranha and a pair of Venus flytraps. Moments after, a wealthy, love-stricken naval officer and the seductive, next-door babysitter pay them a visit. The fish and plants are now very hungry, the son wants to escape, and the woman’s dead husband is still lurking about somewhere…

A bizarre take on all things love, Oh Dad, Poor Dad parodies the domineering, protective mother who tries to smother her son, and also the son himself, who is too naïve and sheltered. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1962 and won the Vernon Rice and Outer Circle Awards in that same year. Oh Dad, Poor Dad was recently revived at Harvard University in 2007

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

Cast: NICOLE-ANN THOMAS, ALFRED LOH , HANNEKE TALBOT, APLE ANG, JOHN AREN, LINDA FOO, KEVIN KEI, ISHWIN SINGH, RAJA UMMI AND AZ’FARR BAGINDA.

Director: KELVIN WONG

Date & Time:
30 SEPT – 04 OCT 2009 @ 8:30 PM
03 – 04 OCT 2009 @ 3:00 PM (Matinee shows)

Venue:
PENTAS 2, THE KUALA LUMPUR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (KLPac)

Ticket:
RM35 (adults)
RM25 (students, disabled & senior citizens)

Promotions:
RM5 off every ticket for purchases of 10 or more similar-priced tickets in a single receipt!

Box Office:
(KLPac) 4047 9000 (walk-in purchases)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/
Venue Map Link: http://www.klpac.org/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation
Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102314632705

“Hamlet” at KLPac

KLPac Presents

HAMLET

A murdered King. A usurped Prince. A promise of Revenge.

All roads lead to Elsinore!

After teasing the audiences with successful performances of “The Secret Love Life of Ophelia”, “I Love You Once, I Love You Not”, “What It Means To Be … Free” and “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead”, the T4YP closes their 2009 season with the classic piece that inspired their previous performances.

Join the T4YP ensemble as they come together in their final ensemble run performing Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

SYNOPSIS

An undisputed masterpiece of world theatre, “Hamlet”, Shakespeare’s great tragedy of passion, corruption and revenge, has captivated audiences for over 400 years. It remains as relevant and urgent as ever.

The powerful tale opens with Hamlet returning to court only to find his father murdered and his mother married to the murderer. He is faced with a terrible dilemma – should he avenge his father’s death?

This modern interpretation of Shakespeare's classic will focus on the relationships and the people involved in this tragic tale with the politics of the story taking a back seat. The four-hour long play has been adapted into a palatable 90-minute performance for the urban, contemporary minds to absorb.

Cast:
AYUNNI BT AYUB, BELINDA HON, DINESH KUMAR MAGANATHAN, GREGORY SZE, IZMIR HADI HUSEIN, MICHAEL TAN, NABIHAN YAACOB, NICK DORIAN, NUR HIDAYA ZAKUAN, PRIYADASHINI MAGANATHAN, RACHEL DARSHINI HENRY, SALLY ANN CHAN & TUNG JIT YANG

Director: CHRISTOPHER LING
Executive Producer: DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Artistic Director: JOE HASHAM

Date & Time:
10 – 12 SEPT 2009 @ 8:30 PM*
12 – 13 SEPT 2009 @ 3:00 PM (Matinee shows)
(* the performance for 11 SEPT 2009 has already sold out)

Venue:
PENTAS 2, THE KUALA LUMPUR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (KLPac)

Ticket:
RM 25
RM 15 (for students, sr. citizens and the disabled)

Box Office:
(KLPac) 4047 9000 (walk-in purchases)

Tickets also available at:
TicketAxcess @ Head office (Jln. Semangat), 1-Utama outlet & Alamanda Putrajaya outlet

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/
Venue Map Link: http://www.klpac.org/Welcome.asp?c=venuelocation

Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103914387705

Boo RapidKL!

The new RapidKL structured bus fare systems goes into effect today and it was as I expected it.

Badly executed!

Since sometime back in July, I have noticed the notices posted in the buses and LRT trains announcing the change in the bus fare system on 1st Sept. Of all the changes proposed, the one involving the “Utama” bus lines were the one that left me more than a bit perplexed as to how they will implement it. From its inception, the “Utama” bus line only had one fare point for a day pass ticket that can be used for as many bus trips within the same day of purchase. This made taking the bus very convenient and quite economical especially when one needs to transfer to multiple buses in a day.

Unfortunately, all that changed starting today with the implementation of a zonal fare structure. Instead pay a flat fare of RM2 to the driver, bus commuters would have to inform the driver which stop they would want to alight at and driver will tell them the new bus fare. Fares start at RM1, RM1.90, RM2.50 and a maximum of RM3 depending on the number of travel zones the commuter goes through to get to their stop. I guess eventually people who take the bus daily would eventually know how much they have to pay for their trip but until then the bus driver needs to tell the commuters how much to pay.

I’ve always paid RM2 for my bus trip to my office and with this new fare structure I should only need to pay RM1.90 since I only need to cross 2 zones. Nice on paper but dismal in execution! Instead of paying just RM2 for a day’s bus trip, I need to pay the RM1.90 tickets twice since in the new fare system, your bus ticket is a one way ticket instead of a day pass. Since RapidKL buses do not have bus conductors like their competitors, commuters don’t get change back when they pay for their bus fare. What is the use of charging RM1.90 instead of RM2 since no change is provided?

To throw more salt to the wound, they have disabled the Touch & Go card payment system on the buses due to technical implementation issues to adapt to the new bus fare structures. I can’t understand this reason since they would have more than sufficient time to look into the issue of using T&G cards on buses before implementing the new fare system. RapidKL do not need to look further than our neighbors in Singapore to see how they implement the EZ-Link payment card system in their buses. Bus commuters there use only their payment card instead of cash to pay for their bus fare. One only needs to touch the card on the reader when you board and touch it again on the exit reader to deduct the fare before getting off the bus. The same system should have been implemented by RapidKL as well if they wanted a structured fare system.

Inefficiencies due to poor planning will never be acceptable no matter what the economic reasons were behind the decision of pushing the plans through. For a company that prides itself as having the goal of having the “highest degree of operational excellence, engineering efficacy and service reliability” as one of its corporate missions, I must say that the implementation of this new bus fare structure has only left me with a bad impression of the planners. They could easily have avoided this dismal spectacle with better planning and execution that was more commuter friendly instead of just thinking about their coffers.

And for that I say … Boo, RapidKL!

Short+Sweet09:Theater Winners List

KLPac Presents

SHORT+SWEET: THEATER
A Festival of Words

Congratulations to the theater performances who made it to the Short+Sweet09: Theater Gala Night a resounding success! We had full houses and floor seating only for the performance.

Congratulations to all the winners selected that night!

Short+Sweet 09: Theater Winners List:

Best Actor (Female) – Bella Rahim ("Life's A Twitch")
Best Actor (Male) – Lvynn ("Faith")
Best New Talent (Female) – Claudia Low ("Baby, Baby")
Best New Talent (Male) - Jon Chew ("Fuckin' Food")
Best Script – Adiwijaya ("Allah!")
Best Director – Megat Sharizal ("Allah!")

Best Overall Production – "Allah!"
People's Choice Award - "Phat!"
S+S Festival Director's Choice Award - "Unsaid"

All the winning entries as well as the rest of the productions in this edition of the theater festival have showcased the diversity of what was possible with the 10 minute play format. Looking at the packed houses that we had almost every night during the 2 week run, I’m sure that we provided both entertainment and inspiration for others to try their hand too in theater productions of this format.

I, for one, will be looking forward to what the next edition of the Short+Sweet: Theater Festival will bring to the scene next.

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/

Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114381279264

“Short+Sweet: Theater – Gala Night” at KLPac

KLPac Presents

SHORT+SWEET: THEATER
A Festival of Words

Congratulations to the theater performances that made it through to the "Short+Sweet 2009: Theater" Gala Night!

1. “Life's A Twitch”

Writer: Maya Tan Abdullah

Director: Hot Buns

Cast: Bella Rahim, Hairi

Synopsis: Mice and men- do they escape life's difficulties the same way?

2. “Waiting for Godot Too”

Writer: Fasyali Fadzly bin Saipul Bahri

Director: Fasyali Fadzly bin Saipul Bahri

Cast: Muhammad Shukri bin Mohd Tahir, Fiona Anne Kab

Synopsis: Friendly or rude, they talk about politics, religion, women etc, but what about art?

3. “Phat!”

Writer: Akmar Zaki

Director: Akmar Zaki

Cast: Amy Tia, Sadyabama, Tiana Xavier, Hazel Hadian

Synopsis: We are the new Kate Moss (with beautiful curves) in town. We are here to say that fat is phat!

4. "Poo By Any Other Name Smells As Bad"

Writer: Indra Irwan Mohd Sari

Director: Tuna Lim

Cast: Season Chee, Gordon Tan

Synopsis: A play discussing the ideologies and principles that have become the buzzwords commonly read in Malaysian blogs.

5. “Faith”

Writer: Aminda Faradilla

Director: Esnani Elias

Cast: Lvynn

Synopsis: The story of a woman who saw the end as just another day, highlighted and circled on a calendar.

6. “Unsaid”

Writer: Nandang Abdul Rahman

Director: Kelvin Wong

Cast: Hunter Leow, Rashdan Harith

Synopsis: When proof is demanded in words, could deeds be an adequate substitute instead?

7. “Baby, Baby”

Writer: Nora Lim

Director: Nora Lim

Cast: Claudia Low

Synopsis: Follow an obsessed Kate on her emotional and at times, hilarious journey to get pregnant.

8. “The Junction”

Writer: Lakshman Balakrishnan

Director: Kamaruzzaman

Cast: Glamorique Arshad, Mervyn Raj Manikam

Synopsis: Life is a junction. Where do I go now?

9. “Allah!”

Writer: Adiwijaya

Director: Megat Sharizal

Cast: Abdul Qahar Aqilah, Shah Redza Minhat

Synopsis: Two men meet on a ledge of a tall building in a moral struggle of non-epic proportions

10. “Fuckin' Food”

Writer: Kevin Larken

Director: Christopher Ling

Cast: Jon Chew, Gowri Paary

Synopsis: What do you want to eat?

Date & Time:
Dance Gala Night: 16 August @ 8.30pm

Venue:
PENTAS 2, THE KUALA LUMPUR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE (KLPac)

Tickets:
RM40
RM25 (students, sr. citizens & the disabled)

PROMOTIONS
Enjoy a 10% discount when you purchase a ticket for Week 1, Week 2 and the Gala Final! (In a single receipt)

Box Office:
(KLPac) 4047 9000

Venue Website: http://www.klpac.com/

Facebook Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114381279264