Theatre Gets A Boost

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - A passion for creating original Malaysian plays has led two brothers to establish their own theatre company, and they have roped in an award-winning mother and daughter who share their mission and vision.

Calvin and Marvin Wong created The Electric Minds Project (EMP) early this year, and staged their first production Stage Therapy in April.

From Aug 12-16, at PJ Live Arts in Jaya One, Petaling Jaya, EMP will present its second production The Things We Have Lost, a showcase of plays about grief, despair, abandonment and hope.

The production is directed by Marvin, best known for his work with the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre`s (KLPaC) Theatre For Young People (T4YP) project last year.

It stars actress Elza Irdalynna, who doubles as producer, as well as Sham Sunder Binwani and Natalya Abdul Molok.

Elza`s mother, veteran actress Azean Irdawaty, is the company`s patron.

Calvin, 23, is an advertising graduate from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, while Marvin, 19, was active in theatre during his schooldays in St John`s Institution.

Calvin said: “We`ve always loved writing scripts and over the last year, we had our own script-reading sessions with a group of friends.”

Marvin said: “We called this activity Live Shocks, and up-and-coming director and writer Alex Chua, who did theatre in Britain, gave us strong support. So did our production manager Adeline Ong, who was active with The Penang Players.”

The brothers and their friends created about 100 scripts, and read them every two Sundays.

Calvin said: “This sharing of experiences, coming together and being creative as a group made us realise that there was a large, untapped creative potential of quality Malaysian plays.

“We thus decided to give the theatre industry a boost by setting up our own company, so that we could encourage writers, nurture performers and put their work before an audience.”

Marvin said: “And we wanted our fellow Malaysians to be `infected` by a love for performing arts.”

Stage Therapy, staged at The Annexe Gallery in Central Market, Kuala Lumpur, was well-received and tickets were sold out fast.

Marvin said: “The Things We Have Lost plans to follow in the success of Stage Therapy by giving the audience what they loved the first time — sharp writing, strong performances and stories they can relate to.”

Calvin said they will have their first full-length production A Light In KL City during Christmas in KLPaC.

“It`s a tale of people living in Kuala Lumpur, and `searching` for fulfillment and happiness in the big, bustling city,” he said.

“It`s also written by 10 writers.”

Live Shocks remains a fixture of the company. The laid-back script-reading session now hears out talented script-writers from around the Klang Valley in a supportive and slightly zany atmosphere.

Marvin said: “We also have Scared Scriptless which is a weekly improvisation workshop that proves comedy is easy. It`s all about focused, quick-thinking and fast-ball comedy.”

The company also offers workshops in drama and communication as an avenue for art lovers to improve their drama skills.

Elza, a performing arts graduate from Sunway University College, said she joined the company to help `amplify` the creativity of young theatre enthusiasts who were passionate about creating original Malaysian works.

“While I`m more of an actress, I`m determined to be a successful scriptwriter and director in the long-run, too,” she said.

“Electric Minds is a great avenue to build up a truly Malaysian theatre industry. We`re determined to create good plays in English and Bahasa Malaysia.”

Marvin said Elza and Azean were a “formidable team” in Malaysian theatre, and it was “superb” to have their support.

“Kak Yan (as Azean is known to theatre practitioners) has always been supportive of us. We`ve learnt a lot from her, while Elza is full of ideas, too,” he said.

Azean said she chose to be the company`s patron as it was a “noble effort” by young Malaysians to build up Malaysian theatre.

“It is through the arts, especially theatre, that the all-Malaysian stars of tomorrow will emerge. Theatre not only helps create great actors, directors and producers, but also enhances the spirit of 1Malaysia amongst the youth,” she said.

The company conducts most of its activities at the PJ Live Arts centre which has, as its artistic director, Datuk Zahim Albakri, an old friend of Azean and Elza.

The centre`s executive director Terri Choong said Petaling Jaya-born theatre enthusiasts were always given priority when it came to attendance at productions staged there.

“We are a community theatre centre which is easily accessible to Petaling Jaya folk, and it is our aim to give the arts scene in Petaling Jaya a boost, now that we are a city,” she said.

“From time to time, we give away free tickets to residents of our city.”

The showcase is at 8.30pm from Aug 12-15 and 3pm on Aug 16. There is an additional 3pm show on Aug 15.

Entry is by donation of RM20. Call 017-232-2578 or 012-306-1229. Dennis Chua

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (29 June 2009)

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