Another dynamic year for the Bangkok theatre scene comes to a close. Here are some of the highlights and our top five theatre productions of the year.
From stage to gallery
Thanapol Virulhakul's The Retreat. Photo: Peerapol Kijreunpiromsuk
Putting on a show not designed for the theatre is nothing new, but this past year saw two stars of the theatre world crossing over into performance art territory, making art galleries their new home in interesting ways. Dujdao Vadhanapakorn's Afterlight, which is part of the first Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB), took place on the 8th floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) and featured solo performances in the afternoon and an ensemble performance in the evening with a light installation and a site-specific dance video. Thanapol Virulhakul's The Retreat started off as a stage performance. Its second incarnation, however, was part of the Ghost:2561 video and performance art series at Bangkok CityCity Gallery in October. In the past decade, Thailand's visual artists have made the greatest strides on the global stage compared to artists in other fields, so for more theatre artists to break into this world is a very exciting development indeed.
The political body
Pratthana – A Portrait Of Possession. Photo © Japan Foundation Asia Center
For some strange reason, the body seemed to be the focus of artists known for the political nature of their work this year. Dujdao's Afterlight wrestles with the idea of freedom in the way our bodies exist and move in society. Pratthana: A Portrait Of Possession -- Japanese director Toshiki Okada's stage adaptation of Uthis Haemamool's novel Rang Khong Pratthana -- asks similar questions about bodies that have lived through several military regimes. Thanapol's The Retreat, meanwhile, asks performers to put their bodies in intensely intimate and dangerous situations, creating an unsettling and charged atmosphere and turning the theatre into an unsafe place rather than a refuge for dangerous ideas.
Original plays collected
A new theatre entity was formed last year by a group of visionary artists called Collective Thai Scripts to compile and publish original contemporary Thai plays in Thai and English. Their first publication, under the theme of micro-politics, is a collection of four performance scripts by four different artists that were written and staged between 2014 and 2017, with 2014 being the year of the military coup. Many Thai playwrights make a career of adapting Western plays, and too many original Thai plays never get published or staged by artists other than their playwrights, who often direct their own plays. For so long, Thai theatre artists have underestimated the impact and potential of the literary side of theatre. This collection is the first publication of its kind in Thailand. What is even more exciting and significant about this collection is the selection of plays that defy the conventions of play-writing. The book will be out soon. Hopefully, it will have wide-reaching impact.
Agnes Of God (Peel The Limelight)
Agnes Of God. Photo: Surasak Kerdsin
All the plays the company staged this year dealt with sexual and gender-based violence. Peter O'Niell gave us a haunting production of John Pielmeier's play with gut-wrenching performances by Siree Riewpaiboon, Heen Sasithorn and Claire Stanley.
Gala
Jérôme Bel's Gala. Photo: Siriwan Pakmei
This joyful production by French choreographer Jérôme Bel brought together 15 bodies of all sizes and capabilities on stage to move, dance and celebrate. The Thai ensemble gave us an exuberant and fearless performance. A remarkable celebration of dance and the human body.
I Am My Own Wife (Peel The Limelight)
James Laver in Peel The Limelight's production of I Am My Own Wife. Photo: Jaime Zúñiga
This English-speaking theatre company was responsible for some of the best performances of the year. Directed by Jaime Zúñiga, this production of Doug Wright's Pulitzer Prize–winning play required acting feats the likes of which are rarely attempted in Thailand. James Laver was flawless as transgender antiquarian Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and dozens of other characters.
Pratthana: A Portrait Of Possession
I didn't like Uthis Haemamool's novel, but Toshiki Okada's four-hour-long stage adaptation was undeniably masterful and far more successful than the book in drawing parallels between a country governed by oppressive regimes and a body governed by desire.
Taxiradio (Fullfat Theatre)
Written and directed by Nophand Boonyai, this atmospheric play about human connection and disconnection in Bangkok is gorgeously and movingly told. It's also a beautiful sonic experience.
