From stage plays, contemporary dance, pantomime and lakhon chatri (traditional Thai folk dance-drama), to many other genres of performing arts, the 13th edition of Bangkok Theatre Festival returns under the theme "New View, New Eyes" on Tuesday until Nov 15.
For the third year, after moving from the open-air Santi Chaiprakan Park, the city's biggest theatre-fest (75 performances by 70 theatre troupes) is again taking place at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. With a mission to draw in a "new view and new eyes", both in terms of theatre artists and audience, festival director Pradit Prasartthong said the focus for the festival this year is to provide a platform for the new generation.
"While the studio room on the fourth and sixth floors are for theatre troupes who are quite established," said Pradit, "we have several other smaller stages for companies just starting out. This year we also have the 'New Eyes' project in which groups of high school students from around the country will get to put on a show for the first time."
Aside from this cultural centre on Rama VI, there are quite a few other venues that have joined the festival with their own productions, from Sodsai Pantumkomol Centre of Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Democrazy Theatre Studio, Crescent Moon Space and B-floor Room at Pridi Bhanomyong Institute, Thonglor Art Space and Creative Industries at M theatre on New Petchaburi Road.
To get you into the theatrical spirit, Life has rounded up five highlights that are not to be missed from this 13-day festival.
Murder (Un)seen.
Murder (Un)seen
Inspired by the controversial 2008 murder case of American student Meredith Kercher, New Theatre Society's Grisana Punpeng presents a suspense play Murder (Un)seen in his exploration of our perception through mass media and what the reality actually is. Kercher's roommate Amanda Knox was first found guilty before later announced innocent years later, and what amazed and triggered Grisana to write the play was how his opinion towards Knox constantly shifted according to every piece of news from various media outlets.
While Sureeporn Vorakulsanti plays Sunny, the girl who was murdered, the roommate and her boyfriend, the murder suspects, are portrayed by Waywiree Ittianunkul and Wachara Kanha. Despite being a suspense, Murder Un(seen) also has comedic moments provided by Parnrut Kritchanchai who plays various different roles. The story is told in reverse in the style of a documentary, with clues revealed in each scene throughout the show, that plays with the audience's shifting opinion and conviction.
Murder (Un)seen
The Binmen.
The Binmen
Originating as a 15-minute play as part of "24hr Fest" last year, in which all theatre productions were created from scratch within 24 hours, The Binmen by Pastel Theatre's playwright Ratapong Pinyosophon is back in a much fuller, one-hour form for the Bangkok Theatre Festival.
Directed by Ben Bussarakamwong, the new cast -- Athapol Anunthavorasakul, Orada Lelanuja, Kwin Bhichitkul, Ladapha Sophonkunkit and Praphaphan Suthirawut -- sets out to tell a story about conflicting groups of people in society and an issue of human value. Created at a time when political witch-hunt cases were rife, the story is about a group of waste collectors who stumble upon a homeless man, whose human value is later put to a series of tests.
The Binmen
Art.
Art
After a leading role in the Thai version of Pascal Rambert's Cloture De L'Amour last year, Sasithorn Panichnok is back at Sodsai Pantumkomol Centre of Dramatic Arts again, but this time in the directorial role of the Thai version of Yasmina Reza's play Art. It's a story of three close friends whose friendship is put to the test when one of them purchases a very expensive painting, with only a few white lines on a white canvas. Aside from finding the script witty, Sasithorn picked the play because she loves the way it questions the value of art and our judgement on it, and what that says about ourselves.
While Nuttapong Mongkolsawas plays Marc, an aeronautical engineer who's practical and straightforward, Setthawut Chanpensuk plays Serge, a dermatologist who appreciates the value of art. The other actor is Train Prinyaknit who plays Yvon, a salesman who is witty but indecisive, willing to compromise and adapt himself to any situation. Sasithorn said that the play is not just about art but a representation of our society, about the willingness to open to the values of other people.
Art
Strategic Loneliness
Organised by The Japan Foundation, Bangkok, Mikuni Yanaihara, director and choreographer of dance company Nibroll, presents a play exploring loneliness and alienation in a futuristic world. Set in 2050, although the social context of the play is not much different from present time, Yanaihara explores a time of genetic variations, with human beings having become radioactivity-resistant and life expectancy is longer than previously was.
While Pavinee Samakkabutr and Ornanong Thaisriwong play as humans of a genetically-enhanced breed called "Super" who can live more than 100 years, Nozomi Kawata plays a normal human who attempts to cross over to the advanced side of human species. It's a story of three people who long to live but are trapped in a limbo of loneliness and alienation.
Strategic Loneliness is staged at Thonglor Art Space, from Nov 6-8 at 8.30pm. Tickets cost 550 baht. For reservations, call 095-924-4555.
The True History Of The Tragic Life And Triumphant Death Of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman In The World
In Peel the Limelight's production of Shaun Prendergast's The True History Of The Tragic Life And Triumphant Death Of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman In The World, the audience will be blindfolded throughout the show because the performance is "sensory based", communicated through different means, including sounds and smells.
Directed by Peter O'Neill, the play, based on true events, tells the story of a poor Mexican woman born with a disfiguring genetic condition and sold as a child to be exhibited in freak shows around the world. While Siree Riewpaiboon plays Julia Pastrana, the rest of the ensemble -- Claire Stanley, James Laver, Mandi Manson, Neil Anthony Rusia, and Tom Poldre -- play the many characters surrounding her life, from childhood to death.
The True History Of The Tragic Life And Triumphant Death Of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman In The World
