Front Row

In collaboration with Women’s Aid Organisation, a group of visual and performing artists have organized Kanvas Sessions as a fundraiser. Through this event, emerging artists are showcased with performances and exhibits which allow the attending public a view into the lives behind the songs and compositions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting the low down from the South African cast not just about performing the musical but also their views on primary and secondary school arts education, formal theatre training at the tertiary level and the importance of continual training to be on top of their game. They also share insights into the Jersey boys--Frankie Valli, Bob Guadio, Nick Massi and Tommy di Vito--their contributions and t...

On their fourth outing, this loosely-linked ensemble of Shakespeare-bent actors, takes on Hamlet but with a difference. Instead of the play being the thing, it offers a performance-lecture to give novices and the seasoned alike into the character of Hamlet. This production 'in equal scale weighing' performance and lecture, which entails some analyses and insights. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

A group of artists coming together for the first time to organize an exhibition. In the process they learn how creation can pivot from one foot to the other. Originally conceived as an exhibition of drawings it evolved into something more encompassing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new theatre company is born. Theatrethreesixty. Throughout April, it is presenting a month-long series of performances. These will feature six stories about appropriating the past for the sake of surviving today, in hope for a brighter tomorrow. Echoes of the artisitic director's own journey in the creative arts? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why awards for the local performing arts scene are important, not just recognition for starving artists but also encouragement and impetus to engender development and growth of the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five Arts Centre celebrates their 30th anniversary with a series of look-back performances, including a reprisal of their two minute solo shows called '2 Minute Solos: Art Meets Politics'. Lim Soon Heng speaks to Mark Teh of Five Arts Centre to find out more about this unique brand of environmental theatre. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The third curated installation by a group that has created a platform for emerging designers, craftsmen and other creatives. Themed "Intimate Design Showcase & Market", this one-day event seeks not only to connect the creators and designers together but to engage the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First-time director, Seshadri Kalimuthu, brings to our local stage a work by Japanese playwright, Koji Hasegawa. It presents the conversation between a teacher and a Yakuza. The Yakuza’s son has been missing from school and the teacher, Shin Ishioka – played by Japanese actor and educator–Doppo Narita, has been contacting the Yakuza and father of Hiroshi, Yuichi Nosaka. See omnys...

A painting by Indonesian artist Lee Man Fong, titled Bali Life in an auction last year fetched a record US$4.7 million. The most paid for a Southeast Asian work. What about this painting has made it so appealing and a compelling purchase? Southeast Asian works are drawing attention from investors and collectors, and perhaps the appeal is that these works are still affordable. See omnystudio.com/li...

Going backstage to talk to the writer, the production designer and musical director of the musical to find out how Sinbad the Sailor’s tales are being adapted for the musical stage. They give a sneak peek into the birth of this Australian-Malaysian production which will have its international premiere in Kuala Lumpur. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sharul is one of the headliners for the comedy show Super Kam and the League of Extraordinary Femmes 'The 2nd Kam-ming' and she joins us to discuss both her career in comedy and also what we can look forward to at the stand-up comedy show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nigel Hurst is Gallery Director and Chief Executive of the Saatchi Gallery in London and he is in KL for the launch of the Malaysian Prudential Eye Exhibition that's happening this weekend. Shefah Szetu spoke to him over the phone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Honouring emerging contemporary artists from across greater Asia and the Pacific, the Global Eye Programme is a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting emerging visual artists. The programme has held 17 exhibitions worldwide to date, and is set to launch the Malaysian edition, the Prudential Malaysian Eye. We find out more from Serenella Ciclitira, the CEO and founder of Parallel Conte...

New Zealand week is an annual event organised here in Malaysia by the New Zealand Government, to celebrate the linkages between our two countries. The theme for this year is Rima Mata Ika and Lim Soon Heng catches up with folks from JGeeks and The Geeks, a Maori comedy music group and also from the the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute to find out more about the cultural offerings in store for this...

Photographer Bonnie Yap went to the Arctic in August 2013 to shoot images of the mesmerising landscapes and wildlife of the northern hemisphere. She joins us to share her experiences which has resulted in the photo exhibition, The Jewel of the Arctic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Kafayat Quadri's music is said to be a blend of silence from the Sahara Desert and the melody of the Rocks of Abeokuta. Set to launch her debut EP this Friday, we get to know more about the music and poetry of this young Nigerian artist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author of What They Didn’t Teach You In Design School, Professor Phil Cleaver is a multi-award winning graphic designer whose motto is simply to ‘see things differently.’ We find out more about the man, his career, and his design philosophy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Featuring the works of Malaysian Sabri Idrus and Australians Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, this exhibition, the last-ever residency show at Rimbun Dahan, promises a collision of Lego and structures. We find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim McArthur, together with pianist Samuel Tan, are set to present an evening of songs from the World of Musical Theatre, in a showcase with stories, humour and a big voice. With theatre credits that include Side By Side By Sondheim, Wizard of Oz and South Pacific, Tim has performed his one-man show across the world and he joins us for a look-back at his career and teaser of his upcoming show. See...

Described as a little story about a little boy in a very sticky situation, Stuck is the award-winning story by Oliver Jeffers, which has made the leap from page to stage thanks to UK’s The Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company. Here to perform for the Malaysian audience, we catch up with cast members Sam Hoye and Grace Alexander-Scott, to find out more about the performance.  See omnystudio....

James Lee, one of the pioneers of digital filmmaking in Malaysia, is known for his quirky art house sensibilities. His digital films have been regular features at regional film festivals in recent years, and he joins us to discuss his filmmaking practice in Malaysia and the launch of Doghouse73 Pictures' official website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rubin Museum is the first museum in New York to have a comprehensive exhibition program of modern Indian art. Dr. Beth Citron is an Assistant Curator at the Rubin, where she has organised a series of exhibitions on Modernist Art from India, and Living Shrines of Uyghur China, featuring photography and video by New York-based artist Lisa Ross. She joins us to discuss h er work. See omnystudio.c...

Mohammed Langston Hues is a Muslim photographer and hip hop artist whose most recent endeavour is the Modest Street Fashion project, which is a collection of photographs that commemorates the emerging culture of modest street style that has erupted around the world. We find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back after a nearly 2-year break from the local visual arts scene, artist Paiman presents a variety of works which speak of the social and political realities of the world of today. He joins us to discuss his latest offerings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.