Front Row

Zombies are popular on TV and films. Some theme parks have incorporated them as part of their attractions. Our producer went to a shoplot studio, avoiding the singing zombies there to chat with three involved in the upcoming musical showcase. The writer-lyricist narrates how the idea for this work came to him and tells on the collaboration with music composers Lydia Tong and Kelvin Loh. Our other...

Three decades after it first drew its curtains, Phantom of the Opera continues to thrill audiences around the world with its high drama and stellar music. In celebration of the musical’s 30th anniversary, Michael Cormick and Claire Lyon, who played the Raoul and Christine in previous productions, are presenting an evening of songs from the show in Kuala Lumpur. They talk to us about performi...

On a Sunday afternoon just as a tea crowd broke into a downtown restaurant, our producer met with artist Poesy Liang. She had very recently exhibited a provocative installation at Art Stage Singapore in January. As words spilled between her cup and her lips and midst the hum of conversations and order-taking, she revealed that whimsical in her art belied her serious concern about creating experien...

When we see paintings in museums from years or even centuries ago, we don’t often think about the people who are responsible for their upkeep. But painting conservation plays an essential part in making sure we can continue to enjoy the masterpieces of the past. Kristin Rattke, paintings conservator with the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, talks about her job and her upcoming lecture, “P...

The annual Le French Festival 2018 is back with an eclectic array of films, performances, art, and food from France. Jacques Bounin, the Director of Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur, talks about the many events in store at the festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does education really mean in Malaysia when viewed through the lenses of the urban-rural divide, class differences and wealth gap? Anomalist Production explores these issues in its play, IQ.Rock. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Ridhwan Saidi has been staging a series of Malay-language playlets he wrote since last year, which he calls Teater Modular. With the last four in the series currently being staged, Ridhwan talks about the process of writing the plays and bringing them to stage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gamelan has been a part of local Malay culture since the early 19th century. A group of young practitioners have founded a contemporary gamelan group called Gangsapura with the aim of both keeping the art relevant and teaching new performers. In conjunction with an upcoming four-week course, co-founders Teuku Umar Ilany and Nur Diyana Nadirah talk about their love for gamelan and their vision for...

The travelling minstrel was a medieval poet and a musician. Also known as a troubadour, they often travelled in troupes across countries and continents bringing stories and weaving. Joining Elaine Foster on this month’s edition of Speak Easy is a modern day minstrel and travelling poet from Singapore, Deborah Emmanuel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do doodles have to do with cancer? On World Reverse Cancer Day, which is observed on 2nd of April, Doodle Malaysia will be helping Cancer Research Malaysia to promote awareness on cancer research. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four emerging theatre directors present their debut productions in a quadruple bill titled “Light. Eve. Soldiers. Fire.” The directors, who come from urban collective Theatresauce’s inaugural Emerging Directors Lab, share their experiences and talk about the productions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Patani region refers to an area in Thailand that is historically informed by Malay ethnicity and Islam. In “Patani Semasa”, contemporary art by 28 artists - both from the region and those engaged with related issues - presents different perspectives on the area. Curator Gridthiya Gaweewong talks about the process of putting the exhibition together, and the many narratives that have...

Malaysian artist chi too uses bitumen as a medium to draw a series of straight lines, in a solo exhibition called “Sometimes When We Touch” that examines the labour that goes into art while also refusing to be easily defined. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The musician-writer, who has embraced Arabic music, is touring the country focusing on reaching out to young audiences and to marginalized groups with the hope of showing them how the arts can help open them to themselves. While educators underscore the importance of the arts, Ms Centrone takes the practical steps to engage, challenge and push these young people to look within at their own beautif...

Spoofing ‘Mamma Mia’? The show bills with this catchy headline:  “A Mother. A Daughter. Three Possible Dads.” But adds that this musical offers “a different perspective on a well-known story.” These three Tans have been performing together just below the radar and have now stepped into the spotlight taking on something familiar but promises to be different....

MAP Fest 2018 returns with a month full of activities focused on the arts, environment, and more. The festival organisers talk about what they have in store this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Singapore Dance Theatre presents its ninth edition of Ballet Illuminations in Kuala Lumpur, which includes something for everyone: classical, neoclassical, and children’s ballet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In “Daerah Ruwat”, artist Shaarim Sahat uses his gritty, pop art-inspired approach to address topics of national identity, inequality, and class issues. Shaarim and curator S. Jamal Al-Idrus talk about the journey to Shaarim’s debut art exhibition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melaka Classics is a classical music project that explores the city of Melaka through classical music. The programme’s creative director talks about how they are bringing together international and local musicians to put the show together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Childhood drawings and the memories of school days come together in MeiKei Ho’s first solo art exhibition, “100 Markah = A+”. MeiKei discusses how her work is a commentary on the pressures of today’s education system, and both the pleasures and challenges of childhood.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three choreographers from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan come together to present “Nyanyian Bumi”, a dance project that studies the relationship between humans and nature in today’s world. Lim Pei Ern, Aco Ridwan, and Atsushi Heki incorporate elements of Kadazandusun, Indonesian, and Japanese culture in a performance that pays homage to Mother Earth. Pei Ern and Atsushi talk abou...

From Wawasan 2020 in 1991 to Transformasi Nasional 2050 in 2017, Malaysians have been given several versions of their future as a developed nation. In theatre production “Version 2020”, five performers present alternative visions of Malaysia’s future by combining fact and fiction, and by leaping between the past and present. The creators of the show talk about how it was put toge...

A brand new theatre company is staging its first public production, a tale about bullies and the bullied. The company, which bills itself as one with “big dreams” and with the desire to “change the world for the better” is focusing on an issue that has been headlined as a problem in schools. Get a view into this theatre company, and in the midst of a slew of offerings of a...

The problems women face in the workplace often remain unseen. “Invisible Women” is an art exhibition based on stories collected online of gender discrimination in the workplace. Organised by the Women’s Aid Organisation, the exhibition turns the stories and statistics of gender discrimination into art, visualising issues that are often discussed in abstract terms. See omnystudio....

In How Are You? I Am Well, Malaysian artist Chang Yoong Chia begins to tell the story of how and why he became an artist. Reaching back to childhood memories, he presents a new body of paintings, drawings, sketches and poems that explore the transformative magic of making art, and the relationship between the real world and the artistic imagination. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...