Front Row

Combining the traditions of gamelan with contemporary theatre and the charms of young talent, "Bites of Delights" is a unique Malaysian musical production by gamelan group Rhythm In Bronze, in collaboration with children's theatre advocate Jumping Jellybeans. We find out what's in store from Nezia Azmi, who is the Assistant to the Executive Producer and also from castmembers Dhivyaa Mailvaganam an...

Storytelling has come a long way, and the Storytelling Festival 2012, the second edition of the Malaysia International Storytelling Festival is set to kick off this week to reintroduce the art of storytelling as a powerful tool in getting our messages and stories across. The multi-talented Jo Kukathas, writer, actor, director and storyteller, is one of the participants in this year's festival and...

The annual Latin American Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur returns, promising a showcase of Latin American culture through films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela. Joining us to share what's in store are Mario Miranda the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ecuador in Malaysia and Luisa Elena Lopez Hernandez, the First Secretary at the Embassy...

New York playwright Rich Orloff's one-act comedy "Romantic Fools" has been performed more than 800 times around the world and now makes is debut in Kuala Lumpur. We find out what to expect in this comedic revue on love, lust, dating and romance from lead actor Tony Eusoff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actress Neo Swee Lin and producer Amsalan Doraisingam discuss the award winning "Nadirah," a funny, insightful and moving play which wrestles with complex issues by grounding it in a story about a quirky family and the ties that bind. The play is written by Singapore's Alfian Sa'at and directed by Malaysia's Jo Kukathas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hoping to provide an avenue for gifted young Malaysian string players to showcase their talents, Beecher Acoustics Ltd, which was founded in 1972 in the UK, is setting up the Beecher International String Orchestra right here in Kuala Lumpur. Co-founders Jonathan Beecher and Sarah Porter share more about their hopes for the Malaysian arm of the Beecher String Orchestra family. See omnystudio.com/li...

An organisation set up to champion, develope and invest in artistic and cultural efforts in Malaysia for all Malaysians, founder, director and miracle worker Izan Satrina shares how the My Performing Arts Agency or MyPAA hopes to raise the standard of locally created art. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A weaver from the age of 17, Carol Cassidy made a name for herself by combining her own wealth of experience with Laotian heritage, and started Lao Textiles, which has helped rejuvenate the weaving art form. Now a recognized Guggenheim Studio Artist, Carol discusses her long journey with the art of weaving, and shares more about her exhibition of works here in Malaysia, "Gorgeous Weaves". See omny...

Drawing from legends, literature, and historical lore of different cultures, the folks at Box of Delights are striving to entertain, educate and inspire young audiences. We find out what they have in store from theatre practitioners and ensemble members Marina Tan and Na'a Murad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Canticle Singers are celebrating their 20th anniversary and we hear more of the choral group's journey thus far, and find out about the grand concert they have in store to celebrate their milestone, from founder HK Chong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kakiseni's Collaborative Outreach programme will see notable and new Malaysian artists working with international artists, to facilitate the creation and dissemination of new works, either as an outreach presentation or a full-fledged production. We find out more about this collaborative outreach programme from Kakiseni's Low Ngai Yuen, facilitator Sam Scott and participant Syed Zalihafe. See omny...

The FreedomFilmFest (FFF) is turning 10 this year and they are celebrating with a multi-arts human rights festival, featuring a showcase of more than 20 local and international human rights films as well as a range of arts and activism workshops and exhibitions throughout the two days. Arul Prakkash, the Citizenship Education Coordinator of KOMAS and Boon Kia Meng, the director of the film "M-C-M'...

We find out more about the original musical "Empress Wu" presented by Dama Orchestra, which is based on the life, loves and times of China's first and only female emperor, Empress Wu. Sharing more about the musical in store and about the iconic lady are Dama Orchestra's Pun Kai Loon, who is the Director and Set Designer for the musical, and also Alex Koh, who plays the Emperor in the musical. See...

Kyoko Kugai, a Senior Program Officer with the Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, drops in to discuss the annual Japanese film festival which the foundation organises here in KL, and to give us a crash course on Japanese films. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lisa Foo, a designer and the curator of the Malaysian exhibits, together with Jeffrey Lim, a graphic designer and owner of Studio 25, tell us more about the local projects from The British Council's "Everything Forever Now – Designs For A Sustainable Future," a travelling exhibition on sustainable design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Production company Red Communications is celebrating it's 12th Anniversary, and in conjunction with their birthday, they are organising a string of events related to Film and TV production at Publika in Solaris Dutamas. The force behind the company, Founder and Managing Director Lina Tan, joins us for a look back at the last 12 years, and to share more of what's in store. See omnystudio.com/listen...

The Temple of Fine Arts - TFA for short - are set to present a more light-hearted take of the epic Ramayana. Featuring a highly talented cast of children actors, Hasya Ramayana brings forth the story of Lord Rama's attempt to rescue his consort Sita from the hands of the evil Ravana. Mathan Rajasingam, Vijay Nair and Sri Thina Subramaniam, who are all part the production crew, who were previo...

Thanks to social networking sites and YouTube, even the most amateur filmmakers are given the platform to share their videos and make them go viral. "Love Drama? Create Your Own" is a competition that is offering the chance for these upcoming filmmakers to experience movie-making fun and to share their stories online.  Matt Armitage and visual artist Fauzi Yusoff share their involvement with...

UK's Idle Motion theatre company presents "The Vanishing Horizon", a production which encoporates visual elements - battered suitcases, helium balloons, puppets, and maps to name a few - in its narrative. The production is a tribute to the pioneering aviatrixes of flight and examines the theme of travel and flight from the 30's to the present day. Grace Chapman and Nick Pitt, both members of Idle...

Celebrating Asian stories from a global perspective, The International Storytelling Festival Singapore is a showcase of global storytellers who have worked their magic to give life to our own timeless Asian epics and legends. Poet, writer and translator Eddin Khoo, who is also the co-founder of PUSAKA, is one of the storytellers for the festival and provides us some insights on storytelling. Coinc...

A pioneer and active member of the renowned Wednesday Art Group founded by the late Peter Harris, visual artist and art educator Sivam Selvaratnam joins us to discuss her long career in the field of visual arts and art education. She also sheds more light on her second solo art exhibition, "Rapt in Maya," which is a showcase of her breadth of artworks that span some 50 years, which is also being h...

John Nicholson, founder of Popular Picture History Resources, continues to amaze us with his collections of bits and bobs that paint a greater picture of Malaya's ever growing history. He returns for a third time on the show to discuss his newest acquisitions and to give us a heads up on what's available at this year's Warisan Kertas sale and exhibition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Dungun born artist Chen Wei Ming spent his formative years living in around the small towns of Terengganu, and weaves these childhood experiences of the monsoon season into his paintings in his latest series, Silent Monsoon.  He joins us to discuss the series as well as the emotions he tries to evoke in his paintings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with their 15th anniversary, HANDS Percussion, one of Malaysia's best known percussion groups, is putting together a musical performance entitled Souls In Love.  Bernard Goh, co-creator and artistic director of HANDS Percussion, and Susan Sarah John, musical director of Souls In Love, sit down with us to explain what they have planned for the performance. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Reshad Strik is an Australian actor of Bosnian descent, and has starred in films such as The Hills Have Eyes 2 and music videos such as Jessica Simpson's Public Affair. Also a practicing Muslim, he joins us to share his unique experiences in Hollywood, while also discussing filmmaking, acting and the industry in general. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.