Front Row

Malaysian-born Zuriani Zonneveld is a writer, songwriter, producer, singer, educator and advocate for human rights in Islam. Based in the United States, she talks about her award-winning songwriting career, the 'Anni Zola' project, and her work on educating people about Islam and promoting interfaith tolerance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BFM turns two and as part of the celebrations, radio legend and arts practitioner Faridah Merican joined the Bigger Picture as guest host. She is joined by another radio icon, George Abraham, and together they reminisce about their experiences in radio broadcasting back in the day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cedric Tan, Honorary Secretary of Persatuan Peranakan Baba & Nyonya Kuala Lumpur & Selangor, gives us the 411 on all things Peranakan. In this second part of his discussion on Peranakan culture, Cedric tells us about the traditions of the Peranakan community - their clothing, food, beliefs and superstitions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Leader's Legacy: Tun Abdul Razak, is an exclusive 60-minute documentary about Malaysia's second prime minister, which aims to reveal his personal side. Join the documentary's director Justin Ong, and Basil Chua, Territory Director of Malaysia for Fox International Channels, as they share their experiences recreating the not-often-seen life and times of Malaysia's Father of Development. See omnys...

Convinced that Chinese people can be funny, comedian Douglas Lim scoured the country for like-minded (and like-coloured) people and eventually formed the M.A.C.C. – the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians - with cohorts Kuah Jenhan and Phoon Chi Ho. These two young men tell us more about their job of making Malaysia a funnier place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cedric Tan, Honorary Secretary of Persatuan Peranakan Baba & Nyonya Kuala Lumpur & Selangor, gives us the 411 on all things Peranakan. In this first of a two part series, Cedric tells us about the origins and history of the Peranakan community at large, and how they came to be in the Malay peninsula. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The act of doodling isn't given enough credit - or so believes Amy Leong of SqueakArt Asia. Together with her sister Cecilia, they have launched Project Raksasa Doodles, a socially-driven project that wants everyone - artistic talent notwithstanding -  to send in their doodle masterpieces. Find out how Amy plans to make your oodles of doodles into a global exhibition. See omnystudio.com/liste...

The sometimes controversial but always passionate Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia (KARYAWAN) president Datuk Freddie Fernandez has spent most of his life at the forefront of the country's entertainment industry. He talks candidly about the current state of the local music industry, discussing the problems plaguing it and the efforts being made to improve the industry, including the recent Wajib Siar r...

Ian McEwan is regarded as one of the finest writers of his generation, and amongst the most controversial. His early pieces were notorious for their dark themes and perverse, even gothic, material. He won the Somerset Maugham Award for his collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites (1975) and was nominated three times for Britain’s most prestigious literary award, the Booker Prize f...

Like their name suggests, the six talented members of Juxtasound come from different walks of life, but share the same passion - music and singing. Half of this motley crew - David Oh, Eason Tang and Hunter Leow - tell us more about the acoustic and acapella music they create together, and all the goodies they have in store at their concert, A Night With Juxtasound . Listen out for a sneak preview...

PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public, by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation ("chit chat"), It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring cre...

Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' was, to some degree, a reflection of his own life. The highly anxious Kafka viewed modern man as an alienated being living in an ever-increasing cold and mechanised world, as witnessed by his hyper-responsible, alienated character Gregor Samsa. The Oral Stage, under the direction of Christopher Jacobs, are set to stage this powerful story, and castmembers Lim Kien...

Sitar living legend Ustad Usman Khan makes his way to our shores, promising some soul-stirring and deeply evocative classical Indian music, in the concert "Soul Sitar." Accompanying this gifted musician is Malaysia's very own tabla virtuoso, Prakash Kandasamy, who tells us more about Ustad Usman's impressive work, both as a musician and as a teacher. Prakash also talks about his own love affair wi...

“My Lingam Speaks” is set to be a night of comedy “told from a 6 ½ inch perspective, while trying to stand up.” Promising a huge dose of comedy, plus a mixture of drama, romance, action and even some horror, 'My Lingam Speaks' is a saucy look at all things Malaysian, served up by the dishy Terry and thecuz. Joining The Bigger Picture today to tell us what their 'ling...

This year, non-profit organisation The Befrienders KL mark 40 years of helping the lonely and depressed members of our community. Their fundraising charity dinner to mark the occasion will feature the staging of the pop musical 'Six In The City', presented by Integrated Expressions. Six In The City's Music Director Penny Low and Producer Yim Mei Choo tell us about the pop-a-licious musical they've...

Secrets, lies and denial abound in Sam Shepard's "Buried Child", which follows the lives of a Midwestern family, and the secret that threatens to ruin them all. Director Alex Chua talks about his interpretation of this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which he is presenting as part of KLPAC's Theatre for Young People (T4YP) series. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One-fifth of the 'rock-gods of art' in Malaysia, Bayu Utomo Radjikin of the Matahati collective talks to us about ArTriangle 2010, an exhibition showcasing the latest artworks from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. Currently running at the National Art Gallery, this event is a diverse showcase of paintings, sculptures, drawings and various other mediums of art, from an equally divers...

The 25th of July 2010 marks the one-year anniversary of filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad's passing. In conjuction with this anniversary, The Instant Cafe Theatre and Yasmin's younger sister, Orked Ahmad, present a charity screening of the film Talentime , Yasmin's final feature film prior to her death. Orked also talks about her sister's legacy, generosity and talent, and the year that has been for Orked an...

Founder and director of The Bharathanjali Dance Academy, Bavani Kanesamoorthy, talks to us about her school's latest project, Buddha: The Splendor of Enlightenment , a dance-musical that recollects Prince Siddharta's experiences in his search for peace and enlightenment. Bavani also talks about the dance school she set up some 20 years ago and her experiences as both a student and teacher of class...

Visual artist Popok Tri Wahyudi is one of the founding members of Apotik Komik, the group responsible for the Public Comic Art Project in Indonesia. He has gained a reputation as one of the emerging forces of contemporary Indonesian art, and has exhibited widely in several countries around Asia, Europe and Australia. He talks about his beginnings and influences in the art world and discusses his f...

With no lost-in-translation situations to worry about, Nanta Cookin' is the Korean non-verbal comedic caper, which combines the traditional Korean percussion performance Samulnori and vigorous acrobatic movements, with a bit of drama thrown in for good measure. Director of Nanta Cookin' Kim Chan-Seo and Centrestage Entertainment Event Director Koid Li Yee tell us about this kitchen-utensil propped...

Does happily-ever-after exist at all? What are the secrets to achieving it? Can love conquer all? Starlets/castmembers Elvira Arul and Rina Omar dish on Nell Ng's latest musical, Always in Wonderland? which features 80's music, colourful costumes and even more colourful advice-dispensing fairytale characters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From piano-lesson hater to Jazz pianist extraordinaire, Michael Veerapen has taken his craft to dizzying heights, both locally and abroad. In the midst of other projects, he now tackles Love Journey , a jazz and blues concert which sees the Michael Veerapen Trio performing with the multi-talented Joanna Bessey. Michael lets us in what's in store in Love Journey , while discussing his own musical j...

Playwright Mark Beau de Silva creates his first full-length Hokkien-language play, which follows the adventures of Tuah Thou (Big Head), Huan Chu Thou (Potato Head), their 'Mama' and her friend Ah Huat - and their adventures in preparing for the arrival of Mama's sister from Singapore, the rich Aunty Sien.  Talking to us about the play, growing up in Penang (practically the whole cast is from...

Psychedelic songs and groovy girls shimmy their way onto the Malaysian stage in Shout! - The Mod Musical , a coming-of-age tale set in 1960's England. Casey Koh, Music Director and Executive Producer of the musical, tell us more about the Malaysian recreation of this George & Lowenstein wonderhit, and how the themes and songs still resonate even today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...