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Who's
Who
Pradit
(Tua) Prasartthong
(m)
Pongjit
(Jon) Saphakhun
(f)
Yada
(Muay) Kriangkraiwuttikul
(f)
Paluhad
(Kwai) Paholbutr
(m)
Richard
Barber
(m)
Supong
(Map) Jitmuang
(m)
Duangjai
(Phiao) Hirunsri
(f)
Kwanhatai
(Kwan) Boonlue
(f)
Samsak
(Tai) Siripan (m)
Duangkhae
(Jum) Buaprakhon (f)
Neelacha
(Bird) Fuangfookitt (f)
Sutarath
(Tom) Sinnong (f)
Sawanee
(Eiang) Utoomma (f)
Yaowaret
(Nuch) Katanyoosermpong (f)
Sontaya
(Son) Suchada (m)
Sukonthajit
(Jieb) Wongphuek (f)
Kitirat
(Jo) Ploemjit
(m)
Chulirat
(Krapao) Lerdwatasakul
(f)
Pafun
(Nual) Supawanit
(f)
Yupa
(Tae) Wongsupjaroen (f)
Kanitta (Wai) Sangurai (f)
Janita
(Luk Jan) Barber
(f)
 Pradit
(Tua) Prasartthong
(m) is Makhampom’s secretary general and most senior member, joining
Makhampom in 1982. For over a decade he has been director and
visionary of the group. He is renowned for his work in the fusion of
traditional and contemporary theatre styles and was recently awarded
by the Ministry of Culture as
Thailand
’s leading national contemporary performing artist. He is trained in
classical and contemporary performance and applies these skills
together with his TCCD experience, as facilitator, director, dancer,
actor, and dramaturg. He has recently returned from a fellowship in
USA
and is involved in several international collaborations. He also has a
curious ability to pull together complex, elaborate productions
without forgetting any element and at the same time lose his wallet or
keys or bag. >>
Top
Pongjit
(Jon) Saphakhun
(f) is Makhampom’s community program director and has been a
volunteer and staff member since 1989. Having grown up in a village in
the east of
Thailand
she readily develops a rapport with grassroots communities. Since 1996
she has lived between
Melbourne
and
Bangkok
with her partner, Richard Barber and in 1997 studied at the
John
Bolton
Theatre
School
in
Melbourne
. She has performed and facilitated projects in
Thailand
and extensively overseas. She maintains a strong focus on Thai
folklore, indigenous culture, performance exploration and people's
struggles and has a particular love of likay. She will be managing
Chiang Dao’s Makhampom Living Theatre from 2005. She has long been
the dynamic member of Makhampom and social glue, with her cheeky
character and energy infectious amongst all around Makhampom. Small
but dangerous…….
>> Top
Yada
(Muay) Kriangkraiwuttikul (f) is the Makhampom manager and senior member. She is also a
performer and facilitator of Makhampom’s community programs, with a
particular interest in the popular Thai theatre form of likay.
She is recognized as the mother figure of the group. And she is also
the holder of the money box. So everyone stays on the right side of
Muay. But getting that 3 Baht bus fare reimbursed can be a mighty
struggle.
>> Top
Paluhad
(Kwai) Paholbutr
(m) is the Education Program Director of Makhampom, specializing in
the volunteer development and educational theatre program. He has been
a member of Makhampom since 1990, forming the educational theatre
group, Gajidrid, in 1999. He maintains a focus on the development of
training curricula for Makhampom and its transfer into the education
system, both formal and informal. He has been a major force in
building the new volunteer base of Makhampom. He is also too tall to
be Thai. >>
Top
Richard
Barber
(m) is Makhampom’s resident foreigner, having ‘married’ into the
company in 1996. He has a background in political activism, community
development, and theatre. He worked with the Melbourne-based physical
music theatre company, Gonghouse, for six years, developing an
interest in ensemble music, design, physical performance, and
community theatre. He is currently completing his PhD on Makhampom at
Monash
University
’s Drama and
Theatre
Studies
School
. He maintains a focus on facilitation, training, research, program
management, and occasionally drives a taxi in
Melbourne
. He will be running the Chiang Dao program from 2005 with Jon, and
enjoying the chance to use his Civil Engineering degree in building
their house. He also holds the honorary position in Makhampom of
President of the Dog Mouth Club.
>> Top
Supong
(Map) Jitmuang
(m) has played an active role in Makhampom since joining in 1998. He
is working in the position of Documentation Coordinator and has been
active in the facilitation of Makhampom’s community projects. He
also has a love of cinema and dreams of taking this interest further
some day. Map is easily recognized at Makhampom as the one surrounded
by reams of butchers paper. And he is the polite one in the group. >>
Top
Duangjai
(Phiao) Hirunsri
(f) joined Makhampom whilst completing her theatre studies at
Thamasart
University
. She maintains a strong performance and facilitation role in
Makhampom, committing to a central role in Makhampom’s contemporary
theatre practice. She will is one of the key facilitators of the
International Program and is part of the working group of the
Performance Program. Her family lives beside a beautiful beach area so
a nice smile and sweet word or two might be good for an invitation.
>> Top
Kwanhatai
(Kwan) Boonlue
(f) has been a staff member of Makhampom over several years. She
specializes in community program coordination and facilitation and has
been coordinating the program with the Makhamkaew youth group in Mae
Hong Son. She maintains a particular focus on indigenous rights,
speaking several minority languages, and is currently developing
strategies for an Indigenous Program in Chiang Dao. In addition to
these jobs, she applied for the job of cleaner at Makhampom several
years ago and still has to clean the house because everyone else is
too lazy.
>> Top
Samsak
(Tai) Siripan (m)
is Makhampom’s strong classical artist alongside Tua and Jon.
Recently married to Ann, he is juggling work outside Makhampom with
his volunteer role, and in need of a holiday. He has been a prominent
player in Makhampom’s likay project, reflecting his village
upbringing in the famous likay
province
of
Lopburi
. Makhampom’s sweet gentle man.
>> Top
Duangkhae
(Jum) Buaprakhon (f)
is one of the movers and shakers of the group. Since her involvement
in 1992, she has been a key figure in the development of Makhampom’s
community workshop program, coordinating the Dao Luk Gai project in
Phitsanulok for many years and more recently the research project on
Makhampom’s community methodology. Family responsibilities have seen
her take up a role as a television producer, but she is busy pressing
community television initiatives through this position. When at
Makhampom, you can usually find her eating, but she seems to remain as
thin as a rake.
>> Top
Neelacha
(Bird) Fuangfookitt
(f)
is one of Makhampom’s most popular characters. She is multi-talented
as singer, actor, MC, facilitator, project coordinator, and, more
recently, professional yoga instructor. She has been a member of
Makhampom since 1992, having gone through a hiatus with the group in
the past years, now returning to the fray. When staying at Makhampom,
you will quickly become familiar with her laughs and shrieks (our
Bird’s call).
>> Top
Sutarath
(Tom) Sinnong (f)
is Makhampom’s shadow puppet pioneer, recently committing to develop
the genre as a component of the Performance Program. Tom joined
Makhampom in 1994 as has held a particular interest in children’s
and educational theatre, often working with Gajidrid. She is a spark
in Makhampom, loud, playful, and energetic, traits that have allowed
her to drag her sister, Tik, into the clutches of Makhampom. >>
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Sawanee
(Eiang) Utoomma
(f)
is another of the Makhampom stalwarts who has returned to play a key
role in the group after a long period working outside. A jill-of-all-trades,
she is currently working as Makhampom’s PR coordinator, together
with developing the tsunami support program in Phangnga, and working
with the Performance Program. She is a performer, writer, MC,
facilitator, and is in love with a Welshman………..
>> Top
Yaowaret
(Nuch) Katanyoosermpong
(f)
has steadily developed her presence in Makhampom over the past 6
years. Her quiet personality belies her other side, as she will let
loose on stage at the sound of luk thung. She is currently
developing an administrative role in the group with an intention to
undertake a Masters degree in theatre for education at
Mahidol
University. >>
Top
Sontaya
(Son) Suchada
(m)
is now recognized as one of
Thailand
’s new generation of theatre writers and directors, with a style
combining sharp text and physical theatre, with Makhampom’s
characteristic playfulness. He developed Gajidrid’s educational
theatre program with Guay and Jieb and has long held an interest in
theatre for young people. At Bangkok Theatre Festival time he goes
into overdrive.
>> Top
Sukonthajit
(Jieb) Wongphuek (f)
is playfully known as professor in Makhampom. She is both
volunteer and adviser, providing an academic perspective of
Makhampom’s work through her role in teaching Theatre in Education
at
Mahidol
University
. She was the third founding member of the Gajidrid team, and was a
key person in the 3 year research project recently undertaken by
Makhampom in the study of its methodological developments. She seems
to be able to live on coffee and little else.
>> Top
Kitirat
(Jo) Ploemjit
(m) is one of Makhampom’s newest members, joining the group in 2003
whilst completing theatre studies at
Thamasart
University
. He has quickly become a strong member of the group through his
strong performance and facilitation skills. He has been active in
theatre in education projects, the Study Tour facilitation, and will
be running workshops in
Pakistan
in early 2005. He has claimed the title Ajaan Jo or Doctor Jo,
seemingly because he is one of the few in Makhampom who seems to know
what he is talking about.
>> Top
Chulirat
(Krapao) Lerdwatasakul
(f) is a member of the 1990 generation of Makhampom volunteers. She
now lives in Phayao, having maintained her role as the coordinator of
the Makhuerjae project over many years. She will manage all program in
Makhuerjae, with a large Singaporean group in her hands in December.
She also has a small bakery so put in your orders for a chocolate
brownie.
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Pafun
(Nual) Supawanit
(f) is a writer, publisher, interpreter and community organizer and
currently manages a restaurant at the Saeng Arun Centre in
Bangkok
. She maintains an advisory role with Makhampom and is on the Steering
Committee for the Makhampom Living Theatre. She has been a key figure
in the Study Tour program as translator and mentor, and is a member of
the working group of the International Program. And if you ever need
to contact someone, just ask her, as she seems to know everyone from
every corner of Thailand.
>> Top
Yupa
(Tae) Wongsupjaroen
(f)
and Kanitta (Wai) Sangurai
(f) were employed by Makhampom
as office staff in 2003, since becoming part of the glue that keeps
things together. Tae, quiet and efficient, is least characteristically
Makhampom, and perhaps, not surprisingly, seems to be the only person
who knows where everything is, and has become second Mum to Nong May,
the little baby of Makhampom’s cleaner. Wai is forever running
around, dropping off and picking up moneys, bus tickets, props, and,
of course, food.
>> Top
Janita
(Luk Jan) Barber
(f) has been a member of Makhampom since June 3, 2003, the day she was
born, and is widely seen as the most influential figure in the group.
She is a strong performer, specialising in jibberish theatre, toilet
humour, facial gesture, bouffon, karaoke, and melodrama. Her position
is junior advisor to Jon and Richard, her parents.
>>
Top
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