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Performance Program
Since opening, the Makhampom Studio has been buzzing with performance events, giving a new energy to the performance program. In 2007, the Studio opened with the popular comedy of local community stories, Saphan Kwai, My Love, and was followed by seasons of Mahajanok – Never Say Die, the shadow puppet storytelling of The Lighthouse, and Naga Wong – The Message. For the Performance Team of Tua, Phiao, Eddy and Tae, last year was a mixture of performance tours in Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan and weeks of painting, scrubbing, constructing, and cleaning the Studio.
And in 2008? Alongside the annual Bangkok Theatre Festival in November, the Studio program will now run monthly performance seasons through the year. The major performance projects for 2008, include:
• Director’s Lab for Thai directors in March;
• Writer’s Lab for Thai playwrights in June;
• Naga Wong, Mekong Folk Art Performance collaboration, tour in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand;
• Mahajanok – Never Say Die, at ASSITEJ Festival, Adelaide, and mini-tour to Hobart, Melbourne, and Perth;
• Likay production in Japan;
• Collaboration with 8X8 Theatre Group;
• Curating the theatre program of the opening of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre;
• Two mini-theatre collaborations – one with Malaysian artists, the other with Australian performers.
Click and scroll to read more or enjoy some ideas below about our performance practices.
Writings on our performance practices……
Our theatre work is both to support our community-based programs and to develop contemporary theatre in Thailand . With a team of over 60 volunteers our productions are both numerous and diverse, ranging from solo works to major productions, extensive school tours to one-off events, traditional folk-styled pieces to contemporary theatre productions, performances in the nearby slum community to international festivals. The Makhampom style is also diverse, reflecting the performance context, but there are several typical elements to our productions – a strong folk character, popular culture themes, seeking blessings from the god/spirit of theatre Por Gaa, comic motifs, emphatic colour, strong physical movement, and audience involvement.
Our history has involved exploring the adaptation of Thai folk, popular and classical genres with a Western-based theatre form. Initial influences were from Brecht, pantomime, American playwrights and the Thai political theatre group, Crescent Moon. Since then, under the direction of Pradit Prasartthong, we have trained in lakhon (Thai classical dance drama), likay (popular folk opera), lukthung (country song), and other folk forms to develop a unique contemporary style. Makhampom’s theatre could be described in many ways – hybrid, folk-oriented, audience-driven, intercultural, physical, popular, contextual, pluralistic, post-modern, Thai – but in essence it is intended to promote the issues of marginal communities.
Whilst the majority of Makhampom works have a social or political objective, the study of theatre in its cultural dimension is also a priority for the group. In the 1990s there was a focus on developing a hybrid style of theatre that was grounded in Thai traditional forms and literatures. Buddhist literature, folk stories, classical repertoire, and popular mythology provided the source for many works in this time, typically combining a modern physical theatre style with elements of folk music and dance, Buddhist ritual, popular lukthung (country) song, and classical dance-drama.
Since 2000, Makhampom has undertaken a “likay project”, namely the study and interpretation of the likay (popular folk opera) form. After months and months of heading to vacant lots or temple sites to watch local troupes, many Makhampom artists were invited to perform with them, developing strong relationships with the likay world. Since then Makhampom has performed over 20 likay-based productions, bringing the genre to new audiences, lifting the traditionally low status, and promoting the contemporary adaptation of traditional Thai theatre.
As of today, Makhampom has a broad performance toolkit. The size of the volunteer group ensures a diversity of performance. And the levels of experience range from the new volunteer, completely new to theatre, to Pradit in his 30 plus years experience, having recently been given the award to Best Contemporary Artist in Thailand .
Still Makhampom is always in a dash to get every show ready on time.
Performance Programs in 2008
Bangkok Theatre Festival
Makhampom Studio Events
Director’s Lab
Writer’s Lab
Mahajanok – Never Say Die at ASSITEJ, Adelaide
Naka Wong
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