Tutas students explore main themes and styles of performance from a bangsawan tale (pic) set on the shores of Terengganu to an ancient Persian dance along with a time-honoured Korean folklore to two contemporary works.
TAKING the stage armed with their original productions, Taylor's University and The Actors Studio's (Tutas) performing arts conservatory degree programme students’ put on a stunning performance that celebrated culture and identity that features a variety of drama and dance works, during the stage production of 5: 4: 3: 2: 1 and Action at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) Pentas 2, recently.
In his speech, Taylor's University deputy vice chancellor and chief academic officer Professor Dr Pradeep Nair said the Tutas programme was the only conservatory programme in Malaysia and this stage production was back for its third act.
“”We designed our bachelor of performance arts to be a conservatory programme (where) students spend most of everyday doing what they absolutely love all the while working closely with experts and not just the usual lectures that you would get at university.
“In the conservatory programme there is intensive artistic training in a creative environment where most of the training takes place at KLPac and designed to push aspiring students to become wonderful artists,” he said before the stage performance of 5: 4: 3: 2: 1 and Action at the KLPac.
The production was directed by five Tutas students as part of their production practicum module and was a crucial rite of passage and prerequisite from them to graduate. The students explore main themes and styles of performance from a bangsawan tale set on the shores of Terengganu, to an ancient Persian dance along with a time-honoured Korean folklore, to two contemporary works.
Joe Hasham and Faridah has been overseeing the Tutas production practicum module since 2019.
Adjunct professor Joe Hasham OAM who helms the production practicum module said the programme is growing each year with some 50 students since the first cohort in 2019.
“As the only performing arts conservatory degree programme in Malaysia it is attracting talent from all over the world such as Korean, Iran, China and Indonesia.
“When we first started (with five students) we had a girl from Uzbekistan and this semester we had an exchange programme student from the Netherlands for a semester.
“The programme is quite eclectic with Asian and Western cultures and modern contemporary dance. You don’t get that in too many countries, the opportunity to work creatively in so many different genres of theatre,” he said.
Meanwhile, adjunct professor Datuk Dr Faridah Merican who also oversees production practicum module said that it is evident that the 5: 4: 3: 2: 1 performance draws from students' cultures and heritage, roots and identities.
“Actually (many students) want to study here (in Malaysia) because (we conduct our courses) in English where students from say China, Indonesia and Korea are (interested) in learning the English language here. The arts scene here is very varied as well and they can learn so much,” she said.
Beau de Silva said the programme aims to help students gain experience on the global stage.
Tutas lecturer Mark Beau de Silva said that Tutas also brings its students overseas and prepares them for the global stage.
“Recently, we went to Cambodia where Teshima Sarah and Zhafir Muzani were able to see how the other countries do it and are able to come back with new ideas. I think what we are also trying to do is not just give them employment here but also to think that they can work anywhere.
“We currently have two specialisation tracks performance and technical and will be developing dance and music for next year where they can opt to do the dance or music in their second year (which could lead to musical theatre),” he said.
The 5: 4: 3: 2: 1 and Action directors worked closely with their tutors Joe Hasham and Faridah along with Omar Ali, Tung Jit Yang, Ian Chowe, Yusman Miokhtar (who is also the productions lighting designer) and Christopher Higgs (the productions’s sound designer) to bring their visions to life.
Kicking off the production, audiences were treated to Nurin Ismail’s brainchild entitled Dollhouse which zooms in on a party of six models who arrive “fashionably late” for their own runway shows and were given a behind the scenes look in to the struggle of these models balancing their public persona with their private selves.
Next, Lor Qian Hui’s Pancakes, which began as a senseless squabble between two housemates over pancakes, but as the skit progresses the audience were taken on a journey of realisation, selflessness and jealousy portrayed by the actors.
Toh Wei Keith’s The tale of the leatherback and the three warriors was a tribute to his hometown, which is a mini bangsawan play set on the shores of Terengganu where three warriors welcome a leatherback turtle to lay eggs. But as one of them is engulfed with ignorance and greed and tries to steal the freshly laid eggs, the other warriors fight to educate the fallen warrior and save the eggs.
An upbeat performance showcasing a 19th century Persian dance called Baba Karam, director Abharyan Afooshteh Reyhaneh treats the audience with a fast dance number that questions gender and class as it imitates the rough and tough working class men of Iran.
Lastly, Korean native Kim Ki Hoo turns to his heritage in The sun and the moon, which is based on an age-old Korean folktale of a single mother who encounters a ravenous tiger. Kim’s modern-day spin was retold with drama, music and dance.
Tutas Bachelor of Performing Arts three year conservatory degree programme is an entry by audition only programme with its next audition set this month. Students are able to learn from award-winning lecturers with hands-on industry experience and have access to KLPac’s fully-fledged facilities throughout the programme.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/taylorsbpaprogramme1
