After Jubilee - report 02

For sheer excitement, the rehearsals started and it has been very interesting to me.

During the last gathering we did discuss about the attire, props, PA and lighting. Our lighting designer, Chin Ang suggested to buy three more spotlights, but I still need to double check our budget and there is a possibility that we can only afford two. The others are alright. For PA system, I am glad and grateful enough to have Mengq Yek's loudspeakers, it is mighty and contrives to produce those stentorian tones as in disco, seriously! (Have to credit his interest on trance which made him buy that gadget)

Meanwhile about the dramas, I decided to cancel the additional play 'Malaysian Potpourri' because the play was made for Merdeka hence it would be too late to perform it by next year 19th January. But, I will add in another conceptual performance; a replacement? More of a justification for our so called 50th Anniversary, that is if you get what I mean, if not, ask the beacon Yee I-Lann.

I just got to talk to Dr. Yee, who is the village chief of Seri Kembangan. I wrote him a letter beforehand, asking for permission to perform in the community hall in section 7, fortunately he agreed in letting the place with no rental. It is a very good deal, compared to our previous option (KKK in Serdang Raya), which the paraphernalia solely, cost us around RM 2000.

According to him, I will be able to get the key two days before the actual event, we will then have our crucial ROSs (rehearsal on the spot). So fellow thespians, rock on.

After Jubilee, After Gathering

Here're the photos of the gathering for 'After Jubilee'.

Gathering

Attention! There will be a gathering for all the major casts involved in the series 'After Jubilee' on 25th November (Sunday) at 5.00pm in Wong Kok Restaurant in South City Plaza, Seri Kembangan. Please try your best to attend (in fact it is compulsory), for I will pass the rehearsal schedules to all of you meanwhile discuss about the drama's props arrangment, necessary paraphernalias (PA system, lighting equipment etc) and all sorts.

In case whoever forgets whoever he/she is, here's a list (of those required to attend):

• Anand
• Haw Yun Cheak
• Ilang
• Lau Mengq Yek
• Ng Chin Ang
• Nurhani
• Simone Chong
• Suman
• Tan Kwan Yew
• and of course me, myself

Thanks for the cooperation. Any questions call me straight away.

After Jubilee - report 01

The coming up series entitled 'After Jubilee' will be an interesting act. I managed to complete the script within this month. Basically, from what you get from that title, is what you will get - an interpretation of Malaysia's succession throughout the 50 years. With Malaysians celebrating the golden jubilee, one must take concern with anticipation, afterall, it is a national subject. Talking about patriotism and Namwee's Negarakuku, how romantic can this country be? Everybody has been so passionate recently with national gossips, from corruption (supposed to be an eternal issue) to Mamula Moon; yes, yes, yes, Malaysians have been very sensitive, so does Logamaya.

I have actually written two series in conjunction with Merdeka: 'Jubilee' and 'After Jubilee'. Thought of working on both, but as the clock ticks, 'Jubilee' seemed to lose its fascination; meanwhile 'After Jubilee' is like an updated version, it covers more issues and the direction is satiric and dogmatic. Both are similar in concept but not mutually exclusvie.

Here is the list of plays in 'After Jubilee':

1. Untitled (For the Love of Malaysia II)
2. Government & Friends I
3. Government & Friends II
4. “Not Now, Still Alive!”
5. A Tragedy
6. Mamula Moon
7. Dogs run Happily

I have taken a drama from 'Jubilee' too, which gives a total of 8 plays for the up-coming event, the additional drama entitled Malaysian Potpourri.

So, now comes to the execution. Firstly, the rehearsal; secondly, the performance. While the plight is always the same, I am hoping to get a better platform and a wider range of audience, though I am pretty much still scurrying in an expanse of nothingness. We have options for venue, but have been strained by our financial problem. Logically, the more we pay, the better it is; so I thought of planning certain activities that will earn us a considerable amount of money, sufficient for a better platform...till then I won't be that finicky about lighting equipments and the PA system (which cost RM 2000).

So people, we need solutions in overcoming financial difficulty!
*or just simply any solutions in any sense

logamaya_001a - A Prerequisite in Making a Grimace, is a Grimace

the invitation for the event - A Prerequisite in Making a Grimace, is a Grimace (front & back)

logamaya_001a - A Prerequisite in Making a Grimace, is a Grimace; a series of conceptual art plays, consisting:

1. Intro - an introductory play about the fear of human in human
2. Footfalls02 - a relationship between a mother and a child; which so near yet so far (not a sequel to Beckett's 'Footfalls')
3. Jalan Sehala - explores the obsession of a fanatic fan, the unconditional love of a father, and an idol's popularity that eventually blindfolded himself

venue: Persatuan Muhibbah Kebajikan
date: 13th May 2007
time: 8pm - 9pm

This was Logamaya's first effort in organizing a theatre show. Featured plays that explore the negativity in human nature and new experimentation on theatre structure. 'Intro' was inspired by the Virginia Tech Massacre, with the prepetrator Seung-Hui Cho who killed 33 people, including himself; 'Footfalls 02' was inspired by the thought provoking news about a son who slapped his mother and eventually caused her death, a rueful paradoxical tragedy that ends with a shocking glimpse; and lastly, the news about a fervid fan of Andy Lau, Yang LiJuan, who gave up her studies so to concentrate on pursuing her idol. The parents love their daughter so much that they were willing to sacrifice for her, the father sold the house and gave up his savings just to suffice LiJuan's career of pursuing Andy Lau. The father eventually wrote a letter to threat Andy Lau before committing suicide. The posthumous letter caused a thrill in the entertainment world - a father who loves his daughter, a daughter that does not care for her father but vehemently pursuing her idol, a one way love, a 'Jalan Sehala'.

All these news proved the deterioration of human quality caused by modernization, the feverish contemporary society has to realize and recognize this matter in order to have a promising prophecy.

credits:
advisor: Ilangkumanan
director: Tan Zi Hao
co-director: Cheng Yung Ban & Chong Foong Yi
playwright: Tan Zi Hao
stage manager: Cheng Yung Ban
lighting designer: Ng Chin Ang
graphic designer: Tan Zi Hao
make-up artist: Chong Foong Yi

casts:
(intro) - Nurhani, Kishen
(footfalls02) - main: Ilangkumanan, Ivy Wong; side: Lee Kit Yee, Daniel Lee, Haw Yun Cheak, Siew Keat Khee, Lai Chai Voon
(jalan sehala) - Lau Mengq Yek, Ng Chin Ang, Sim Chuan Fu

images of logamaya_001a - A Prerequisite in Making a Grimace, is a Grimace:

Mother portrayed by Ivy Wong in Footfalls 02

Son by Ilangkumanan, stood behind his Mother, answered 'yes, mother' repeatingly


The Ideal by Ng Chin Ang (left) and his Fan by Lau Mengq Yek (right) in an ironic situation

Fan and his Father by Sim Chuan Fu - kidneys for cash!

The director and playwright, Tan Zi Hao giving a brief talk to ensure the audience's comprehension in certain parts which were considered too abstract for the audience

Ilangkumanan as the advisor of this series gave a speech before the event ended

What is Logamaya?

Logamaya is a drama group founded in February 2007 by Tan Zi Hao under the art organization A.O.A. (avant-gardism, orientalism, aestheticism). Logamaya is the first sub-group of the organization, specialized in theatre.

'Logamaya' is the Malay translation of 'mirage' - an optical phoenomenon caused by the refraction of light, but to be perceived as reflective, too. Refraction and reflection are what we do, or what we aim to do; to distort or to bend our subjects and reflect them to our audience. Our notion is to enact acts that will create awareness, so to extricate the community from their ugliness which now has been misdefined as a common error that is inevitable. Hence by nature, surroundings and happenings are our muse, we interfuse them with our art and personal ideas.

In terms of concepts, ours are generally dark and satiric, we contextualize our topics with the utmost disgust of the naked community. This drama group is also formed to cultivate the artistic drama scene, hoping to imply the local identity into contemporary stage acts, to see our cultural diversity as one whole matter, and experiment with different executions in theatrical works. Started off as an amateur group, we learn through experiments and performances; it can be experimental at times, but, (not to be mistaken as rebellious art aficionados) we trace back of what the scene has left, and try to affix those elements onto our performances.

The challenge is tough; the search of Malaysian identity in theatre and the method of coping it with avant-garde ideas.