Mark Teh's Workshop - Being Physical

12 attended Mark's workshop for the group in Five Arts. A studio with many old dusty framed posters, Kee Thuan Chye's 1984 Here and Now to name one. Jo Kukathas was there in the studio too before we entered, working with some other thespians I suppose.

It started off fun, like a whole chasing game, some of us just enjoy that moment, not knowing why is this considered a 'theatre workshop' until Mark explained. I would say the most exciting part is that we sort of realize the alternatives to making theatre, rather than based solely on 'literature' and 'linguistic aesthetic'.

Prior to this, Logamaya functions as merely a group of people enacting a narration written and structured beforehand. While stage manager and director working on their responsibilities, the understanding of space, of gesture, of movements and of coherence are not to be borne by the thespians. They were to be perceived as a necessary medium to articulate a pre-established idea. It isn't wrong, just conventional.

Now when I started to work with Mark Teh and Hariati, that point of view somehow alter. Rather than seeing theatre as purely an art component or an artistic commodity, it can be an activity or sports, or event conjure by different individuals, and their perspectives construct a shared opinion, and from there the director composes a narration. Seeing theatre as an event or conflict, something that is very usual in life and has been performed daily. Seeing both entities (art and life) as one, is an Eastern perspective. In that way, theatre becomes 'ritualistic' instead of just 're-enactment' of activity. Art becomes functional, sentimental, peripheral, metaphysical as opposed to Western's empricism, intellectual and scientifically specific. (refer Redza Piyadasa & Sulaiman Esa's Towards a Mystical Reality 20-page manifesto)

Knowing that, collaborative involvement means even more to me, theatre has to be participatory in order to submit a story that of mystical to both audience and thespians; not anymore the word-dominated rhetorical theatre, but a 'poetry of space' filled with music, dance painting, chanting and gesture (1) - something sensorial. Theatre of Cruelty eh.

Thanks to Mark again.

Will upload the pictures soon.

1. Graham, Rob, 'Theatre-a Crash Course', Silverdale Books, Leicester, 1999, pg. 110