PROJECTS WITHIN THE PROGRAMME 1. Phase 1 (May-Oct 1992) – KL 2. Handbook On Methodology For Children’s Theatre-Project (1992-1993) – KL 3. Facilitator Training (Mar-April 1994)- KL 4.Phase 2 (Feb-July 1993) – KL 5. Production of Suara Rimba (Apr-May 1994) – KL 6. Phase 3 (Apr-May 1994) – KL 7. Phase 4 (Mar-Sept 1995) – KL 8. Phase 5 (July-Dec 1995) – Penang 9. Production of Rama & Sita 10. Phase 6 (Jan-May 1997) – Penang 11. Phase 7 (July-Dec 1998) – KL 12. Production of Ne Zha (Jan-June 1999) – KL 13. Phase 8 (Feb-June 2000) – Penang 14. Production of Red & Gold Shoe (2000-2001) – Penang 15. Phase 9 (Mar-Aug 2002) – KL
Phases and Productions of Teater Muda
This first phase of Teater Muda ran for 6-months, held in the Malaysian Association Tourist Information Center (MATIC), and involved 25 students in the acquisition of arts skills. The contents consisted of physical and vocal training, skills in poetry writing and storytelling, mime, visual arts classes, a special introduction to the music of wayang kulit and martial arts (silat), as well as field trips to Sg Wang Plaza and the National Zoo. The skills-learning class was conducted by a group of artistes-instructors: Sugu Kingham (Visual Arts), Charlene Rajendran (Rhythm), Leow Puay Tin (Poetry & Physical), Anne James (Voice & Physical), Soo San (Visual Arts & Object Theatre), Janet Pillai (Object Theatre), Dalang Hamzah (Wayang Kulit), and Razak (Silat), and guest artiste David Glass (Physical Theatre). The programme culminated in a concert-like showcase of each of the skills learnt, and was performed for family and friends.
This project was intended to document the exercises and methodology used in Teater Muda as well as the Integrated Arts Program (under the USM Seni Kreatif Programme in University Sains Malaysia). The documenter assigned was playwright Leow Puay Tin, who spent a year on the documentation of multi-arts exercises used in the two programmes. Although the end product managed to capture many of the multi-arts exercises used (available at the AEAM Repository), but not the methodology used. Therefore, it was never published.
A facilitator training was run by Five Arts Centre, KL with the intention of training more facilitators for the Teater Muda programme. The training workshop was run for 5-days at the Federal Academy of Ballet, in Petaling Jaya, and was attended by 16 participants. The curriculum included an introduction to drama and theatre, facilitation, drama games and improve, and how to devise scripts and direct children’s plays; and was taught by Janet Pillai, Charlene Rajendran, Anne James, and Liew Kung Yu.
This second phase of Teater Muda was run for 6-months in cooperation with the National Library, at its new complex and involved 25 children. The facilitators included Liew Kung Yu (Object Puppetry), Janet Pillai (Drama), Leow Puay Tin (Voice) Charlene Rajendran (Music & Literature). The project also included field trips to the zoo and to Chow Kit. The final output showcased some of the skills learnt, and an attempt at integrating these skills into two short dramas created and performed by the participants.
Suara Rimba was a musical dance-drama adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book by playwright Leow Puay Tin, for a Malaysian audience. It was the first professional performance of musical drama staged by Teater Muda, with a cast made up entirely of children and teenagers from Teater Muda Phase 1 and 2.
Phase 3 of Teater Muda was run over two-months, in La Salle Secondary School (Sentul), and involved approximately 20 secondary school students. The facilitators were Janet Pillai & Charlene Rajendran; who taught visual arts, drama, games, and improv. The project culminated in a showcase, which highlighted scenes of personal conflicts experienced by the participants, expressed in visual and dramatic forms.
Phase 4 of Teater Muda was held in the National Art Gallery (now Majestic Hotel), Kuala Lumpur over a period of six-months, with 20 participants. The skills training included Acting, Movement, Improvasition, and Kompang (taught by Charlene Rajendran), Silat and Zapin (Marion D’Cruz), and Object Puppetry (Liew Kung Yu).
The encouraging response to Teater Muda in Kuala Lumpur, prompted Five Arts Centre to launch the programme in Penang in 1995. A three-month project was run in Sasaran, University Sains Malaysia, for 20 students who were taught video, dance, and puppetry. The participants from Teater Muda 5 then went on to work with choreographer Aida Redza and visual artist Sugu Kingham in an extended research project looking at conflict and drama (DRACON). The children explored the theme of conflict in school, leisure spaces, and their world of fantasy. This exploration resulted in two performances ‘Eggs, Boxes and Buckets’ – a conflict scenario involving object puppetry, and ‘You Better Believe it – This IS School’ – exploring conflict in schools.
Past participants from Kuala Lumpur’s Teater Muda programme were cast via open auditions for the production of Rama & Sita – Generasi Baru; which was a Malaysian adaptation of the timeless Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ presented as a contemporary piece of theatre by young people. This interpretation looks at the tensions, trials and triumphs of the characters Rama and Sita in the light of virtual reality and the modern-day corporate world and features drama, dance, video projection and digital music. The production featured set design by Liew Kung Yu, choreography by Aida Redza videography by Hasnul Saidon and Aziz Salim, Music direction by Sunetra Fernando, sound direction by Hanizah Musib, costume design by Elizabeth Cardosa, and direction by Janet Pillai and Charlene Rajendran. The production was staged in Experimental Theatre, Komplex Budaya Negara.
Phase 6 of Teater Muda was run in Penang for six-months at Dewan Sri Pinang. Facilitators were Aida Reza for Dance and Lim Chung Wei for Drama. After the skill training phase, students worked two short site-specific performances which were open to the public; a dance performance in Fort Cornwallis, and a drama performance at the Penang Esplanade playground. The dance performance – ‘I Want Flowers On The Wall’ – was a fantasy journey where the children interacted with the rampart walls and tunnels to display the tension between adult rationality and logic, and children’s intuition and emotions. The drama performance, entitled ‘Rotan Dangdut… Rollerblades… and Irritating Classmates’, interacted with playground equipment to explore the tension between teachers and students.
Teater Muda Phase 7 was conducted in KL at Akademi Seni Kebangsaan (National Arts Academy) over a period of six-months for 15 student participants. Skill classes taught included silat, wayang kulit music, creative dance, Chinese martial and drumming, and theatre. This phase culminated in a shadow puppet touring performance entitled Ne Zha.
Children from Teater Muda Phase 7 were involved in a performance entitled, Ne Zha, told the tale of a playful child folk hero from Chinese mythology. The tale was interpreted through a puppetry performance which combined shadow, human, rod and object puppetry accompanied by live music. This Theatre-in-Community production, toured several public housing flats in Kuala Lumpur playing to approximately 2000 community audiences. The puppets were creative works of art, designed from an assemblage of domestic and industrial objects such as toys, containers, utensils, tools, decorative items etc. In order to highlight the amazing medium of puppetry, hardly any language was used; instead the story was told through the subtle and dramatic movements of the puppets and through the use of live music.
Teater Muda Phase 8 was conducted in Convent Light Street, Penang for 24 participants, over a period of five-months. The training consisted of three skill building components Music (Tan Sooi Beng), Aida Redza (Dance), and Drama (Janet Pillai). At the end of the training, a showcase entitled, ‘Bits ‘n Pieces of Dance, Music, Drama’ was performed at Alliance Francaise and The Garage, Penang.
A musical dance-drama based on an original short story by Indian writer Margaret Bhatty, with choreography by Aida Redza, music direction and composition by Tan Sooi Beng, drama direction by Janet Pillai, and set design by Hitori Nakayama. Performers were selected through open auditions and underwent several workshops in music and dance, including field observation. Three performance was held in Intec College Gallery, Penang. The highlight of this production was the original composition and lyrics, which were then turned into an original CD recording.
Teater Muda Phase 9 was conducted in Five Arts Centre studio Kuala Lumpur, for 26 students, coordinated by Lorna Tee. The project was facilitated by Jerrica Lai, Mohd Kipli, Gunasegeran, Elaine Pedley, and Susan Sarah John; and ended with a final showcase which was a storytelling of the Ramayana using movement, dialogue, music, and dance.