Coming to grips with gravity

One of the longest running companies in contemporary Thai theatre, Crescent Moon has come a long way from its signature political plays and a presentational style influenced by Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre. With master Kamron Gunatilaka well into his retirement and many of his students having moved to other companies, Crescent Moon now has Sineenadh Keitprapai at its helm, the only female theatre artist to have been recognised with the Silpathorn Award.
While the company is not as active in terms of productions as before, it regularly hosts workshops and play readings, building the next generation of theatre artists. In addition, its small yet practical studio, Crescent Moon Space, hosts productions by other companies almost every month.
And now, that vision has paid off. Two young members of Crescent Moon – both of them in their early twenties – are staging their first full-length physical theatre work “Fall”.
Sukanya “Suki” Pheansri and Sirithorn “Ing Ing” Siriwan are co-creators and co-performers. The former graduated from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University and the latter from Chiang Mai University. They met last year during Sineenadh’s summer classes for Crescent Moon’s young members. They share a youthful energy and common interest in body expression and want to carry the company’s torch forward.
“We started spending long hours together, talking a lot and sharing personal stories. We found we had a lot in common even though I live in Bangkok and Ing Ing lives in Chiang Mai,” Suki says, referring to the creation process of “Fall” which is in the style of Devised Theatre, focusing on each member’s equal input in every stage of collaboration.
“For example, we’re university graduates who really love theatre but are struggling to find ways to make a living. I went away for a while but couldn’t help coming back. Also, last year, we both lost loved ones. These personal stories expanded to a broader scope – if two of us share this much about life, I’m sure they can be applicable to others as well. This has been done in the past few months through our process of improvising together, questioning each other, selecting what to keep or cut, filling the gaps each of us may have, in addition to listening to suggestions from other members of Crescent Moon.
“‘Fall’ may be a fact of life – something any one of us has to deal with and not necessarily because we’re women. For us, it’s both abstract and concrete, especially when you think of gravity and the fact that anything that goes up will inevitably come down.”
Last year, both young artists worked on Crescent Moon’s production of “I Sea”, a collaboration between Sineenadh and another veteran actress Farida Jiraphan. They learned so much that they regard “I Sea” as an inspiration for “Fall”, which has no spoken words.
“I assisted Sineenadh, while Ing Ing assisted Farida. Having worked with Sineenadh for the past five years, I’ve come to realise that what we feel can be expressed through our bodies. It’s very truthful but also very difficult. Sineenadh’s physical movements are very poetic and can stir various emotions among the audience,” Suki says.
And while Sineenadh, who has come to watch many “Fall” rehearsals, is a strong influence, Suki stresses that their work is very different from that of her mentor.
“Obviously, we’re much younger and so we’re more daring and less calculated and cautious.”

WHAT GOES UP
“Fall” is at Crescent Moon Space, Pridi Banomyong Institute (between Thonglor sois 1 and 3) from Thursday to July 2 (except Tuesday and Wednesday), 7.30pm. Tickets are Bt 350, available by calling (081) 929 4246 or 084 174 2729. Check out www.CrescentMoonTheatre.org.