Tapping into kiddie culture

AS ONE OF The many events being organised to mark Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s fifth-cycle birthday anniversary, Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Dramatic Arts is inviting the young and the young-at-heart to enjoy “Tap Tap Talap Tap Tap”, a theatre adaptation of the Princess’s 14 storybooks for kids.
At the helm of this highly anticipated children’s play is veteran playwright and director and Princess Sirindhorn’s university classmate Pornrat “Khru Oui” Damrhung, whose previous works like “Dearest Moon”, Thailand’s representative at the Asean Theatre Festival two decades ago, and “The Sleeping Princess and the Toad Prince”, have delighted and inspired many generations of children.
“The title is from an ancient song called ‘Du Khwai’. Tap Tap Talap Tap Tap’ is the sound of a crow tap-dancing at a farm in the song,” Khru Oui explains.
“Sinnapa [Sarasas, another classmate and award-winning lyricist and composer] and I first came across her book ‘Phleng Du Khwai’ at a Phu Fah shop and we were inspired to adapt it into a stage play. Later on, we found the other books and although all are very short, we both agree that they tell fun stories and are filled with her tenderness and unique insights. Some tales are from China, others central Asia, and the rest are products of her own imagination. Some give the readers moral support, others are cautionary tales but they are all good lessons for life.
And so we used these 14 books to write the script, compose songs and create puppets of various sizes and styles,” she continues.
“The aim is for the youngsters to exercise their imagination and to make them love reading books again.
“We’re also honoured and delighted that Princess Sirindhorn has granted us permission to use her drawings in these books for our production design and posters.”
In addition to her colleague Ritirong Jiwakanon who’s responsible for the colourful art direction in this play, Khru Oui has invited Benjamin Ho from Singapore’s Paper Monkey to design puppets. Many of these are made from everyday objects and include a gallon milk jug that has been transformed into a fish. The cast includes professional and student puppeteers, and the musicians are students from Wat Suthi Sa-ad school.
And so, good entertainment for children this month – just in time for summer school break – is not limited only to “Beauty and the Beast: The Musical”.
 DANCING CROWS
- “Tap Tap Talap Tap Tap” runs from tomorrow to Sunday and from February 26 to March 1 at the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts, on the sixth floor of Maha Chakri Sirindhorn building at Chulalongkorn University, off Henri Dunant Road.
- Shows are at 6.30 on weeknights and at 10.30am and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. It’s in Thai only – no English.
- Tickets are Bt600 (Bt300 for students). Check www.ShowBooking.com, call (02) 218 4802 or (081) 559 7252, or e-mail [email protected]. Find out more at www.Facebook.com/dramaartschula.