The boards to success

Theatre folk poured into the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre last Tuesday to attend the IATC Thailand Dance and Theatre Review 2014 organised by the Thailand Centre of the International Association of Theatre Critics with support from Arrow University, BACC, the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and Should Be. The annual event offers an overview of contemporary dance and theatre and gives out 12 awards. While there are now many film and television awards, this remains the only one for dance and theatre, perhaps reflecting the sad lack of interest from the public and the media in general.

In his presentation, IATC Thailand’s honorary president Kittisak Suwanaphokin made a special note of the increase in performance venues – Thonglor Art Space, Creative Industries and Sun Dance Theatre, for example. Vice president Amitha Amranand added details of the new festivals, of which “Take Off” and “Bangkok’s Queer Theatre Festival” are two, that have been added to our calendar and also mentioned the works based on gender issues and plays that are staged in English by new expat groups. She also commented on the freedom of speech and how the political climate has affected Thai theatre, citing as an example the recent jail sentences handed down to two student theatre artists on lese majeste charges.

In a year when there were fewer musicals than in recent times, “Monrak Transistor”, Arts Hub Group’s small musical production staged at Blue Box Studio, swept the two awards for best musical and best book of a musical. Critics are predicting a significant increase in the number of musicals put on in 2015.

Seasoned playwright and director Ninart Boonpothong, founder and artistic director of Naked Masks Group, was honoured with best adapted script award for “Poetic Justice” which he adapted from many Shakespearean plays.

Dujdao Vadhanapakorn Boonyai’s award for best performance by a female artist was for her work in “The Maids” at Thonglor Art Space. Her B-Floor Theatre colleague Teerawat “Ka-ge” Mulvilai picked up best performance by a male artist award for “Satapana: Red Tank”, his solo work at Pridi Banomyong Institute’s Diverse Arts Festival.

The second episode of “Satapana” titled “Iceberg” also won a few awards at the Bangkok Theatre Festival last November. Ka-ge edged out Saifah Tanthana, who has been nominated for three consecutive years in this category and went home empty-handed again for his performance in “The Cult of Monte Cristo”.

Chiang Mai University’s Kamron “Khru Kamron” Gunatilaka, one of the founding members of Crescent Moon Theatre, received his lifetime achievement award from Kittisak, who reminded Khru Kamron’s students and others in the audience how much he had contributed to Thai theatre. He expounded on the many important details that have already been forgotten in addition to the fact that three of Khru Kamron’s actors have become Silpathorn artists, namely Sema Thai Marionette’s Nimit Pipithkul, Crescent Moon’s Sineenadh Keitprapai and B-Floor’s Jarunun Phantachat. 

“The first recipient of this award, two years ago, was Khru Lek [Patravadi Mejudhon] and now she’s been honoured with the national artist award,” Kittisak added with a warm smile.

Khru Kamron’s acceptance speech was very short. “Theatre is always a team effort,” he stressed.

Fittingly and coincidentally, Crescent Moon Theatre’s “Shade Borders” was voted best performance by an ensemble, after premiering at the Silpathorn award festival at Chang Theatre and then restaged at BACC. 

New Theatre Society’s “In Ther’s View: A Documentary Theatre” was named best play of 2014, while the year’s biggest winner was Democrazy Theatre Studio and NonCitizen’s “Hipster the King”, sweeping best movement-based performance, best direction and best original script awards. A unique dance performance that questions our fascination with stars and celebrities in various fields, “Hipster the King” had its international premiere at the “Offene Welt” festival in Ludwigshafen, Germany two days ago.

Stepping onto the stage three times, Thanaphol Virulhakul, who also won in this category last year, expressed his thanks to his collaborators, many of whom were waiting for him at the check-in counter at the airport.

 

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