It's dry on the Fringe
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If you'd moved to Hua Hin like other Bangkokians, you'd have some fun on your hands at Patravadi's Vic theatre
Three major dance-theatre festivals in Bangkok have been postponed this month due to the flooding, but the Fringe Festival is ready to fascinate in Hua Hin, almost exactly as scheduled.
And many fearful Bangkokians have temporarily relocated to the southern resort anyway.
The Fringe Festival started more than a decade ago at Bangkok’s Patravadi Theatre, then moved to Suan Silpa Ban Din in Ratchaburi and finally the Vic Hua Hin, but recent events were always split between there and Bangkok.
“We’ve moved the whole team to Hua Hin now and no one is looking after the Patravadi Theatre,” artistic director Patravadi Mejudhon says of her venue, which is close to the Chao Phraya River.
“It’s been flooded before, but this year is the worst. It will have to be closed, maybe permanently, because we don’t have the money to fix it. So this Fringe Festival will be only at the Vic Hua Hin.”
Patravadi has always been keen to help foster Hua Hin culture. “There are already international jazz festivals and tennis matches here, and we want to bring in arts and culture to give it diversity.”
The festival features small to medium-scale productions of theatre and modern dance, focusing more on skilled artists with intriguing ideas.
“We prefer these to spectacular, grand-scale pieces. These works will inspire not only the general public but also the students of Patravadi High School Hua Hin, who’ll also work backstage with the professional technical crew, as well as cooking and selling food and snacks.”
The festival runs from November until February, high tourist season, when many foreigners vacation in Hua Hin. Bangkok residents often drive down in the morning and return home after the show.
“It’s quite convenient now,” Patravadi says. “A shuttle van will bring you from the Victory Monument in Bangkok to our front gate in about two hours for Bt180.”
The festival – supported by the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture – was set to open on Saturday with “Three Sisters” by the dance-theatre group Pappa Tarahumara. But Chekhov’s classic drama – here transported to 1960s Japan – is now cancelled after a performance last weekend in Chiang Mai. The troupe has already headed back to Japan.
The fest now opens on November 19 and 20 with Patravadi’s own production, “Phra Lor”. An adaptation of the epic poem of the Ayutthaya kingdom about a charming prince and his two admirers, the play features Thai and Western classical music and the choreography of Silpathorn Award laureate Manop Meejamrat.
The Israeli Embassy has arranged a return visit on January 21 by “object theatre” artist Yael Rasooly, this time with “A Chair and a Table”, which has an apple as its main character, promising delight for adults and children alike.
British actor, writer, musician and video artist Timothy Mann of the group Nose2Nose will examine what exactly constitutes space in the solo show “Space” on February 11.
Other Thai acts in the festival are the Urban Bones Dance Company, with the triple-bill “La Danse” on December 3; B-Floor Theatre with “Taste of Curry” on February 4; and the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company.
“Pichet Klunchun and Myself”, Pichet’s “dance dialogue” with French choreographer Jerome Bel, had its world premiere at the 2004 Fringe Festival. It will be seen again during La Fete next year, while Pichet’s “Chui Chai” was part of La Fete this year and will close the Fringe Festival on February 25.
Next Saturday and Sunday, Patravadi’s company will present a new version of its “Phra Lor”, which was staged earlier this year in the US and Canada.
Patravadi says many of the participating artists will conduct workshops for anyone interested, sharing their techniques and thoughts.
“And we’ll have a free-admission event outdoors on Christmas Eve,” she reports. “My daughter Pataravarin plans to roast a turkey and the Vic Hua Hin students and teachers will perform – including Manop and Wannasak ‘Kuck’ Sirilar.
“It’s like a family event that warmly welcomes the general public, and donations are accepted.”
In troubling times we probably need arts and culture more than ever. For those of us still in Bangkok, let’s hope that Rama II Road, our main route to Hua Hin, remains open.
MAKE PLANS
- The Fringe Festival starts on November 19 and runs almost every weekend until February 25 at the Vic Hua Hin. Most shows begin at 7.30pm.
- The theatre is a 10-minute drive from downtown Hua Hin.
- Tickets cost Bt500 to Bt900. Students and residents of Hua Hin get half-price discounts; guests of the Naidee Sculpted Huts resort get 30 per cent off.
- Call (032) 827 814-5 or visit www.VicHuaHin.com.
