THINKING OUT LOUD

Ornanong “Golf” Thaisriwong first caught my eye when I watched her in “Sunflower”, Nophand Boonyai’s unforgettable directorial debut in early 2008.
Since then, I’ve become a true admirer, an opinion I know many theatregoers share. The main reason is that Golf is a “chameleon”, an actress able to transform herself so completely, whether playing a dramatic and comedic role, that I have no idea of what she’s really like as a person.
Her portrayal of the title character in New Theatre Society’s comedic romp “Nang Nak: The Museum” was very different from that in Bangkok Theatre Network’s “Sao Chaona”, Nikorn Sae Tang’s adaptation of Hideki Noda’s drama, which fittingly landed her the best performance award from Bangkok Theatre Festival 2009.
So theatregoers are understandably excited that she’s making her directorial debut with “Bang Lamerd”, literally “Infringement-ville”, in which she also stars.
“It plays out from the point of view of a small person in a big city who tries to protect her rights, freedom and personal space from being violated by what surrounds them. The present time in Thailand is an interesting one as people are feeling oddities in the air. Maybe we’re feeling that we’re no longer in a safe place. Our freedom is being threatened, limited or perhaps even eliminated,” Golf explains.
“I was particularly inspired by the royal decree on ICT, cyber scouts and Article 112 [on lese majeste]. These show that our society doesn’t want people to think differently, doesn’t promote diversity and simply wants to be ruled through laws that make people frightened and surrender. And that fits right into B-Floor’s theme ‘Fright in Sight’ for our 13th anniversary season this year.
“It’s rather like the witchhunts of the Middle Ages. Article 112 makes it very easy to slander others and the punishments are harsher than they should be.”
Golf says “Bang Lamerd” has both spoken dialogue – she portrays many different characters—and physical movements.
“In comparison to other B-Floor’s works, this is a very simple performance, production-wise. It also has fewer props and physical movements. My body is still not 100 per cent – I will be having an operation on my knee after the performance.
“Rather than a narrative story, it reveals different clusters of thoughts and ideas. It’s like when you wake up in the morning and recall what you’ve been dreaming about.”
Parts of the performance are equipped with English surtitles; others are not.
“I remember watching [traditional Japanese solo performance] Rakugo in which the performer sat down throughout the show and changed to many different characters. I could tell from his body language what he was talking about even though I didn’t understand the spoken language. I’m sure it’ll be similar here.”
Golf is directing herself in this show and the veteran actress says, “It’s much easier to just perform. A performer is like an ingredient in a dish. A performer takes care to make sure he or she is the best ingredient for the director, who’s like the chef. But here, I have to be the chef and the ingredient at the same time. It’s challenging to organise the ideas in my head while there are other things to do.
“But I’ve had a great deal of help from other senior members of B-Floor who came to watch me in rehearsals and offered their comments.
“Still, I wish I had a director working with me on this show.”
In a month when four musicals are on stage, this solo performance clearly stands out and is worth your attention and attendance.
  SPEAK NOW
- “Bang Lamerd” starts on September 13 and runs daily except Tuesday and Wednesday until September 21.
- Shows are at 7:30pm in the B-Floor Room at the Pridi Banomyong Institute between Thonglor sois 1 and 3.
- Tickets are Bt350.
- Call (089) 167 4039 or visit B-Floor Theatre’s Facebook page.