The devil in us all

WHILE MOST theatre-loving foreign expats are working on production of well-known foreign plays, Robin Schroeter is taking a different path and emulating the path taken by local directors he admires.
“Thai directors are very daring and experimental. A number of people are constantly trying to come up with novel ideas, write their own plays or develop their own concepts. I am talking about directors/playwrights like Nophand Boonyai, Jaturachai Srichanwanpen, Parnrut Kritchanchai, Wichaya Artamat, Thanapol Virulhakul, Teerawat Mulvilai, and so on,” he says.
His first play “Compassion”, “Hen Chai Kan Bang Mai Di Roe” in Thai, premieres next Thursday at the Crescent Moon Space. It’s described as “a fantasy tragic comedy about a demon who gets summoned to kill the demon slayer. It is about her journey from hell to earth and the exploration of her powers. It’s a story about love, hate and everything that it means to be human.”
“I find demons fascinating,” Schroeter explains. “There are demons in European culture and the idea of demons is also deeply ingrained in the Thai culture and in classical Thai dramas like the ‘Ramakien’ in which demons are usually portrayed in a very stylised way. In ‘Compassion’ the demons are much more human and modern, yet they do have certain powers.”
“Compassion”, Schroeter continues, makes a socio-political statement. “In everyday life, we demonise the others. The others are bad and we are good – black against white or yellow versus red. The more we dehumanise the other faction, the easier it is for us to condemn them and/or even kill them.”
To highlight this concept, he uses the same actors to portray humans and demons in his play which, surprisingly is not in German or even English.
“It’s entirely in Thai with English surtitles. My spoken Thai is quite alright, but unfortunately my skills in writing Thai are not that accomplished. I wrote the play in English then asked my friend – actor, director and playwright Jaturachai Srichanwanpen – to help me translate the script. His style and writing are similar to mine and I knew he’d understand what I was looking for in the play. I saw many similarities in both humour and darkness between ‘Compassion’ and the last play he directed ‘The Big Head Monster’ [‘Pisat Hua To’, the recipient of IACT Thailand’s best book for musical award]. He gave ‘Compassion’ nuances that I couldn’t have given it myself.”
He also credits his Thai cast members – Punika Rangchaya, Lapin Laosoonthara, Wasu Wanrayangkoon, Beer Yingsuwannachai, Kwin Bhichitkul and Areeya Sophonkunkit – for the further development of the play, saying, “We’ve been rehearsing for two and a half months and the first month I spent mainly on improvisations and workshops. Some scenes have completely been created through improvisation – in fact, all the physical scenes. The actors improvised scenes or situations and allowed me to pick the parts I liked. I also cut a lot of dialogues and, to my surprise, it didn’t shorten the play but instead gave the actors more room to do what they are best at – acting – as well as increased the pace.”
“While I wouldn’t say it’s an entirely different play from my final draft, the final result is now very different.”
He deliberately cast three actors who have a pantomime background because, “First, they have good imagination. Also, their movements are very precise while appearing very naturalistic. Lastly, they have a very good comic timing.”
 SHOWING
COMPASSION
- “Compassion” runs from next Thursday to June 2, except May 27 and 28 in the Crescent Moon Space at the Pridi Banomyong Institute on Sukhumvit Soi 55. The curtain rises at 7.30 nightly.
- It’s in Thai with English surtitles.
- Tickets are Bt450 the first week and Bt500 the second week. Students get a Bt20 discount. Book at (099) 179 5731 or (085) 135 3433.