FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Not all in the family

Not all in the family

A young theatre troupe’s new work gives hope to the future of Thai theatre

Despite my tiredness last Sunday night, I felt wide awake and full of hope for the future of Thai theatre when Splashing Theatre Company’s new work “The Disappearance of the Boy on a Sunday Afternoon” at Democrazy came to an end. My fatigue was due to a long, albeit fruitful, afternoon at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre watching four performances at the 1st Bangkok International Children’s Theatre Festival. The optimism stemmed from the fact that this, the fourth work by this two-year-old troupe – which includes the award-winning “Whaam!” – was an enthralling and entertaining drama. 
Unlike many works by people of his generation who tend to dwell on their personal stories and problems – broken homes, shattered dreams and unfulfilled romance among others – and usually employ the art of realistic theatre, the troupe’s playwright, director and founder Thanaphon Accawatanyu goes further in both dramatic content and theatrical form.
In terms of the former, he tells a suspenseful and unpredictable domestic drama of young man Sun who returns home, after 10 years, to see his brother Nite and sister Earth. It’s not a simple family reunion tale as the press release suggests, as Thanaphon gradually and masterfully reveals more about these three siblings, whose adolescence was influenced by their father in his presence and absence. For example, Nite and Earth were never allowed to leave home and Earth’s teddy bear was treated like her, and vice versa. Social and political satire was also in evidence here and there.
For the latter, Thanaphon is comfortable to go beyond realism, using different styles to get his messages across, without fearing that some of his audience members might not completely understand what’s going on in certain scenes.
With his background in film, Thanaphon has evidently been influenced by European arthouse cinema, yet his deft staging proves that he knows how theatre, as opposed to film, works. Also, his set and lighting designer Sompak Ounthapan is a true partner-in-crime and their collaboration makes this production, with minimal set and props, a feast for the eyes as well as the mind and ears.
Notwithstanding the young thespians’ lack of experience, all three of them – namely Pradanai Natepra-sertkul as Sun, Kitti Tantisrisuk as both Nite and Sea and Jetnipit Sahusyotin as Earth – were convincing and their characters’ presence was subdued yet arresting.
 I wish, though, that they had been a little more relaxed and had more fun with their dialogue, which Thanaphon could have also diversified more in accordance with characters.
I also hope that Thanaphon and this company will soon start exploring possibility of writing more mature characters and working with more experienced actors, most of whom, I’m quite sure, would now be more than happy to answer their call.
And have I mentioned that all members of the cast and crew behind this unorthodox and uncompromising theatrical gem look younger than 25? 
A bright future for Thai theatre indeed!
 
Next at Democrazy
- Jaturachai Srichanwanpen, another core member of Democrazy, will stage his new play “The Moo Moo Field” from July 28 to August 15, except Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm. 
- It’s in Thai with English surtitles. 
- Tickets are Bt550 (discounts for advanced transfer and group bookings) at (086) 899 5669. 
For more details, check Facebook.com/DemocrazyStudio
- Keep track of these young and talented theatre artists’ next moves at Facebook.com/SplashingTheatre.
 
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