Young gun of theatre

Budding theatre exponent Abdul Qahar Aqilah Abu Bakar talks to AREF OMAR about his passion and confusion on and off stage

WITH the celebration of the nation’s 51 years just around the corner, a group of young theatre enthusiasts are staging a production that asks the question, “What does it mean to be Malaysian?” The play of the same name, is a product of the T4YP (Theatre For Young People) programme under KLPac (Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre).

“You can expect a very youthful point of view about being Malaysian, and not just a one-sided performance,” says Abdul Qahar Aqilah Abu Bakar, the programme’s young director in training.

The brainchild of KLPac’s artistic director Joe Hasham and executive producer Datuk Faridah Merican, T4YP is helmed by Christopher Ling. “For now, my job is to take care of the artistic aspects, like actor training and to help direct shows that were intended for them to do during the season,” says Qahar.

The 26-year-old, who grew up in Taman Melawati and now resides in Petaling Jaya, is also co-coordinator for T4YP’s lab component, consisting of conceptual workshops to train young directors, designers and writers in theatre craft.

“Aside from getting youth interested in theatre, it’s also about self growth. Hopefully this exposure would mould them into critical thinkers, allowing them to find more perspectives, to see things differently and perhaps enable them to make decisions that work for them in the future,” he says.

This Merdeka edition will kick off the “What It Means To Be…” series, planned as a yearly event to explore different issues.

The upcoming performance will feature Arthur Chia Tek, Hana Mazlan, Juliana Ibrahim, Sharon Lam and Ujval Sidhu-Brar from the 15-strong T4YP ensemble.

When asked what it means to be Malaysian, Qahar is quick in his reply: “Honestly, I have no idea.” Of Malay and Chinese parentage Qahar admits he grew up in a sort of hazy confusion but his sense of Malaysia was something that he discovered on his own later.

“My mother tongue was basically English and my group of friends automatically became a lot more varied and diverse. The whole Malay mindset came much later, at a point where I was able to put things into perspective as I became more aware of my Malay as well as Chinese heritage, so it was a balance and negotiation between the two,” he says.

Qahar is also co-coordinator of KLPac’s Light Bulb programme, which aims to formulate ways to bring a new audience into theatre.

“Malaysian theatre consists of a small community, who work closely with other creative people, from activists to indie musicians. It really helps me to begin to understand my place in the nature of things,” says Qahar. He is set to direct a Malay adaptation of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit, called Jalan Mati, in November. Besides performing in two plays during the ongoing Short & Sweet Malaysia 2008 10-minute short theatre festival, he will also be seen at year’s end in Sheer Madness, a Gardner & Wife production.

Qahar’s fascination with theatre was spawned, oddly enough, by the mega popular TV series of the 90s, The X-Files. “I was a young man with a big crush on Gillian Anderson and I dreamed of sharing screen time with her, which got me into thinking about acting,” he says with a sheepish smile.

The dream might not have materialised but that got him involved in school productions. He then became a member of the youth ensemble, Rep 16:21, where he was introduced to the inner workings of the stage which, he says, was something he understood immediately.

“That was my foundation. I was an IT student but didn’t enjoy it so I decided to follow my passion and take a leap of faith in theatre. No regrets so far,” says Qahar.

In 2004, the gregarious theatre practitioner was assistant director for the Aroma Theatreworks/Fuzzy Logic Entertainment production entitled Tat Nenas, which won several awards during the KL Theatre Festival.

“It was really inspiring to see the 400-seat Matic theatre packed with young people, many of whom went home realising that theatre doesn’t necessarily mean boring or inaccessible,” he says.

Since then Qahar has delved into other aspects of the theatre, from live sound and lighting operator to stagehand and production assistant.

“I don’t exclude anything but those are more like interesting experiments in the periphery. My true aim is in performance as an actor,” says Qahar, who enjoys the odd karaoke session and strumming on the acoustic guitar.

But the strange thing is that he doesn’t perform songs live, open mic night being a big no-no.

“Jeremy Iron’s wife, Sinead Cusack, once said that acting is the shy person’s revenge on the world,” he says. “I still need the safety of the theatre to go through the paradox of doing dangerous things.” Catch What Does It Mean To Be...Malaysian? from Aug 28-30 (8.30pm, 3pm on Sat) at IndiCine, Level 2, KLPac, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan (off Jalan Ipoh), KL. Admission is by donation. Call 03-40479000