KUALA LUMPUR: In conjunction with International Youth Day, the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and The Actors Studio (TAS) will be focussing on the young with its latest edition of Life Sdn Bhd.
Previous instalments in this series created by Datuk Dr Faridah Merican have dealt with different pertinent themes that featured stories on breast cancer, refugees, abuse, HIV and human trafficking.
This time, the youngsters will be given the platform to express their concerns in Life Sdn Bhd: Voices Of The Young, which will run from Sept 3 to 6.
Originally planned for this month, the show was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then brought back to life after restrictions on live performances were lifted.
The line-up comprises a host of talented young names, many that have been personally mentored by Faridah and her husband Joe Hasham, such as Badrish Bahadur who joined TAS Academy when he was 3 and made his debut at age 6 in Tunku The Musical (2007) under Joe's direction.
He went on to perform in the West End touring production of Beauty And The Beast and numerous other musicals and was co-composer of Sepet The Musical.
The other cast members include the alumni of KLPAC's Theatre for Young People (T4YP) programme, Adry Bashir, Nabil Sufian and Tin Raman, as well as Amirul Zain, Syed Qodeem and Wong Zi-Enn.
The show will also feature talented saxophonist, Scarlet Gouk, who won the 2017 Asia Pacific Saxophone Competition.
"What makes Life Sdn Bhd so special is that you are able to bear witness to real-life stories told by real people.
"Left unembellished and raw, it is an empowering experience for the person on stage as well as the audience member.
"I think this is particularly important for a young person – to not only give them the platform but also the freedom to tell their story as they want. It is in their hands and we are there almost just as a witness.
"And what stories we have in people like Badrish who has been with us since he was a wee boy as well as the other talented young people, many of them making waves in the arts," said Faridah, who is director and executive producer of the show.
Now in its 16th year, Life Sdn Bhd was created in the aftermath of The Actors Studio @ Plaza Putra floods in 2003.
The first edition Life Sdn Bhd: What It Means To Be Malaysian took place in 2004.
Following Life Sdn Bhd: Voices Of The Young is another youth-related offering, T4YP Emergence 2020: Love & Loss, from Sept 17 to 20.
KLPAC and TAS is still fundraising to cover the almost RM1.4 million losses it has incurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
KLPAC itself has to raise another RM300,000 by end of December to stay afloat.
Members of the public can help by buying a ticket to a show, shopping on Barang Best @ KLPAC or making a donation via www.klpac.org/donations.
Life Sdn Bhd: Voices Of The Young will be staged at KLPAC's Pentas 2 from Sept 3 to 6 at 8pm (Sunday only 3pm show). Tickets are priced at RM34. Call 03-40479000 (KLPAC) or visit www.klpac.org for details.