KUALA LUMPUR: After the success of its maiden production based on Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet last December, TUTAS (Taylor's University & The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat) is set to present another exciting production titled Kaleidoscope from Aug 11 to 14 at KLPAC.
TUTAS will be showcasing nine works by 10 directors from its March 2020 cohort as part of the students' Production Practicum module, helmed by Adjunct Professor and Programme Development Director Datuk Dr Faridah Merican and Adjunct Professor and Programme Artistic Director Joe Hasham.
The upcoming show will mark the second batch of students nearing the completion of the ground-breaking programme, which represents Malaysia's first and only conservatory-style performing arts programme established by The Actors Studio and Taylor's University.
Like the playful optical device which offers a multitude of different views, Kaleidoscope presents a colourful array of stories on friendship, love, belonging and coming of age.
These consists of seven plays and two dance works made up of original as well as adapted material.
The tumultuous teenage years are exemplified in Julia Jordan's Nightswim where Nicholas Lai directs the work featuring a teen girl who tries to convince her friend to come out to play.
Zoey Lee and Jelissa Lim Fidelis' The Last Time paints the painful separation of two friends who have drifted away.
Exploring the complicated terrain of relationships is a short work inspired by Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie, directed by Carmen Khoo, where a filmmaker, on the brink of success, finds himself at odds with his girlfriend.
Along the same theme are Bruce Kane's Hitting On Women 101 directed by Janusha Laxmi and D.M. Larson's Weird directed by Sally Lee where a girl faces her insecurities thanks to her best friend.
Some quirky works in the production include a comedic piece Lindsay Price's Time, What Is It? directed by Nandagopall which depicts a teen's chance encounter with a hippy at a bus station while Chloe Lee takes on Julianne Homokay's The Wedding Story where a storyteller finds herself in a strange predicament when her characters start to come to life.
Last but certainly not least are two original movements and dance works Drifting Off To You by Feyee Bethany which explores the painful and yet liberating process of letting go, as well as … I Love You by Skylar Lim which portrays the multitude of ways we can show our love.
With lighting design by Yusman Mokhtar and sound design by Christopher Higgs, both fellow TUTAS tutors, Kaleidoscope will feature Azalea Yee, Charmaine Cheong, Daniel Hussin, Keith Toh, Kim, Nelson Ri, Gath, Ang Le, Chia Wen Xin, Clarissa Lee Hui Lynn, Diow Rhu Jie (Cayden), Qian Hui, Muhammad Najib bin Rossaidi, Siaw Boon Keat, and Zhafir Muzani.
Tickets to the show, supported by KLPAC and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), are priced at RM30 and can be purchased online via https://www.cloudtix.co/ (no phone and over-the-counter sales).
For enquiries, call 03 4047 9000 or WhatsApp +6018-227 7212.
In just three short years, TUTAS students are already making waves such as Charmaine Cheong who was featured in the film Kau Aku Cinta, as well as Scott Lam who landed the Erasmus Scholarship by the European Union to travel to the UK for an exchange programme.
Those interested can sign up for auditions for the August 2022 intake which is a prerequisite to join this three-year conservatory degree programme.
With the option of choosing the Performance Track or the Technical Theatre Track, students get to learn from award-winning lecturers with hands-on industry experience and have access to KLPAC's full-fledged facilities.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/taylorsbpa.