Despite fewer performances, the last weekend (February 15 to 17) of the Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008 at Patravadi Theatre highlighted the most important characteristics of this showcase of contemporary performing arts. The experimental element in all the works was still dominant, as the spirit of intercultural collaboration as well as crossover between various performance disciplines were as healthy as ever, which, of course, is what contemporary trends are all about.

Studio1 was the venue for the restaging of Chulalongkorn University Dramatic Arts Club’s “The Tragedy of Bellies”, the second runner-up in last year’s Bangkok Theatre Festival's Health Promotion awards. This play is based on the hypothesis that no woman is totally satisfied with her body, and despite being labeled a tragedy, had the audience doubled up with laughter most of the time.

Although there were a few glitches with the lines, a humorous script drawn chiefly from the ensemble’s own experiences combined well with the cast members’ different  personalities and proved the potential of this group of second year drama-majors  to develop into professional theatre makers in the next few years, especially if they are given continuous access to a performing space to exercise their skills. Each woman recounted her personal anecdotes, and as the 35-minute play progressed, the audience discovered that it’s not just women who tend to be dissatisfied with their appearance—gay men also wanted to have their say on stage.

“[But] why can’t we just all be happy with the way we look and be beautiful in our own unique ways?” asked one character near the end. A black curtain upstage was drawn back to reveal a vast mirror, the spectators left asking themselves the same question as they sat facing their own reflections.

On the main stage, three dancers Karine Label, Shannon Hancock, and Puttiluk Songklib-- from Haiti, the US, and Thailand, respectively—teamed up for “Namenlos- Anonymous”, a collaborative production shaped by different cultures and training. African dance, ballet, and classical Thai collided in an expert display of precise and dynamic movements.

Dealing with the theme of migration, the 45-minute dance theatre impressed the with thought its provoking messages. While all three performers united in seeking safe shores, their journeys were very different. The American’s biggest complaint about moving to Europe was trivial—her baggage was over the weight limit at the airport. By contrast, before her illegal immigration to America by boat, the Haitian needed to ply her terrors with alcohol and prayer.   

The Northeastern Thai character didn’t even get to travel—at least not in the physical sense. Hoping to leave for a better place, she remained stuck in the same spot, but didn’t stopped moving through life—from birth, through sickness and ageing to death.

Almost simultaneously, on Friday only, Studio 9 hosted the long-awaited and much-anticipated new production from Patravadi Theatre.

A collaboration between Patravadi Mejudhon and Manop Meejamrat, “Sang Thong” is an engaging intercultural adaptation of classical Thai drama, making use of a wide array of performance disciplines, ranging from lakhon chatree and lakhon nai to puppetry and animation. Although the narrator—Patravadi herself—has said “Sang Thong” is a work in progress, the audience seemed to agree that this work has progressed very far and we look forward to more episodes in the near future.

With the festival now over, it’s worth taking a brief look back over the last five weekends. While feedback has been mainly positive, there were grumbles about the cancellation and postponement of some productions with no advance notice, among them Korphai Ensemble’s concert, Patravadi Theatre’s “Sang Thong”, and Sema Thai Marionette Group’s “Chao Ngor”. In addition, the festival’s official website didn’t provide enough information on each performance to help potential ticket buyers make their decisions.

Despite its ups—“Wangnin Family”, to name but one—and downs—like the forgettable “7 Graces”—, Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008 provided many valid reasons to visit Patravadi Theatre. As soon as we get next year’s calendars, we’ll definitely be reserving our weekends from mid-January to mid-February and waiting for the organizer to announce the programmes.

And now, as after any sumptuous feast, many will be asking what’s to follow.

Apart from being one of the most reasonably priced riverside restaurants with a host of tasty dishes, Patravadi Theatre’s Studio 9 offers traditional and modern dance , music, and theatre performances every Friday and Saturday starting at 7:30pm for no additional charges.

This weekend (February 22 and 23), Nimitr Pipitkul, the recipient of Ministry of Culture’s Silpathorn Award, and the Sema Thai Marionette Group will use string marionettes to re-tell the story of “Sang Thong” in “Chao Ngor”, focusing on the disparity between the external physical attributes and the inner spiritual powers.

Next month, Patravadi Mejudhon and Manop Meejamrat will continue their development of “Sang Thong”.

Dance aficionados may now want to mark March 28 to 30 on their calendars, when the Dance Center will be hosting the International Dance Festival 2008 at Central World and Benjasiri Park. Works by Italian choreographer Emmy di Gioia and Israeli dance maker Arkadi Zaides are among the highlights. For more, visit www.dance-centre.com.

written by Jasmine Baker and Pawit Mahasarinand

published in The Nation on Wednesday, February 20, 2008

 "Bellies" photos courtesy of Chulalongkorn University's Dramatic Arts Club; 

"Namenlos" of Karine LaBel