CloudJoi Meet Up: A Space for the Arts Community to Share, Connect & Collaborate

The first-ever CloudJoi Meet Up on 22 March 2025 at the CloudJoi Office brought together 40+ attendees from across the arts and beyond for a casual yet meaningful session. It was a space to exchange ideas, discuss projects, raise industry concerns, seek collaborations or literally anything performing arts related.

Kicking off with a welcome speech by CloudJoi CEO Dennis Lee, the event featured five-minute lightning presentations, with the first round covering four new projects in the works, five discussion topics, one pitch offer, and one artist feature that got everyone's attention.

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👇🏻 Here’s a recap of everything that was shared!

1. Project: Bebenang (Presented by Aish)

Bebenang is the latest project by Perempuan Productions, a collective dedicated to telling raw, unfiltered stories, especially those often overlooked. Bringing together artists across races, ages, and disciplines, the project weaves dance, spoken word, theatre, and interdisciplinary art into meaningful narratives.

Their creative process unfolds in three phases:

• Story Collection – Gathering real-life experiences that often go unheard.
• Workshopping & Devising – Experimenting with different artistic forms to shape the narratives.
• Staging & Refinement – Using lighting, sound, and set design to craft an immersive experience.

Contact @karrenaishwarya or @farahrani to be a funders, collaborators, or investors to bring these stories to life on stage.

2. Pitch Start 2025 – YSD Art Festival (Presented by Violacea Low)

YSDAF’s Pitch Start is back with RM30,000 up for grabs! This year’s theme, "Community: Side by Side," highlights inclusivity, especially projects involving persons with disabilities. Think dance, music, or sign language performances—the more adaptable, the better. Winning ideas will also be featured in urban tours across three locations!

✅ Creative & original idea
✅ Team of 10+, including persons with disabilities
✅ Passion to make it happen

Apply before 30 March here.

3. Project: Ammavin Thuru (Presented by Naveen Raja)

Ammavin Thuru (A Mother’s Rust) is a Tamil-English theatre play about a mother-daughter relationship and the struggles of communication across generations. Originally staged at Short & Sweet, Naveen fought to keep Tamil stories on stage, even at the cost of competition rules. Now, he wants to expand it into a full-length play.

He’s looking for:
 ✅ Producers & Investors
 ✅ Collaborators who believe Tamil stories deserve a platform

 Contact Naveen to collaborate to develop Ammavin Thuru.

4. Workshopping Theatre in Malaysia: Why Isn’t It Center Stage? (Presented by Dennis Lee)

Why don’t Malaysian theatre productions test and refine their work before going straight to full productions? In contrast to Broadway and the West End, Malaysia lacks a strong workshopping culture.

Why Workshopping Matters:
 ✅ Lower cost – A smaller-scale production allows refinement before committing big budgets.
 ✅ Audience feedback – Comedians test their material all the time—why don’t theatre productions?
 ✅ Investor opportunities – A workshopped production isn’t just an idea—it’s a tangible pitch.
 ✅ Content for marketing – Most productions struggle with promotions before they’re staged.

5. Racism & Colourism in the Performing Arts Industry (Presented by Dhakshu & Lakshmi Ahrunagiry)

Why is fair skin still the standard in Malaysian advertising? Why do brands believe that featuring fewer Indian faces will sell better? The issue isn’t just about casting choices—it’s about why society buys into it in the first place. With 83% of Indian performers reporting direct racism, Dhakshu and Lakshmi discussed:

• How racism and colorism are deeply ingrained in the industry
• How casting calls exclude darker-skinned actors
• How to challenge these biases and push for change

Dhakshu will also introduce an upcoming July production at klpac, which explores racism and colorism in performing arts.

6.  Site-Specific Theatre (Presented by Adriana Nordin Manan)

This project explores two short plays with a focus on site-specific theatre, where the performance space itself shapes the storytelling. Adriana is also experimenting with media, sound, and participatory theatre, pushing the boundaries of how audiences engage with live performances.

As a director and collaborator, Adriana is exploring two short plays with elements of site-specific theatre. With an interest in integrating media, sound, and participatory theatre, she is scouting for directors and videographers/DoP adjacents to bring this project to life.

Click here to be a director, or contact @adrianalah by 15 April.

7.  To be or not to be an influencer (Presented by Presented by Nicole Jay)

Performing arts needs more digital content to grow its audience. Right now, it’s mostly our own circle posting about shows—but is that enough? Does it actually help organisers fill seats? Nicole proposes a new publicity strategy:

• Recruit content creators by offering free tickets in exchange for coverage. 
• Use all formats, including videos, social media posts, or written content. 
• Small accounts matter too, as niche audiences can sometimes be more targeted than large followings.

The goal is to make performing arts a visible entertainment choice, a lifestyle. If more people see others going to shows, more people will want to go.

If you’re a content creator or an organiser open to this idea, contact Nicole!

8. Project: Vers: And Now We Shall Pray (Presented by Dhinesha)

Exploring faith, love, and identity, Vers: And Now We Shall Pray is a play within a play about two men navigating an interracial, interreligious relationship. It delves into how faith shapes personal and romantic connections, tackling themes of belief, tradition, and coexistence.

Currently in development, the project is seeking:
 ✅ Actors – One Malay male and one Indian male (aged 25-35)
 ✅ Interviewees – Individuals willing to share experiences on religion and relationships
 ✅ Audience members – Those interested in open rehearsals and future show updates

If you're keen to be part of the conversation, submit here.

9. How to put the Biz in ShowBiz? (Presented by William Yap)

After 20 years in the corporate world, William left his job to focus full-time on CloudJoi and his theatre production, W Productions. But can the performing arts be financially sustainable? His experiment involves producing multiple shows per year to test whether high volume leads to profitability. 

10. Project: Short-form Digital Content Action Comedy Series (Presented by Grace)

Rejection, delays, and lost opportunities are all part of the creative process. Grace invites the audience to acknowledge and process creative losses in a collective farewell:

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We return these projects—fragments of artistry, hope, and hard work—back to the universe. They were part of our journey, and as the seasons change, they will return to us in another form."

11. “The Pursuit of Authentic Expression” Project: Music and Brain (Presented by Dr. Yvonne Chong)

What happens when neuroscience meets audiovisual art? Dr. Yvonne Chong, a Functional Neurologist and artist, has developed an experimental project titled "The Pursuit of Authentic Expression."

Using a QEEG brainwave device, she translates real-time brain activity into sound and visuals, creating a truly authentic form of artistic expression.

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Follow @cloudjoi for the latest updates and events in performing arts. Stay tuned for the next meet-up!