Open Forum: You Think You're Broke, but How Broke/ Broken is the Arts?

When we say the government has not been supportive of the arts, what do we mean? We mean that only one period per week in the national education syllabus is allocated for teaching arts to school children; we mean that in a ‘durian runtuh’ year of RM160 million budget allocated to arts - it only represents 0.01% of the country’s 2022 GDP; we mean that instead of incentives for audiences to watch local shows, there is instead a 25% duty attached to each ticket. 

It feels that everything is working against the arts. 

Yet, in 2023, RM12.4 million worth of ticket sales were transacted on the CloudJoi ticketing site from 417 productions via 103 active organisers (producing units). 

How does an unsupported industry support itself and continue to offer local arts for Malaysian audiences?  And what would the industry look like if the government supported the arts with a healthy budget?

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Moderator

June Tan, Five Arts Centre

Since 1997, June has stage-managed, tour-managed, and produced numerous local and international co-productions, including Five Arts Centre performances such as Baling, Version 2020, GE14 and A Notional History.  From 2018-2020 she was a Director for TPAM in Yokohama - a platform reflecting contemporary thinking in Asian performing arts.  June’s producing experience builds from her experience in the corporate sector (1997-2008).  She is interested in understanding systems, and in facilitating space for difference, for discussion, and models for art making.  June is also involved as secretariat and committee member of ReformARTsi, a community coalition advocating policy change in the arts.

Panelists

Jo Kukathas, The Instant Cafe Theatre Company

Jo Kukathas, actor, writer, director, producer, lecturer, Artistic Director The Instant Café Theatre Company, a company (1989) best known for political satire and New Malaysian Writing platform, FIRSTWoRKS. She has run independent arts spaces, The Theatre Upstairs, Instant Café’s House of Arts and Ideas (CHAI); produced/ curated festivals, Out in the Open and Raise The Roof; staged indoor, outdoor and site-specific productions from opera to Shakespeare to plays to satire. During Covid19 the company experimented online, engaging with civil society activists and successfully sharing their theatre globally. The company has toured their work Malaysian-wide and to Singapore, Brisbane, Adelaide, Tokyo, Jakarta, Hong Kong. Jo has performed solo in New York at the Fringe Festival, and in London with artist Tai Shani. In Malaysia she has performed many solo works and political stand-up comedy.

International collaborations include projects in Japan with Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo (2 year project The Island in Between and 3 year, 6 Asian nation collaboration Lohan Journey) and Kirari Fujimi (Indonesian/Malaysian/Japanese collaboration Beautiful Water.) She has run workshops on Shakespeare in Brazil, on the theatre of healing in Taiwan, worked as a dramaturg/director in Melbourne (New Asian Plays), spoke on collaboration at Theatreffen, Germany.

Local collaborations/ co-productions: Sutra Dance Company, Parastoo (an Afghan refugee theatre company), Chinese theatre collective Pentas Projects, Malay company Rumah Anak Teater. She co-created and performed in Malaysian/US collaboration: How To Be Alone.

William Yap, W Productions

William Yap is a multifaceted talent in the local Chinese-speaking theatre scene, excelling as a producer, director, actor, scriptwriter, and publicist. His passion for theatre began during his school days and has since flourished into a remarkable career. He is the co-founder of W Productions, which focuses on producing performing arts shows and events, as well as developing talent.

William made his directing debut in January 2010 with the "LOVE" short play project, which he also co-produced. His skill in scriptwriting was recognized when he received the Best Original Script award for his "SORRY IN LOVE" project at the ADA Drama Awards 2012. His directorial works, such as "PEOPLE LIKE US," "FIRST LOVE," "OLD BIRD," "SICK," "35," "P2," "Happy Fest," and "Living Together," have garnered critical acclaim and impressive box office success. His plays frequently receive nominations and awards at the ADA Drama Awards, with "SICK" winning Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Poster, and Best Original Script. His project "35" won Best Set and Best Lighting Design at the 15th Boh Cameronian Arts Awards.

For the first time in 2023, his company collaborated with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia to co-produce a stage play called “The Brotherhood,” bringing a Taiwanese actor to Kuala Lumpur to perform alongside local talent. It was not just a sold-out show; it also won four major awards at the 19th ADA Drama Awards, including Best Theatre.

William is also the co-founder of CloudJoi (formerly known as CloudTheatre), which has successfully brought the physical theatre experience online since the pandemic. Now, CloudJoi is the largest and fastest-growing ticketing platform for performing arts, culture, and live entertainment shows in Malaysia. Leading the way with over 200 arts organizers, CloudJoi offers innovative ticketing, live streaming, and on-demand services. It has expanded to Taiwan and plans to reach more locations.

William Yap's contributions to theatre and his pioneering work with CloudJoi have significantly impacted the local arts scene, showcasing his dedication and versatility in the performing arts.

Syafiq Syazim, Patblas Creative

Syafiq Syazim is a theatre director, educator, and researcher in Malaysian theatre, currently based in Kuala Lumpur. A distinguished alumnus of the National Academy of Arts, Culture, and Heritage (ASWARA), he holds a Bachelor’s degree with honours in stage directing (2017) and a Diploma in stage scenography (2013).

His innovative work has garnered numerous accolades, including best directing, scenography, and performance at the Malaysia Theatre Festival in both 2017 and 2018. His exceptional talent also shone at the University of Malaya's Theatre Festival in 2018, where he swept the awards for best directing, scenography, and play. Further cementing his reputation, he clinched best director, play, and performance at the Malaysian Universities Cultural Festival in 2019.

His quest for artistic excellence has taken him across the globe, attending prestigious workshops like the Noh Theatre Workshop at Kyoto University of Art and Design in Japan (2016), Lecoq Techniques at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, and sessions at the Intercultural Theatre Institute and W!LD RICE in Singapore (2015).

In 2021, he directed a segment of the Hektomeron Project for the National Theatre of Craiova in Romania, a global initiative uniting 100 directors from 100 countries. His international engagements also include participation in the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama, Japan (TPAM 2021), and a research grant from the Japan Foundation for the Asian Performing Arts Forum in Tokyo (APAF 2018).

His directorial and acting ventures have spanned Romania, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau, making him a truly global theatre artist committed to pushing the boundaries of performance and cultural exchange.

Arjun Thanaraju, Independent artist & writer

Arjun Thanaraju is a Malaysian Indian film and theatre maker who spotlights underrepresented stories from marginalised communities in Malaysia. Arjun was first introduced to the performing arts through the St. John’s Institution Drama Club where he co-wrote his first play and went on to win the Best Script Award at the state level in 2014. He returned to writing four years later at the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival hosted by the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre where his play, “Arranged”, was selected as a finalist and received the coveted Audience Choice Award. Arjun made his acting debut in Anomalist Production’s BOH Cameronian Arts Award winning play, “POHLITHIK”, and has since worked with Anomalist’s artistic director Khairi Anwar on various film and theatre projects including Anomalist’s first feature film, “Mentega Terbang”, where Arjun served both as a co-writer and an actor. In 2023, Arjun wrote and starred in his first original full-length play, "Amma Chellam", for which he received a BOH Cameronian Arts Award nomination for Best Original Script. Arjun also earned a nomination in the Best Actor category at the BMW Shorties 2023 short film festival for his leading role in Khairi’s first horror short film, “Bite Me”. As his career grows, Arjun hopes to continue giving untold Malaysian stories a voice, even if that voice must speak alone.