For the first time, long-time Producer Fezhah Maznan teams up with Teater Ekamatra to produce a never done before digital Malay monologues show, Baca Skrip.
Baca Skrip is a bi-weekly script read of Malay theatre plays by prolific Malay theatre playwrights from Singapore. The scripts that are read are selected based on their impact on the Singapore Malay theatre history and/or which are representative of the chosen playwright’s oeuvres of works. The scripts must have been performed before.
Each session will be accompanied by an introduction to provide a sense of history and social, political, and cultural context. To close the reading, there will be a critical response by a guest. This critical response invites the audience to view the work closer and provide an alternative path into the reading of the play.
Even though the impetus to begin this programme is to create jobs in a time of a pandemic, it also serves to rekindle the work with today’s Malay theatre audience and create a sense of continued history for Singapore Malay theatre in general.
Performance dates: 29 May, 26 June, 24 July, 28 August 2020 (8:00 PM-10:00 PM)
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/578315569494362/
Ticket price: $10
Tickets are available at: https://bacaskrip.peatix.com/view
29 May 2020
baca skrip: #HantaranBuatMangsaLupa
Synopsis
Hantaran Buat Mangsa Lupa (Offerings for the Victims of Amnesia) is a trilogy of plays inspired by the three main events leading to the establishment of Islam. Paired with the severely poetic nature of the Malay language, Hantaran offers a dimension that faith excludes and/or questions.
Genap 40
Read by Shida Mahadi and Izzul Irfan
From Hadith no. 4, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us that it takes 40 days for a sperm and egg to become a drop of blood, then a chunk of meat, and then its roh (soul) to be blown into it by an angel on the last day. Along with its roh, four other decrees will also be written onto it; takdir, rezeki, iman and ajal (fate, sustenance, faith and finiteness).
Hawa, who is pregnant, receives a premonition to meet Malaikat (angel) on the 39th day. She hopes to inquire about her child’s fate and herself, revealing her true desire to challenge predestination.
W.C.
Read by Misha’al Syed Nasar and KayKay Nizam
Two men in a toilet cubicle.
They talk, but not a lot.
They touch, but not too much.
Only the four walls bear witness to their dispositions.
They struggle to find comfort and space.
A woman looms outside, shifting the gravity of their proximity.
The two men are now trapped in the cubicle.
W.C was created to examine the complexities between men – abandonment, trust, and maybe even love. Performed in an intimate setting with sparse text, the audience is cornered to read between the lines and decipher the relationship between these two characters.
W.C. speaks of comfort and sacrifice, or lack thereof.
94:05
Read by Fir Rahman
94:05 invites the audience to the life and memories of Ahmad bin Abdullah. As he tidies his studio apartment, Ahmad finds it hard not to reminisce. He shares with us every important juncture he has passed through, slowly revealing his struggles with fate. Now and then, he contemplates mortality, especially in moments when hope becomes fleeting.
Ahmad tells stories of the Prophet Muhammad from memory, in an attempt to ease himself, and maybe, to find a reason to live. He recites Surah 94 – Relief, fixated on the promise in the fifth line;
“So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief”.
Profiles
Irfan Kasban
Playwright
Playwright
Through writing, directing, designing and performing, Irfan Kasban hopes to create intricate works to make sense of his time in this universe. A freelance professional since 2006, Irfan’s curiosity has guided his artistic trajectory in various mediums and disciplines. He is captivated by our daily struggle to find peace, which has spanned across time and space. Irfan is an Associate Artist with Teater Ekamatra since 2011 and was an Associate Artist with The Theatre Practice in 2019. Currently, he is interested in performance as ritual healing.
Shida Mahadi
Actor
Shida Mahadi is a Singaporean-born actress who’s had an on and off love affair with theatre since 2000. Some of her more notable works are Causeway (SIFA 2002), Nadirah (2009&2011), Kkenang: A Monologue (Project Suitcase 2008, Cairo International Festival of Performing Arts 2009).
In 2010, she packed her bags and crossed the border into Malaysia for a boy (Awww……) and has been there since.
Her yearning for the stage is satisfied with the occasional projects back in the Motherland, her most recent one being #istillwantmypr as part of Project Suitcase 2016 and Ipoh Causeway Exchange 2017.
Izzul Irfan
Actor
Izzul Irfan is a freelance actor, playwright, and director. His acting credits include Without Reason (M1 Peer Pleasure Festival 2017); Angkat (M1 Fringe Festival 2019) and A Clockwork Orange (Teater Ekamatra 2019), both directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, and Anything Can Happen / Something Must Happen (Young & W!ld 2019) directed by Edith Podesta He wrote his first play, Sampan in 2016 and he has since written an original musical, Runaway in 2018. He is currently the Creative Director of The Runaway Company, a youth theatre group dedicated to telling stories through the integration of music and theatre. His directing works with The Runaway Company include a jukebox musical Void Deck (2019), and a music theatre production, Wilderness (2019).
Mish’aal Syed Nasar
Actor
Currently working with The Observatory, Mish’aal is an arts manager whose experience includes Festival Coordinator and Project Manager for The Necessary Stage (TNS). He was also the Education Outreach Manager and Venue Manager with The Substation over a 6-year period, where he worked on many programmes. Beyond being an arts manager, Mish’aal is also a theatre practitioner. He was part of the cast that received Best Ensemble at the Straits Times Life Theatre Awards for Bilik Ahmad (2010).
Kaykay Nizam
Actor
Khairulnizam or more affectionately known as Kaykay Nizam began as a street dancer in Fantastic Four Crew, the largest dance crew in Singapore and now a member in the alumnus group, Fantastic All Stars.
Kaykay Nizam’s recently performed in Separa Dewa by Farhanah Diyanah, collaborating as an actor and visual media artist. Kaykay graduated from the BA in Theatre Arts (Acting) programme from NAFA(Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts). He has performed with renowned Singaporean production companies such as The Kaizen M.D, Main Tulis Group, Toy Factory Productions and Akulah Bimbo Sakti.
Fir Rahman
Actor
Fir Rahman, an accomplished actor whose work has reached the Cannes Film Festival through the highly acclaimed film directed by Boo Junfeng – Apprentice.
Fir Rahman first made waves when he emerged as the winner of a talent search competition on Mediacorp’s Suria channel in 2002. Before this, he had spent many years honing his acting skills on stage with Teater Kami Ltd; and till today, he is still active in the theatre scene.
As an actor, his greatest achievement is starring in Apprentice, the highly-acclaimed film directed by Boo Junfeng, screened in the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. He is nominated as Best Newcomer in the acting category for the 11th Asian Film Awards 2017 in Hong Kong. Fir is also a nominee for Best Actor in Lead Role (Drama Special/Anthology) for the Pesta Perdana 2017, a prestigious local award show.
His appearances on various television dramas, variety and infotainment shows on Suria, and Channel 5, earned him a nomination as Most Popular Male Personality on Suria’s Pesta Perdana.
Fir Rahman is also a fitness buff and a certified personal trainer.
About Teater Ekamatra
Teater Ekamatra is an established and exciting Singaporean arts company that spotlights artists of diverse ethnicities. Helmed by award-winning director and performer Mohd Fared Jainal, we live out our vision of being at the heart of theatre by staging daring works that address socio-political issues.
Teater Ekamatra has been commissioned by notable international arts festivals and has also won numerous accolades, especially at Singapore’s highest platform for excellence in theatre, the Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards, where our trophies have included Best Original Script several times.
Guided by our values of diversity, inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and people-centredness, Teater Ekamatra is committed to creating engaging art that inspires and incubating emerging talents and expanding diversity within the industry.
We have a dedicated team of associate artists comprising video designer E Lee Loong; playwright/director Irfan Kasban; actress/host Munah Bagharib; Bharathanatyam dancer Ruby Jayaseelan; and playwright/dramaturg Zulfadli Rashid.
