A FOUR-MONTH long festival of dance, theatre, music and film gets underway this Friday in the seaside resort of Hua Hin. And if that sounds like a celebration, which the government is curbing during this period of national mourning, then national artist Patravadi “Khru Lek” Mejudhon guarantees that it’s not.
“Neither is this entertainment, and if you look into the details of our programmes, you’ll see that they all deal with education. [Despite the recent postponement and cancellation of many performing arts events] I also strongly believe that the late King wouldn’t want us to stop everything,” she says.
“Part of the reason why I started this school [which now offers classes from kindergarten through high school] is his speech that we should always persist in whatever we do. I recall one year we didn’t put on any performances here at all and one afternoon I got a call from the Crown Property Bureau asking me why not
and so I decided to keep on working. And part of my work is learning, which is lifelong.”
Performing arts fans may still recall that four years ago when Vic Hua Hin’s organised the last edition of its Fringe Festival, one of the programmes was the internationally acclaimed performance “Pichet Klunchun and Myself” staged in collaboration with the French Embassy’s La Fete festival.
So after years of devoting herself fully to education, why is Khru Lek restarting a performing arts festival this year?
“I’ve been working with students and teachers here on contemporary stage adaptations of Thai literary masterpieces, namely ‘Viva Phra Samut’, ‘Ramakien’, ‘Vetal’, and last year’s ‘Samakkiphet’. The experience students have gained in participating in various aspects of these productions, including taking production photos and designing posters, not only helps the students in their Thai literature classes but also develops their skills and personalities. In the meantime, many artist colleagues, Thai and foreign, have been wanting to perform at Vic Hua Hin and so in curating this ‘Vic Hua Hin Theatre Season 2016’, I’m expanding our educational theatre programme. So it’s education, and not entertainment, that’s at the centrestage here.”
Of the school production this year, Khru Lek says: “[Silpathorn Awarded composer and musician] Anant ‘Khru Nong’ Narkkong suggested ‘Ngo Pa’ and I think it’s also a good choice for our director [Silpathorn Awarded actor, dancer and choreographer]
Manop ‘Khru Nai’ Meejamrat. I’m only writing and performing, not directing, this time.”
“And since people around the world are marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, our students are studying ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ not only in class but also on stage with our guest director and production designer Ruth Pongstaphone.”
Apart from dance, theatre and music performances, films earlier screened by Documentary Club at SF World and selected by Bioscope magazine editor Thida Plitpholkarnpim will also be shown.
“In Hua Hin, it’s difficult for us to watch these films, which not only open up new educational perspectives but also are enjoying a growing number of viewers in Bangkok. Another reason is that we wouldn’t be up to staging performances every weekend, so this is a good balance in our schedule,” Khru Lek explains.
“It would be a waste if ‘Vic Hua Hin Theatre Season 2016’ were a closed door event exclusively for our students, teachers and parents. I firmly believe it will also benefit local residents as well as visitors to Hua Hin. As you can see our ticket prices are very low. We really want to welcome everybody and [with no major sponsors] we won’t get any profit, just some money to pay for the guest artists’ travel expenses.”
The curtain raiser of “Vic Hua Hin Theatre Season 2016” this Friday and Saturday evening is “Chiwit Di Di”, the Thai translation of Duncan Macmillan’s interactive comedy on depression “Every Brilliant Thing”. The play, in Thai with English surtitles and
featuring two alternating cast members Konthorn Taecholarn (Friday) and Sumontha Suanpholrat (Saturday), has been cracking laughter and drawing tears in Bang Saen, Chiang Mai, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen and Songkhla after premiering at Chulalongkorn University’s Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts this February.
On Sunday afternoon, the audience can watch Michael Moore’s hilarious documentary “Where to Invade Next”. “Ngo Pa” takes the stage the following few weekends, with back-to-back screenings of “Bolchoi Babylon” and “Iris” back on December 10 and 11.
After the Christmas and New Year break, the festival welcomes 2017 with another two documentaries “Song of Lahore” and “The New Rijkmuseum” on January 7 and 8. That’s followed by “East Meets West”, a dance collaboration between Kent State University from the US and Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University on January 14, and “The Lovers and the Despot” the following afternoon.
Wannasak Sirilar and Sun Dance Theatre’s “Snakes”, recently seen at Tadu Art, has been adapted into a solo performance and will be in Hua Hin in late January and early February along with documentaries “The Wolfpack” and “Art and Craft”.
On the first Sunday in February, the Japan Foundation brings in “Kuricorder and Friends”, comprising musicians from four groups who create songs from simple yet peculiar instruments. Audience members, both young and old, are also welcome to join their workshop, starting immediately after their performance.
The following weekend, just before Valentine’s Day, Patravadi School students will perform in “Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
Closing out the festival in late February and early March is aerial acrobat artist Rajanikara “Leng” Kaewdee’s new work “Tor Mor ImmiGreyZone”, a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil counterparts.
SEE YOU IN HUA HIN
– “Vic Hua Hin Theatre Season 2016” runs from this Friday to March 5 at Vic Hua Hin, a two-hour drive from Bangkok.
– Most programmes are on Saturday 7pm and Sunday 2pm.
– Performance tickets are Bt400 (Bt200 for students); movie tickets are Bt150 (Bt100 for students), at Thai Ticket Major (www.ThaiTicketMajor.com). Free admission for children shorter than 1 metre.
– For more details, http://www.VicHuaHin.com, |or call (032) 827 814-5.