Getting over the strage fright

TV production company Workpoint debuted its theatre

arm with the comedy "Chai Klang" at the new venue, and

theatre owner Scenario is all set to stage its first comedy,

"Luk Khun Luang".

Next month Scenario is putting on a new production of

its successful musical "Bunlung Mek", and in November it

will team up with BEC-Tero to bring in Andrew Lloyd

Webber's "Cats".

And, with new partner CM Organiser, Dreambox

Theatre now has a better chance of succeeding after

struggling to survive as Dass Entertainment.

Are city folk really shunning TV and the cinema in

favour of live shows, or is it just a fad?

"The Ratchadalai Theatre is being managed well," says

Nation theatre critic Pawit Mahasarinand, but although

the scene is "definitely booming, a lot of it is the result of

media coverage, and because people tend to be excited

about new things".

"I wonder what will happen once when they get used to

it," says Nikorn Saetung, who runs the 8X8, a 30-seat

cafe-theatre upstairs at a shophouse in Samyan Market.

"Maybe their enthusiasm for theatre will die out."

Writer-producer Daraka Wongsiri, who's been coping with

the ups and downs of Thai theatre for the past 20 years, is

even less optimistic.

"Whenever a new theatre shows promise we get our hopes

up, and then, after a few years, it's gone. The arrival of the

Ratchadalai reminds me of the prosperous days of the

Montienthong Theatre, the birth of the 28 Theatre group

and the success of Dass Entertainment.

"They all did well at the beginning and we thought the

theatre business was at last flourishing, but they were all

forced to close in the end," says Daraka, who was behind

the staging of such masterpieces as "Onlamaan Lung

Baan Sai Thong" and the musical "Khoo Kam".

Pawit points out that this time the production company

owns the theatre and has strong financial backing, and the

venue is in a good location at the Esplanade on

Ratchadaphisek Road.

He stresses that the theatre companies need to prove

their worth.

"Big production companies must also support small

troupes. In Broadway theatres it's common to find leaflets

for off-Broadway or even off-off-Broadway productions.

They help each other, and that props up the community as

a whole."

An issue that concerns Pawit, Daraka and Nikorn is the

skyrocketing cost of a ticket. The average price is around

Bt1,000, making it hard for most people to catch more

than one or two performances a year.

Dreambox and Patravadi, among others, provide

generous discounts for students, but they have to pay full

price at the Ratchadalai.

 "It's hard to lower the price because it might ruin a

show's image," Pawit says. "The public would

misunderstand, thinking that if it's cheap, the show's no

good."

And putting TV soap-opera stars on the stage as a

gimmick to sell more tickets just wouldn't work, he says.

"Theatre is an alternative form of entertainment, which

people seek out when they're bored with television and

movies. It would be no good for the theatre business if,

after the initial craze has died down, the audiences are

seeing nothing different from what's on their TV screens."

The current boom, Pawit notes, has benefited young

theatre students, who formerly had to settle for jobs in

television and cinema.

"They're relieved at having a chance to work in the field

they've studied," he says, but he quickly adds that those

graduating from the classes where he lectures are still

struggling to make ends meet.

While the stars of such musicals as "Fah Jarod Sai" may

well earn seven figures, the ensemble and extras are lucky

to take home Bt100,000 for four or five months' work.

And cast members rehearse harder and can't take

leave. Unlike their Western counterparts, they have no

union protection.

"In theatre, actors and dancers can't take on sideline

jobs to supplement their income," Pawit says. "It's hard to

see how they can survive unless they're paid a decent

wage."

"I don't think the theatre business will survived if we

don't get support from the state," Daraka observes. "As I

keep saying, theatre should be encouraged as part of

education. If we succeed, there will be more scriptwriters,

directors - and theatregoers."

Onstage in August

It's a hot month for stage performances in Bangkok, as a quick glance at the highlights shows.

"Mahachanok Never Say Die"

Where: Makhampom Studio, in Thai and English

When: Now playing, every Friday to Sunday at 7.30pm, and on Saturdays and

Sundays also at 2pm

What: Stories of trauma and conflict in today's Thailand performed in a hybrid style of traditional Thai dance-drama, storytelling and contemporary physical theatre.

King Mahachanok and the goddess Mekkala debate the subjects of perseverance and humanity as the monarch struggles while lost at sea. The story becomes the window through which we view the journey of Bao, a body collector swept up in the tsunami tragedy, the torment of the refugee camps on the Burmese border, and the Islamist

insurgency in the South.

Who: Directed by Pradit Prasartthong and performed by the Makhampom

Theatre Group

How much: Bt200, or Bt150 when seats are purchased for groups of at least five. Only 40 seats are available.

Contact: (084) 360 7013, (02) 616

8473 or (089) 014 3516

"Khoo Kam the Musical"

Where: EGV Metropolis Theatre

When: August 24 to 26 and Aug 31 to September 2 at 7.30pm, with 2pm matinees at on the Saturdays and Sundays.

What: Scriptwriter Daraka Wongsiri's revival of the popular musical based on a classic Thai novel.

The tale of a tragic love between a Thai woman and a Japanese soldier is transformed to a beautiful musical. For the first time, a Japanese actually plays the male lead.

How much: Bt2,500, Bt2,000, Bt1,500, Bt1,000 and Bt500 from ThaiticketMajor

Contact: (02) 262 3456

"Luk Kun Luang"

Where: Muang Thai Ratchadalai Theatre

When: Tomorrow through August 26, each Wednesday through Sunday with

matinees at 2pm on the weekends

What: Another restaging, this one of a 20-year-old comedy-theatre hit

Who: The story is based on the writings of the late ML Kukrit Pramoj, featuring

talented actress Phaoon Chandrasiri.

How much: Bt1,800, Bt1,500, Bt1,200 and Bt500 at ThaiticketMajor

Contact: (02) 262 3456

"Rai Phamnak" ("Where Should I Lay My Soul?")

Where: The 8X8 Theatre at Samyan Market

When: Tomorrow through September 1, every Wednesday to Sunday at 7.30pm

What: Inspired by the controversy over successive Japanese prime ministers' visits the Yasukuni war memorial, the play depicts the spirits of two soldiers searching for a comrade who was lost in Thailand during the war. They had promised to meet at the Yasukuni Shrine when they died.

How much: Bt300

Contact: (02) 215 4232 or (081) 685 7588

"Remember ... What You Have

Done in 24 Hours?"

Where: Patravadi Theatre

When: August 24 to 26 at 8pm

What: Choreographer Jitti Chompee and Sarawanee Tanatanit of the American Ballet Studio mingle theatre and dance with the help of dancers from Switzerland and France.

How much: Bt1,000, Bt600 and Bt400, half price for students, at ThaiticketMajor

Contact: Patravadi Theatre at (02) 412 7287-8 or ThaiticketMajor at (02) 262 3456

-Parinyaporn Pajee

The Nation