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Published on November 8, 2007

Impatient with the pace around him, he has set up his own opera company, NUNi Productions. It is a unique company that focuses mainly on opera productions and performances that integrate music, movements, stagecraft and drama.

Saran does not expect to take Bangkok by storm with his first production, "Mozart in Mischief".

His debut production will be performed on Saturday in the small auditorium of the Thailand Cultural Centre as part of the Bangkok Theatre Festival.

He would like to present the show bit by bit. His strategy is to introduce all the operatic elements, which may be connected to the Thai audience, and present them in the most candid light.

"Thais have not grown up with opera in their heart and soul. Most of the productions are limited to a narrow segment of opera-goers and have failed to reach out to the broader audience," Saran said.

So when he starts his own production, Saran would like to ensure he attracts Thais by making the production easy to understand.

"I have to assume the audience is the main factor before working out a production to suit their tastes and needs," he said.

"Mozart in Mischief" will also showcase the talent of a rising Thai and international opera star: resident director Pattarasuda Anuman-Rajadhon. In fact, talented Thai professionals are handling virtually all aspects of opera production, including stage design and costumes.

"Mozart in Mischief" will also feature selections from "Cosi Fa Tutte", "Don Giovanni" and "Le Nooze di Figaro". It will include such favourites as "Sull Arai" and "Soave Sia il Vento" and many more of Mozart's most beautiful and well-loved masterpieces.

Saran is the first Thai to study opera and receive formal professional training. He received a degree in opera performance from Manhattan School of Music before earning his master's degree at the Royal College of Music in London.

He is fluent in all of the romance languages in which opera is performed and has long since proved his talent in international opera performances. He recently performed in Singapore and will travel there to perform "La Traviata" next January.

He currently works as a lecturer of opera at Silpakorn University.

NUNi Productions stands for "Never Underestimating New ideas", he said. Saran would like it to become a dynamic new theatre company, seeking to elevate the standard of performance in Thailand and beyond.

"Theatre must connect with its audience, the here and now; it must be vital and relevant to the lives of people today," Saran said.

"We seek to open dialogues with our audiences and touch them with the full sensory interactive experience that is inherent to multidisciplinary arts."

Thanong Khanthong

The Nation