WONG OI MIN
Oi Min has a PHD in Arts. She is an actor, director, drama/theatre educator. Currently, she is a full-time lecturer at the National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) of Malaysia. She mainly teaches Physical Theatre & Applied Theatre as her orientation of the subject is in promoting and developing theatre arts & education. She believes in crossing-boundaries towards multicultural coexistence in her work.
BRANAVAN ARULJOTHI
After making his stage debut in The Actors Studio’s Open Day in 2004, Branavan Aruljothi has spent the better part of the last decade as an actor in both theatre and television. In theatre, his most notable work was with The Instant Cafe Theatre’s second season of Parah, which garnered acclaim through its many stagings in Kuala Lumpur and Australia. The production was recognised with multiple nominations and wins at the 10th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, including a nomination for Best Group Performance (Theatre). Other recognised credits include a performance in Jude James’ Cammie-nominated The Drive, and Mark Beau de Silva’s I Am Not My Pimples, which scored several nominations and wins at the 10th ADA Drama Awards.
Primarily an ensemble performer Branavan was also part of The Oral Stage troupe from 2006 to 2008, and was a part of David Lim’s inaugural This Cannot, That Cannot series of short Malaysian plays. In television, he was part of the ensemble of 2006’s Mystery 6, which ran for two seasons, under the creation and direction of Na’a Murad.
Presently, Branavan is focusing his knowledge and experience in theatre in an educational capacity. He is currently in the midst of a dissertation on the effectiveness of particular form of drama therapy as part of his Master of Arts in special needs.
FASYALI FADZLY
Fasyali Fadzly is an educator, director, playwright and writer. After dropped-out computer science student, he then chose theatre and pursue his dream to commit and develop Malaysian theatre from the grassroot. An MFA graduate from University of Calgary, Canada, he often tackles his work in satirical manner. He believes, comedy allows many convention and innovation not just in playwriting but also in finding new form. He wrote and directed his own play – Teater Juta-Juta (Theatre of Millions) which won for Best Director, Best Original Script and Best Ensemble Performance in Boh Cameronian Arts Award 2014, Berani Mati (Suicide Game), Kotak Hitam (Idiot Box), Kawan-kawan Yang Kita Suka (Friends that We Love) and directed several play from other playwrights such as Oedipus, ‘Art’ and Jebat. He also writes theatre-related articles and reviews and was published in local and international web portal. He occasionally acts for feature films, short films, commercial and TV programmes. One of his short film that he wrote and acted, Skodeng: Kebenaran Yang Nakal won Best Film, Best Script and Best Director for KL 48 Hours Film Project and represented Malaysia for International 48 hours Film Project in Miami 2010. Recipient of ASWARA Academic Scholarship Award, he is now serve as lecturer at The National of Arts, Culture and Heritage of Malaysia (ASWARA)
PAT CHAN
Pat Chan is a Senior Lecturer with Taylors University. She lectures and coaches in acting, directs musical theatre productions and theatre plays, the recent being Shakespeare’s ‘MacBeth’. Her career in the performing arts has spanned over 30 years, from the humble beginnings as a professional dancer to a musical theatre director. Pat Chan has been the Artistic and Managing Director of her own dance company – Dance Force Production. Her involvement in local and international theatre productions includes Aladdin, A tribute to Tun Mahathir, Broken Bridges, Cinderella, Nagraland, Palpitation, Peter Pan etc. Her involvement in film and TV includes Anna and the King, Gol & Gincu, Sell Out etc.
Pat Chan holds a Master in Actor Coaching & Training from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. She also holds an advance certification in the British Academy of Dramatic Combat and is a Ving Tsun martial arts practitioner.
FOO CHI WEI
Foo Chi Wei is a dance enthusiast and practitioner for the past 20 years. He studied the Graham Technique briefly under Eugenie Knox of The Dance of Life while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication at RMIT in Melbourne. He had his first taste of dancing in a production during the Spoleto Fringe Festival. Later back in Malaysia, he studied Odissi under the tutelage of Ramli Ibrahim at Sutra Dance Theatre from 2002–2012. Foo’s interest in Butoh propelled him in taking numerous workshops by local and international practitioners. Most notably with Butoh Master Yukio Waguri. Besides Sutra’s student performances, Foo had performed for Donna Miranda, Aida Redza, Dr Zulkifli Mohamad, Rithaudin Abdul Kadir, Nibroll dance company, Yukio Waguri under Soubi Sha and Nyoba Kan.
ALLA @ AZURA ABAL ABAS
More than 25 years experiences in dance scene. As performer, teacher, trainer and choreographer in all type of dance form; from traditional, modern, Latin and contemporary. Get involve in TV reality program and TV show at TV3, ASTRO and RTM (HMI, Zoom in, Akademi Fantasia, Sehati Berdansa, Mari Menari, Muzik-muzik, JuaraLagu etc).Teaching in private sector such as Maybank, Public Bank, RHB Bank and also run a small independent company to fill in the entertainment demand and to flourish the dance scene.
Diploma holder in dance from ASK (2000). Degree holder from University of Malaya majoring dance (2011), & now pursuing master at University of Malaya. Part time lecture at University of Malaya since 2011-2016. Active in MyDance Alliance Malaysia and Mawarku (Persatuan Seni budaya warisan Muzik, Tari dan Busana Melayu). Being invited by JKKN as jury & facilitator for their dance workshop and dance competition.
HII ING FUNG
From East Malaysia, Ing Fung was primarily trained in Chinese classical and folk dances under tutelage of Zhou Gui Xin, and later in ballet and contemporary dance techniques. Since 2000, she has been actively involved in many dance related activities, playing roles as dancer, choreographer, instructor, committee team or backstage member with/for organizations such as LAPAR Lab, The Dance Society of Malaysia, MyDance Alliance, Danceworks Production, AMP Performing Troupe, Selipar Dancer Troupe and so on.
She was the recipient of Best New Talent (Female) at first Short+Sweet Dance Malaysia (2009), the scholarship receiver to the TAIPEIDEA International Dance Festival in Taiwan (2010), and nominee of Best Featured Performer at 10th Boh Cameronian Arts Award (2013). In 2014, she has graduated from University of Malaya with Master of Arts (Performing Arts – Dance), and she continues her independent studies on dances of Chinese Malaysian after that.
She is currently a freelancer and teaches in University of Malaya and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris on part-time basis.
RATHIMALAR GOVINDARAJOO
Dancer | Choreographer | Dance Teacher | Dance Educator Specialist (DES)
Rathimalar Govindarajoo (Rathi) specialises in Indian Classical Odissi, Bharata Natyam and Modern Contemporary dance. She spent her formative years with Sutra Dance Theatre for over two decades and worked full-time as one of the pioneer dancers of Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company (SJDC) London, UK. She was a Fairview International School Dance Educator in the Middle Year Program (IB) for two years, and currently a Dance Educator Specialist (DES) in the GCSE Secondary & Primary syllabus at Help International School. She continues to contribute her extensive dance experience towards the performing arts and education in Malaysia and abroad.
MICHAEL XAVIER VOON
Michael Xavier Voon advocates the celebration of life in all aspects of the arts – empowering individuals and communities. Graduated with degrees in Fine, Graphic and Performing Arts from the Colorado Mesa State University, USA, MXV continues to lecture, facilitate, train, design, perform, direct and choreograph – for stage, print, tv, film, media and art.
Michael’s creative works have taken him internationally to Brunei, Sydney, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, NYC, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Denver. Recent awards include BOH Cameronian Kakiseni Arts Awards 2012 for Best Choreographer in “Dreamgirls”; Short+Sweet Dance Festival Award for “Diaries 09”. Credit highlights: “Bodyguards” (British Council/Dramalab), “Storyteller” (Dramalab/Five Arts), “KL KO” (Kualiworks), “HipHopera” (Straits Theatre) and “Shout! The Mod Musical” (Broadway Academy). Performance coaching on TV: Malaysian Idol I & II, One in a Million and So You Think You Can Dance, Malaysia. On stage: Young KL Singers, KL Childrens’ Choir, Wicked Pitches, Aspects of Broadway, Tapestry, Dayang & Farah Asyikin. Past luminary students include Jaclyn Victor, Dina Nadzir, Daniel Lee, Nita Hamzah, Faizal Tahir and Alif Satar.
Michael is also perhaps the longest serving judge on Kakiseni dating back to the end of its first inaugural year.
COLIN KIRTON
Colin is the artistic director of Kirton Call Productions and touring theatre company Footstool Players. His theatre acting credits include Broken Bridges – The Musical, P Ramlee The Musical, Paper Crane, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Julius Caesar. Directorial credits include Follow The Light and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Colin was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Solo) at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2007 for Broken Bridges – The Musical and won for Best Group Performance (Theatre) at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2009 as part of the ensemble for Footstool Players’ Crazy Little Thing Called Love. On television, Colin is best known for his lead role in the award-winning hit series Ghost 2 on 8tv, and supporting roles in ntv7’s blockbuster Mandarin drama series Age of Glory 2 andMining Magnate. Colin is also heavily in demand as a theatre skills trainer. His voice is also frequently heard on commercials, documentaries, educational multimedia materials and animation projects.
SANDRA SODHY
Sandra has pursued a wide-ranging and eclectic career spanning theatre, film, television, video, music, and the advertising and recording industries. A founding member of the Instant Café Theatre Company, she was part of the core group for 10 years. As Managing Director of the Straits Theatre Company, she produced, publicized and acted in many critically-acclaimed plays by Huzir Sulaiman and other award-winning playwrights. In 2006, she purpose-wrote Jalan Impian as a platform for talented children and co-produced it for charity with Farah Dato’ Seri Sulaiman She was a member of the International Writing Program 2006, USA, under the auspices of the US State Department, and has had her plays staged in the U.S. She has enjoyed over 35 years in theatre and has acted in and hosted many popular shows on TV, both here and abroad. She teaches theatre and musical theatre, trains people in the corporate sector and media industry, writes and edits, and performs whenever she can.
MERVYN PETERS
Mervyn’s involvement and experience in musical theatre is as varied as it is extensive – ranging from Producer, Director, Musical Director, Conductor, Chorus Master, Stage Manager, Lighting Designer, Technical Director to Actor.
He began his music career as Choirmaster of St. Francis Xavier Church in the early ’70s. His interest in theatre saw him make his stage debut as a chorus member in ‘75 with the Malaysian Drama Council (MDC) production Die Fledermaus and The Barretts of Wimpole Street, both directed by the late Bosco d’Cruz. He played principal roles in Cinderella (’76) and The Boyfriend (’77), both directed by the late Signe Syme, who was to be his mentor. In ‘77, his first musical as Musical Director was Camelot for the MDC.
Joining The Philharmonic Society of Selangor (PSS) in ’76, apart from holding office bearer positions, he conducted most of the Society’s choral concerts until ’90, including the full work of Haydn’s The Creation (’79). Some of his many productions with the PSS were Amahl and the Night Visitors (’79 and ‘89), Oklahoma! (’80), Hello, Dolly! (‘82), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (’84), Play It Again, Sam (’85), Guys and Dolls (’87), The Mikado (’89), and Stand and Deliver (‘90).
His work with other theatrical societies in various capacities include The Fantastiks (’78) with Chin San Sooi, As You Like It, Blithe Spirit, Plaza Suite, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Inspector Calls, Macbeth, Miss Julie, and The Teahouse of the August Moon, most with The Liberal Arts Society.
During the above period: he attended a Conductors’ workshop in Nice, France, sponsored by the French Embassy in ’81; he was Resident Conductor with the Kuala Lumpur Symphony Orchestra (‘86 –‘91) – an orchestra of young musicians which performed suitably arranged classical works; whilst also being involved as Technical Director for foreign productions brought in by The STAR in the ‘90s. After returning from a four-month Director’s course with the British Theatre Association in London in ‘86, he began to concentrate on the technical side of theatre mainly as a Lighting Designer and Technical Director.
His first production for The Actors Studio was as Lighting Assistant in A Man For All Seasons (’91). Thereafter, he was Lighting Designer for their major productions: Antigone, As Is, A Streetcar Named Desire, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, The Trees, Savages and most of their productions in Dataran Merdeka until ‘99.
Leaving Pos Malaysia Berhad in ’97, he joined The Actors Studio on a full-time basis as their General Manager/Technical Director for just over two years before joining the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra as Orchestra Manager from ’99 for the next twelve years.
In 2004, he lit The Actors Studio’s re-staging of A Man For All Seasons. In 2006, he returned to working musicals in Broken Bridges (’06), Tunku – The Musical (2007), Ismail – The Last Days (2008) (which won him the Boh Cameronian Arts Award for Best Musical Direction in 2009), Kaki Blue (2009), Malaysian Girls (2011) and his final musical Paper Crane with the company in 2012.
In 2015 he was Lighting Designer for the SIB KL’s production of Esya the Musical, but was also appointed as Orchestra Manager in November for the newly formed Selangor Symphony Orchestra.
DOMINIC LUK
Dominic Lucien Luk has a bachelor’s degree in music from LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, majoring in vocal performance and pedagogy; he later went to Brandeis University in Boston, USA where he obtained his master’s degree in musicology and in gender studies while studying singing for musical theatre. There, he also had extended training in choral conducting at Harvard University.
Currently, Dominic lectures at UiTM and UPM where he teaches voice and performance. He is also the co-founder and creative director ofMonday Show Entertainment, a company focusing on the education and production of theatre and musical theatre. He also teaches singing and acting for musical theatre in addition to directing and producing shows.
Dominic’s credits include Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Wizard of Oz, Broadway Bites, DanSing Thru Broadway, Angels In America, A Language of Their Own, and The Weight of Silk on Skin. He has also acted for local TV series and films, and can be seen in TV commercials for brands like Ribena and Legoland.
CHERYL TEH
A full-time Knowledge Management practitioner by day, Cheryl currently serves as Chairperson of The Philharmonic Society of Selangor and Choir Director of their community choir of over 100 singers. Since 2008, Cheryl has directed the choir in various concerts including and was instrumental in leading the choir in their maiden overseas tour to Western Australia in 2011 where they performed six showcases in Perth, Mandurah and Bunbury.
In her past, Cheryl has worked with the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra, St Kilda Chamber Ensemble, Monash Theatre Group, Camberwell Theatre Company and Dandenong Light Opera Company as violinist, violist and occasional rehearsal pianist. At University, she was also a founding violinist of the New Monash Orchestra.
Cheryl is also alumni of the Community Choir Leadership Training Program, held yearly in Victoria, Canada.
ADIL JOHAN
Adil Johan is a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His background in jazz performance, music education and cultural anthropology led him to pursue a doctoral thesis in ethnomusicology, awarded by King’s College London. His forthcoming book, Cosmopolitan Intimacies: Malay Film Music of the Independence Era published by NUS Press, examines postcolonial nation-making, cultural intimacy and the cosmopolitan music of Malay-language films in 1950s to 1960s Singapore and Malaysia. As a musician, Adil currently plays saxophone in the folk-rock collective, Azmyl Yunor & Orkes Padu, as well as Malaysian cultural-fusion band, Nadir.
NG CHOR GUAN
Born in Klang, Malaysia, Guan’s passion for music during adolescent years propelled him toward the fascinating arena of music. Chor Guan started his career as professional music composer during his years in London. His diverse professional credits include music for concert, film, theater, dance, exhibition and multimedia. His music has been performed in a wide variety of mediums including orchestral, choral, chamber, and electronic music. His work demonstrates an excellent integration of the classical and the contemporary.
Upon returning to Malaysia in 2006, he collaborated actively with theatrical artists and choreographers who diversied his works into a new era. To name a few works premiered in Malaysia and abroad — theatre productions include Antigone, Okiku- A Tragedy Retold, The Lost and The Ecliptic and Break-ing. Dance collaborations include The Curse of The Forbidden Palace, Whispers of Love, She Walks in Beauty Like the Night, The ‘R’ Adventurous Drift, Toilet,Nobat, Peony Dream, Lost and Found, Tale of a Healthy City and Ballet Nutcracker. With all his hard work to show for, he was nominated for 2008 Cameronian Arts Awards Most Promising Artist.
AZMYL YUNOR
One of the hardest gigging and prolific Malaysian indie/underground musicians for the past decade and a half, Azmyl’s songs are candid observations on life and living, with biting commentary to boot. A storyteller at heart and a former street musician, he has showcased his energetic live performances at venues and festivals in countries around the region and internationally such as Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Laos, Indonesia, and Thailand. He is also an academic and writer who has written and published work about Malaysian music subcultures and makes regular appearances on local radio and television stations (he is also the first Malaysian underground musician to perform on primetime Indonesian TV in 2011) for both his music and his take on Malaysian popular music, cultural politics and society.
AZ SAMAD
Guitarist-Composer-Educator Az Samad has recorded with Grammy Winners Flaco Jiménez & Max Baca; graduated & taught at the prestigious Berklee College of Music; performed in the United States, Europe & Asia; and appeared on 21 CDs ranging in styles from Tex-Mex, Contemporary Jazz to solo acoustic guitar. His works have been described as “richly textured, poetic and atmospheric”. Previously based in Berkeley, California; Az now lives in Kuala Lumpur.