Heartfelt desires, concealed.
Insecurities sealed deep in our sub
conscious.
Dress up, speak up and man up, be the
man your audiences want to see.
Monday Show Entertainment with the
support of Theatrex Asia presents “The Weight of Silk on Skin” where renowned
actor Dominic Luk and collaborator Richard Chua alongside other theatre artists
will attempt to bring the world of John Auyong to life in the Damansara
Performing Arts Centre black box from 26th to 28th February 2016.
DATIN JANE LIEW THE OWNER OF DAMANSARA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE AT EMPIRE DAMANSARA, RICHARD CHUA THE DIRECTOR OF 'THE WEIGHT OF SILK ON SKIN' AND DATO KEE HUA CHEE THE WORLD'S MOST FABULOUSLY FANTASTIC BLOGGER
John Au Yong.
A prime example of a man
representative of many successful middle-aged men around us. They are well-dressed,
well-spoken, well-cultured and well-off but what lies beneath the polished
façade of theirs, the need for genuine affection.
Be successful, they said. Always
be; the ones who survived on the top of the food chain. What ransom have they
paid to the tigers to remain where they are remains a mystery. It boils down to
a woman.
This monologue will shed some
light through Richard Chua’s direction and Dominic Luk’s performance, as well
as the environment jointly created by set designer Waylon Ling and lighting
designer Ng Wei Hock.
Theatre director and academic
Richard Chua has initiated this project with musical theatre practitioner Dominic
Luk to flesh out the softer side of alpha-male in our contemporary urban
society. Most importantly there is a need to show how alpha-male views love,
desire and dominating what they really want.
“Most men
talk with their heads (no pun intended). These voices tell them what to do and
deceive them into believing that these intentions from their hearts. The real
voice in their heart is usually small and weak, but the most truthful. We want
to show that on stage,” said director Richard Chua.
“This show
captivates the essence of the alpha-male through the lens of a man who owns
every physical possession he could possibly want and need, but the actual thing
he cannot yet fully own is the woman he so strongly desires to possess. The
portrayal of the sensitive yet very strong-headed John Auyong is what will make
this piece challenging for me as the actor, but very powerful to the audience,”
said monologue actor Dominic Luk.
A theatre
practitioner not unfamiliar to controversial themes, Richard Chua has worked on
theatre productions that focus on gender, identity and notably the challenges
of human choices when it comes to the personal.
His past productions shown in
Singapore and Taipei involving themes on sexuality and sexual choices within
the family have been played to many audiences. His presentation and
interpretation of Huzir Sulaiman’s iconic script would be his latest attempt at
excavating the nuanced in human life.
Fresh from
his performance in the seminal production Angels in America, Dominic Lucien Luk
will challenge himself in playing a monologue about this alpha-male John Auyong,
of which both are equally challenging. As an actor, this is a chance to become
a better actor. Dominic Luk will also attempt to break the conventional wisdom
and perception of a typical alpha-male in our contemporary urban society.
Production Details
Date: 26 – 28 February 2016
Time: 8.30pm nightly on 26 and 27
Feburary 2016; 3pm (Afternoon matinee) on 27 and 28 Feburary 2016.
Venue: The Black Box, Damansara
Peforming Arts Centre
Tickets are available at http://www.dpac.com.my
Price: RM55 per
ticket
Ticketing hotline: 010-768 4491
(Mobile)
Email enquiries:
bookmytix@gmail.com
About
Damansara Performing Arts Centre
DPAC is an organisation dedicated to promoting
the arts in Malaysia, through learning, practising, and appreciating arts. DPAC
aims to further promote public awareness on the importance of art-forms that
enrich our lives while shaping today’s world. DPAC has a proscenium theatre, a
black box, an experimental theatre, an indoor theatre-foyer and several dance
studios.
They are all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. These
facilities cater to the professional practices of different performing arts
practitioners in various forms. Focusing
on performing arts and dance, DPAC aims to be Malaysia's leading live stage,
uniquely devoted to broadening and raising performance standards in Malaysia by
organising quality educational programmes, and presenting quality programmes
such as D for Dancing, Dancer’s Training
Programme (DTP) and DPAC Dance
Company (DDC) from both local and international performers.
Furthermore, DPAC’s very own initiated productions include DPAC Arts Festival (DAF), d’Next Artist Project (dNA) and d’MOTION International Dance Festival. For
more information, please visit www.dpac.com.my.
About
Monday Show Entertainment
Monday
Show Entertainment is a Malaysian company focusing on musical theatre education
and productions. Monday Show Entertainment established a professional
training
program for young adults in June
2012, called “The Monday Show” comprising of about 30 young semiprofessional
and experienced performers who aim to sharpen their skills in singing, dancing,
and acting.
Based in Subang Jaya, Monday Show conducts a training program
specifically tailored for those who are already performers on stage and who
want to learn and study musical theatre and gain exposure through being on
stage in shows and musical productions.
***************************************************************************
Creatives
Richard Chua
Collaborator (Direction)
Richard Chua (RIGHT) works collaboratively in the
theatre. He is keenly interested in exploring intimate theatre, a way of
working that not only makes theatre more mobile, and also closer to the
audience, both intellectually and emotionally.
Many of his small and intimate
works have travelled to different cities: New York, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore
and Malaysia. The fringe theatres in these cities never failed to inspire him.
Works that have travelled there have also generated discourse, to which as a
theatre academic, he enjoys immensely.
He also edits an Asian online performing
arts magazine Theatrex Asia (http://www.theatrex.asia). He is currently a
member of the International Association of Theatre Critics.
Dominic Luk
Performer
as John Auyong
Dominic Luk is the co-owner and creative
director of Monday Show Entertainment, a company focusing
on the education of musical theatre in KL. Dominic enjoys performing, and has acted in
shows like A Language of Their
Own, Broadway Bites, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Angels In America Part 1 & 2. Dominic also directs musicals.
His directorial
credits include Tick
Tick Boom and Havoc on Harmony Lane. Dominic has also been in advertisements for
brands like Legoland, Ribena, and SHARP.
Dominic studied music and performing arts at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, and later on got his Master of Arts in Musicology and Gender Studies at Brandeis University in Boston with further training in choral studies at the Harvard University Music Department.
Dominic studied music and performing arts at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, and later on got his Master of Arts in Musicology and Gender Studies at Brandeis University in Boston with further training in choral studies at the Harvard University Music Department.
Dominic loves teaching, and currently is a
part-time lecturer at UITM and UPM. He also conducts musical theatre workshops
and master classes on a regular basis, teaching singing and acting for musical
theatre performers.
Ng Wei Hock
Lighting Design
Since 1996, Wei Hock has been involved
in performing and designing for theatre. Starting off as a dancer, performer,
and director, he has presented experimental theatres, both written by him and
others, both in English and Mandarin.
Multidisciplinary he is, Wei Hock Ng is
also skilful in the area of technical theatre. He has worked with major arts centres
in Malaysia, notably The Actors Studio Theatre, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts
Centre (KLPAC), PJ Live Arts, and Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC).
Familarity in the technical set-up and specifications within these arts centres
has also fed his lighting designs, making effective lighting designs with
limited number of lighting equipment.
With this sense of economy and
professionalism, he has effectively contributed in many theatre productions in
Malaysia: Rhythm Percussion Concert (2010), PJ Laugh Fest (2011), Rhythm II
(2012), Adam and Eve (2012), The Producers (2013), Merrily We Roll Along
(2014), Seussical the Broadway Musical(2014), Exposed (Merrily We Roll Along2015 Monday Show
Entertainment), Femme Fatale (2015 Viva Vertical), Dance With Your Heart
Programs (2015 Dua Space Academy), Go To Hell (2015 Dramatic Art Society) to name a
few.
His artistic work 2015 Small Theatre Project (under the Dramatic Art
Society) has also gained recognition by reviews in major Chinese daily in
Malaysia Sin Chew Jit Poh and national radio BFM on the top theatre pieces in
year 2015.
****************************************************************************
The Weight of Silk on Skin
Programme Book Content
1) From us to you… /Richard
Chua
"There is a John Au Yong in
each and every one of us. We strive to become richer in our own different ways,
not just materially, but spiritually too.
However, no matter how successful and
wealthy we are, we make difficult decisions every day. Solving work problems is
easy, but personal ones – a totally different matter altogether.
Each personal problem comes
with an important question: Is finding solutions the real difficult part of the
equation, or the choices we have to make from options available to us? To us,
the latter proves to be more difficult, as we have encountered in the rehearsal
room.
We came up with solutions, and each of them had consequences. Weighing
one consequence against another determines the final possible solution to the
problem.
As Dominic and I spent time with John Au Yong walking through the
final hours before he could be mentally and spiritually ready to meet the woman
of his life – Anna, most probably the only woman in John Au Yong’s life to have
initiated a break-up with him – we find it more and more difficult to find
peace within ourselves, to listen to that one single inner voice within us at
every single specific point in our life.
As we prepare for John’s
final exit from his spiritual abode, many friends have come to our aid to
present this piece of meaningful theatre to all of you.
Jomeco, from which the
beautiful custom-made wooden furniture pieces came from; Sense Lite, the
beautiful lighting fixtures; Ted Baker, suits and apparels that make the
masculine look of John Au Yong in good taste; Graceful Piano, from which John
Au Yong’s internal music could come to life; Overjoy, the pre-show party filled with exquisite food to
warm the stomachs of our guests, to name a few.
Friends in the Malaysian media – BFM, The Edge
Financial Daily, The Star, The Daily Seni – for sharing John Au Yong’s story
with you before this production run while inviting you to our intimate and
reflexive theatre.
We would also like to thank Damansara Performing Arts Centre
(DPAC) for their partial sponsorship towards the rental of the theatre space
under their DPAC Venue Sponsorship 2016.
Last but not least, we would like to
specially thank our good friend, the ever talented composer Onn San for the
gift of the piece of music The Piano, which all of you will encounter in the
play.
We hope you will enjoy
playwright Huzir Sulaiman’s beautifully written text as much as we do.
Have a great evening."
Richard Chua (Direction) and
Dominic Luk (Performance)
The Weight of Silk on Skin
(2016)
Malaysia
2) The solo journey of
being John /Dominic Lucien Luk
"Playing a role like John Au Yong is not easy. To
embody his depth and to walk in his very expensive shoes -- is what I consider
to be a huge milestone for a young actor like myself. The experience has been
overwhelming, and the journey has been rewarding.
To be able work with a team
of visionaries who kept believing in me every second of the way, is what, in
all seriousness, made this much easier for me.
I initially walked into every
rehearsal feeling like the world was on my shoulders, because doing a monologue
like this is indeed a huge undertaking. There were times when I felt lost - and
being an actor who always had the luxury of having other actors on stage to
interact with, I had to eventually learn to conquer the stage on my own.
Once I
had crossed that bridge, each rehearsal then became an empowering experience. I
opened up to the world of John Au Yong, as though he had welcomed me into his
space with open arms.
And now, all I can do is hope that you embrace that world
that has been created for you, for John, and for me as the actor."
3) The idea behind John’s
abode /Waylon Ling
Director Richard Chua
emphasizes on the importance of theatre showing the bare essentials. This idea
resonated with me, for I love minimalist design, especially in my profession of
interior design.
Less is more (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) is a challenging motto
to follow, for deep thinking is needed to find the most essential core element
in design.
While designing the set of The Weight of Silk on Skin, to me, the
core element that defines the character John Au Yong is the Dieter Ram
turntable. The turntable is John’s personal space, especially after his
break-up with Anna.
The simple design of the turntable attempting to contain
John Au Yong’s complex emotions is an intriguing design strategy. Every
designer would have heard of Dieter Ram and his definitive rules to good
design.
From Innovation, to usefulness, to aesthetics, to understandable, to
unobtrusiveness, to honesty, to long-lasting, to details, to environmental
friendliness and finally to lesser design – every element points to one central
value – Clarity.
Together with Richard’s quest to showing the bare essentials
on stage, I hope that my design could provide greater clarity to John’s journey
within the most intimate 90-minutes of an audience member’s time."
4) Lighting up John’s life
/Wei Hock N.
"Lighting in the theatre
anchors on the only two possibilities: Illumination and Shadow-play. It is akin
to Night and Day, one of the music pieces used in the play, performed by
legendary Frank Sinatra.
A lot of people tell me that there is just so much lighting
design could do. The director is the guide to what a lighting designer can or
cannot do. To me, it is about bringing the best of the play through lighting.
In night and day, similar things appear different, each taking a different
persona.
In my design, I focus on highlighting, obscuring, augmenting and
multiplying the issues and character John Au Yong’s emotional state at
different points in the performance. Metaphors are integral to theatre design
and direction.
The colours in lighting are emotional states. What’s exciting is
how colours could be used to construct a narrative to complement the playwright
and director’s narratives in the theatre.
As all three elements move in
parallel with each other, there is a need to find a common base for all to effectively
and honestly speak to each other."
5) Production Team
Producer: Dominic Lucien Luk,
Director: Richard Chua
Actor: Dominic Lucien Luk
Playwright: Huzir Sulaiman
Set Designer: Waylon Ling
Lighting Designer: Wei Hock N.
Set Builder: David Wong
Production Manager: Soh Chong Hong
Stage Manager: Yip Boh Kuan
Asst. Stage Manager: Simon Lee
Lighting Operator: Alison Khor
Make-up Artist: Bryan The, Aaron Kerk
Front of House: Fathimath Nuha, Angela Chong, Brendon Tan,
Caryn Gan, Julia Chan, Vzoe Ho, Chew Biyi Jill, Thong Jia Min, Subatra
Graphic Designer: Dannson Yap
Official photographer: Wong Horngyih
6) Sponsored by
·
Dpac (logo)
·
Jomeco (logo)
·
Sense Lite (logo)
·
Ted Baker (logo)
·
Graceful Piano (logo)
·
Overjoy (logo)
Jaslyn Niow
Kien Chan
Wong Chee Yong, Real Pixel Studio
Cecilia Tan
Dannson Yap
Onn San
Bryan The
Aaron Kerk
Amber Chia
Benjamin Toong
Christopher Ling
Angela Chong Li Xian
All students of the KDU entertainment arts
programme
Foo Jong Wee
David Ng (Graceful Piano)
Karen (Speed Guide)
David Ng (Graceful Piano)
Karen (Speed Guide)
Chew Keng Kiat
Quek Ser Ming
Junainy Bin Jamali
Juliet Lavania Kaur, Metros Events
Mae Chan, The Edge
Dinesh Kumar Maganathan , The Star
Lim Soon Heng, BFM
Pouline Koh
Loo Chong Hang
Dr Hon Wei Min
Lim Pei Wen
Quek Ser Ming
Junainy Bin Jamali
Juliet Lavania Kaur, Metros Events
Mae Chan, The Edge
Dinesh Kumar Maganathan , The Star
Lim Soon Heng, BFM
Pouline Koh
Loo Chong Hang
Dr Hon Wei Min
Lim Pei Wen
Jann Wong
Traysom Teoh
Cheryl Teoh
Desmond Teoh
The Weight of Silk on Skin was first produced by
Wild Rice in collaboration with Checkpoint Theatre and opened at the Drama
Centre Theatre, Singapore, on 3 August 2011.
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