Utih... Celebrating Krishen

He ogled my aunties

2006-08-08T15:45:00.000+08:00

Off The Edge, June 2006

The legacy of Krishen Jit, Malaysian theatre pioneer
by Sherry Siebel

April 28, 2006: A year ago today, Krishen Jit left us. A year isn’t a very long time. The ache that comes from missing somebody who is gone forever is fresh even in my heart, a mere journalist. (I am snivelling like a pathetic ninny as I write this first paragraph.) Obviously, I care too much about the man. I am not alone: Krishen was adored and generally worshipped by almost everybody who came within his noble orbit. He was an irresistible human being and so much more than an actor, teacher, director, critic and theatre doyen; he birthed infant local theatre, nurtured it, taught it some manners and delivered it into the hands of passionate Malaysians like himself. He was a shining example of how to live on this earth: a wonderful man who showed us how to embrace life by embracing the people around him and suffusing them with his warmth, wit, wisdom and infectious enthusiasm. Dignified, intelligent and so very splendid, Krishen Jit was a great, great man.

When he succumbed last year to heart failure at the relatively young age of 66, he left a massive vacuum. This vacuum brought together tonight all those who love him with a fervent whoosh, and in celebrating the glory of Krishen and everything he inspired, he lived again, his spirit burning fiercely within the breasts of everyone present. It was beautiful and immensely moving. Five Arts Centre, the theatre company he co-founded with wife Marion D’Cruz and compatriots Chin San Sooi, K.S. Maniam and Redza Piyadasa, presented Utih – Celebrating Krishen, a series of short tributes that were performed in true Five Arts style: art that comes straight from the heart. And to illustrate just how much Krishen was on everybody’s mind, dancer Elaine Pedley did a headstand every time his name was uttered. I will rarely see her right-way-up the entire evening. (Apparently, she did 600 headstands.)

Everybody has a Krishen story: this is mine. My first encounter with this monolith of theatre was when I was sent as a rookie reporter for a now-defunct magazine to interview him about some play or other. I knew he had been at the Victoria Institution with several of my aunts and uncles in the Sixties, and that my mother, Rosemary Ross, an aspiring actress at the time, had been directed by him in the 1961 V.I. production of Jonah and the Whale. As the courtesan Shiprah, she was made to look “every inch a wanton harlot” (her words), wickedly smoking a cigarette. She also recalls Krishen getting thrown into the lake at the University of Malaya by his students during 1962 Rag Week when he was a History tutor in his first year. While everybody enjoyed the spectacle, he suddenly took off his watch and threw it on the bank, making everyone realise he was drowning. He was duly fished out and reunited with precious watch, and my mother remembers him “with true Victorian style and panache, taking off his shoes and emptying them!”

Anyway, there I was, trembling under his intense scrutiny and blurting out my questions when he inquired sternly, “What’s your surname?” I told him, and the entire interview flew out the window. He didn’t want to talk about his play anymore; he wanted to talk about Malaya in the good old days, V.I. in the Fifties, M.U. in the Sixties, eating my grandma’s cooking and ogling my aunties.

Krishen was hilarious. It was like time-travel: going to see this man as a teenager, a would-be lothario and a passionate theatre practitioner, going to see my family that has long been separated by continents, and going to see a newly independent country; a Malaysia that was so excited to be free and whose citizens mingled happily in a society where racism and social apartheid hadn’t even been heard of. It was the best non-interview ever. “You will never know what you have given me today,” he said at the end of that chatty afternoon. I’m still not sure exactly what it was, but I know he gave it back to me, a thousand-fold.

Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1939, Krishen, the son of immigrant Punjabi merchants, was the very first local to play a lead role in an English-language play as Julius Caesar, complete with laurels, in the Malayan Arts Theatre Group production of 1959. After returning from the University of California at Berkeley armed with a Masters in History, he lectured at University Malaya., but everything else was theatre. He directed scores of plays both in English and Malay, striving to find a confluence of common enjoyment between the two disparate spheres of Malaysian theatre, a quest he came to view as a futile exercise later in life. Renowned for his avant-garde experimental and fusion styles, he vastly enhanced the creations of beloved playwrights in both Malaysia and Singapore such as Usman Awang, Syed Alwi, Dinsman, Chin San Sooi, K.S. Maniam, Leow Puay Tin, Lloyd Fernando, Kuo Pao Kun and Stella Kon, not to mention the works of the new generation of dramaturges represented so well by the likes of Zahim Albakri, Jit Murad and Huzir Sulaiman. Krishen also wrote erudite theses for heavyweight publications, was appointed Ketua Jabatan of Akademi Seni Kebangsaan and was the most frightening theatre critic Malaysia had ever known.

Utih was the pseudonym Krishen employed when he wrote his famously scathing reviews of local plays in a weekly column for the New Sunday Times from 1972 to 1994. Whenever Talking Drama by Utih was mentioned, it was always with respect and, on occasion, plenty of amusement. It was tacitly accepted that no one knew as much about theatre as Krishen. He was the highest authority in the land and whatever bitter pill he prescribed, it was swallowed with a submissive gulp.

But he is perhaps more viscerally remembered by those who worked with Krishen the director; the merciless tyrant who sent many a fledgling actor home in tears due to his brutal but mercilessly efficient methods. Cruel to be kind, he drew countless breathtaking performances out of many a protégé such as Anne James and Charlene Rajendran, and more recently, Jo Kukathas and Zahim Albakri et al of the Instant Café Theatre Company (an outfit, which, in his persona of Utih, he initially saw as a conglomeration of spoiled, self-conscious upstarts). Huzir Sulaiman, the superb actor, playwright and director who has since whisked his considerable talents across the Causeway, was also a particular favourite of his.

It was a beautiful evening, if a trifle hot. Upon arrival at 67 Tempinis Satu gallery, guests were invited to pick a piece of paper out of a basket, to eat and be merry and to partake of Krishen’s favourite nosh, char kway teow. It was very crowded but nobody minded; everyone was smiling. Jasmine garlands – the official lei of Five Arts Centre – adorned the necks of Krishen’s nearest and dearest, enforcing the sense of family that has always been so palpable within this bijou theatre company.

Rhythm in Bronze played their gamelan after the claps died down for the speeches launching the Krishen Jit Experimental Workshop Series and the Krishen Jit Astro Fund, which plans to give out grants of up to RM20,000 to support creative works in the realm. Janet Pillai read selected texts from Krishen’s director’s notes and the girls from Temple of Fine Arts did a little bharatanatyam.

Next, the crowd surged its way forward to watch Anne James reprise her role as the embittered Sumathi in Maniam’s The Sandpit and recount the trauma of working under the mercurial director. Kukathas spoke endearingly of her lunches and enlightening conversations with Krishen under a series of paintings featuring the sweetest, pinkest piglets ever, after which Huzir read a quirky excerpt from A Stone Boat by Andrew Solomon. Soon Choon Mee reminisced in Mandarin and Nam Ron got belly laughs describing Krishen (a.k.a. K.J.) in laconic Malay as his ex-Ketua Jabatan at ASK. Judimar Hernandez performed a delightful dance piece and was joined by an exuberant Marion. Charlene Rajendran as Mercedes Songsang, an outré cabaret singer smothered in feathers, sang texts from Utih articles in the style of Fifties and Sixties ronggeng tunes.

They saved the best for last with Tikam-Tikam, hosted by Leow Puay Tin. The lucky few with red dots on their pieces of paper got to spin a big wheel à la those ais krim potong men of old, and the even more fortunate got to win something that belonged to Krishen. There were books, handkerchiefs and, best of all, two of his famous batik shirts. I had a dot; I spun hard, gunning for one of those shirts. And would you believe it, I actually won it. Amir Muhammad (pop culture pundit and director of the controversially banned Lelaki Komunis Terakhir) won the other one and Judimar’s little daughter amusingly won a massive tome entitled Ho Chi Minh that she could barely carry. What an absolutely lovely night. Krishen would have loved it.

Mersing de Songsang!!!

2006-08-07T21:14:00.000+08:00

Charlene Rajendran's sultry songstress alter-ego, Mercedes de Songsang put in a very special appearance. Mercedes selected bits of Krishen's writings and sang them to the tune of popular songs from the 40s to the 60s. Charlene is currently based in National Institute of Education, Singapore, and is working on her PhD, which looks into Krishen's theatre-making strategies.

Judi

2006-08-07T20:56:00.000+08:00

Venezuelan dancer-choreographer Judimar Hernandez has been based in Kuala Lumpur for the past decade. She collaborated with Krishen in a number of performances, including choreographing for his last production, the Monkey Business gamelan theatre project.

apparently she did 600 headstands!

2006-07-20T15:34:00.000+08:00

The incredible upside-down woman! Throughout the night, Elaine Pedley performed a headstand every time Krishen's name was mentioned. Betul-betul gila dan menakjubkan...

Sunyi...

2006-07-18T14:03:00.000+08:00

Nam Ron performed a monologue, recollecting his experiences with Krishen at Akademi Seni Kebangsaan.

KJ puts in an appearance... with a little help from his friends

2006-07-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

Theatre director & educator Soon Choon Mee and experimental filmmaker Au Sow Yee brought Krishen back for 10 minutes. While they narrated Choon Mee's experiences and encoutners with Krishen, an interview with KJ was projected onto paper held up by friends and audience. The interview was from a decade ago, when Choon Mee was doing her Masters thesis on Krishen's directing methodologies.

Huzir

2006-07-03T16:37:00.000+08:00

Huzir Sulaiman reading an excerpt from A Stone Boat by Andrew Solomon.

Temple of Fine Arts

2006-07-01T17:01:00.000+08:00

Featuring Umesh Shetty and Nadina Krishnan.

Dance through life

2006-06-27T12:25:00.000+08:00

"Dance through life,
dance through life,
don't be thrown into the pit.
Be with life, be with life,
don't be ruled by certainty.
Clap for life, clap for life,
don't be swayed by authority,
don't be swayed by uncertainty,
don't be swayed by the unholy."

Anne James was directed by Krishen in K.S. Maniam's The Sandpit in 1988 (solo), 1990, 1991 (both times with Charlene Rajendran), and 1994 (with Jo Kukathas).

Our artistic journeys with Krishen

2006-06-23T11:28:00.000+08:00

New Straits Times, Tuesday, 20 June 2006

Four actors reveal how their lives have been touched by the late dramatist Krishen Jit, immortalised in a series of workshops and theatre performances throughout this year. FARIDUL ANWAR FARINORDIN writes.

IT has been a year since his passing, but the late Krishen Jit’s legacy lives on in many of today’s theatre practitioners.

If the recent one-night series of performances, Utih... Celebrating Krishen, is any indication, he has touched, inspired and motivated many — be it through his theatrical pieces, written works or simply, by being him.

It was an evening of stage performances, street theatre, multimedia presentations and readings of Krishen’s texts.

Actress Anne James performed a scene from The Sandpit, which she played for the first time under Krishen’s direction in 1998. Throughout the evening, choreographer Elaine did a headstand whenever Krishen’s name was mentioned.

Other theatre folks who paid their tribute included Rhythm In Bronze, Charlene Rajendran, Judimar Hernandez, Huzir Sulaiman, Jo Kukathas, Janet Pillai, Liew Kung Yu and Nam Ron.

It was also a significant event to mark the launch of The Krishen Jit Atro Fund, a programme to provide financial assistance to theatre practitioners to pursue their craft and help promote arts in the country.

We spoke to a few theatre folk to find out how their lives had changed meeting Krishen, as reflected by their performances in Utih... Celebrating Krishen.

Anne James, actress:

“I performed The Sandpit for the first time in 1998, as a monologue, and re-staged it with Charlene Rajendran in 1990. Krishen was the director for both performances.”

“The Sandpit marks my artistic journey with Krishen.

“It was a ‘painful’ rehearsal process — I didn’t act for one year after doing the first one. It was emotionally draining. It ‘destroyed’ me for a while, but I kept going back like a true masochist for the love of the arts. I have performed the show four times.

“That night, my performance — a 10-minute excerpt from The Sandpit — was more like an offering, a thank you to my teacher. Of course, I did get emotional during the show.

“I feel that Krishen is stillaround. He has become a part of me because of those years that we spent honing my artistic pursuits. I changed every time we got together. So everything I do reminds me of him — he’s not far ...”

Leow Puay Tin, actress/playwright:

“I compiled Krishen’s director’s notes from 38 of his past shows that night. I wanted to review his journey in theatre, in his own words, which spanned over two decades. The reading was performed by Janet Pillai and it was accompanied by a gamelan ensemble (Rhythm in Bronze).

“My first production with him was in 1983 with Tikam-Tikam: And the Grandmother Said, which I wrote and he directed.

“When he passed away, what I missed most was his friendship. Over the years, he gave me much courage to showcase my talent. He sanctioned the artistic side of me and told me that it’s okay to do so. He always told me to find a framework for what I do.”

Nam Ron, playwright/actor/director:

“I didn’t pre-plan anything for my performance that night. I sat down and wrote an essay on how his absence has affected me and the local theatre scene in general. The theme for my show, which was only five-minute long, was ‘loneliness’.

“Krishen was the head of theatre department at Akademi Seni Kebangsaan, where I was studying. As you can imagine, the impact that he has had on my life is immeasurable. He was a mentor, a teacher, a friend and a father figure.

“In the end of 2003, shortly after my performance in matderihkolaperlih (which Nam Ron also wrote), he expressed his interest in working together. It is very unfortunate that we never got to realise this creative partnership together.

“As a teacher, he was a walking encyclopaedia in the world of arts and theatre. Listening to him, you’re motivated to push harder to realise your potential. Unlike other teachers who always put us down, Krishen inspired us.”

Chew Kin Wah, actor/producer:

“Utih... Celebrating Krishen spawned from a conversation I had with Marion D’ Cruz (Krishen’s wife) in January. We rounded up a number of theatre folk and we asked them to give an impromptu performance for 10 minutes each.

“I first knew Krishen when I was 18, back in 1985. He held an open audition at Five Arts Centre for a production, 1984 Here and Now, which became my first ever theatre performance.”

“And that’s how my artistic journey began.”

“Krishen taught me to have a purpose in everything I do — on and off stage. If I moved my leg during a rehearsal for a production, he would asked: “What was that?” but never elaborated what he meant. Then again, I got a lot of leeway back then because I was young.

“In 1995, he asked me to perform in his experimental work, Skin Trilogy, for which I had to shave my head. It was the same year that I got married — what a traumatic year that was. The show ran for three weeks and it was a different show every week!

“I will remember Krishen as a father figure. He’s the kind of person who can motivate you to do things you never knew you could.”

Jo K. dan sake

2006-06-18T12:01:00.000+08:00

Jo Kukathas is the Artistic Director of Instant Cafe Theatre. She is performing in Happy Days from 23 June to 1 July 2006.

playing tikam-tikam with Krishen's director's notes

2006-06-12T11:46:00.000+08:00

Janet Pillai reading excerpts from Krishen's director's notes (curated by Leow Puay Tin and arranged by the audience from a 'karaoke song-list'). Diiringi by Rhythm In Bronze.

gamelan wayang projection by Rhythm In Bronze (siri 2)

2006-06-10T13:58:00.000+08:00

the Rhythm In Bronze performers on the night of Utih... Celebrating Krishen were Adilah Junid, Ann Salina Peter, Colleen Wong, Jillian Ooi, Maria Yasmin, Sharmini Ratnasingam, Susan Sarah John and Wong Yee Ting. The Rhythm In Bronze gamelan ensemble collaborated with Krishen on what would be his last production, Monkey Business.

gamelan wayang projection by Rhythm In Bronze (siri 1)

2006-06-07T17:11:00.000+08:00

lanterns by Liew Kung Yu, using texts from 'Talking Drama with Utih' articles

2006-06-05T18:03:00.000+08:00

"more and more artists now stand at the margins of society, which the scholar and thinker Edward Said advocates as the most powerful locale of the public intellectual'.

"In fact the impact of the event was so profound that it justifies the recognition of a post 1969 perspective".

"It is the rare play that can make the audience laugh and at the same time anguish over the dark side of human behaviour".

kung yu

kawan-kawan layan ucapan-ucapan

2006-06-02T03:30:00.000+08:00

launching the Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund (Azran Osman Rani, Business Development Director, ASTRO).

2006-06-02T03:23:00.000+08:00

Fahmi Fadzil - MC, BSc, FAC

2006-06-01T12:35:00.000+08:00

Experimental Workshop Series co-producer Gabrielle Low preparing her speech

2006-06-01T12:30:00.000+08:00

and half an hour later...

makan!

2006-05-30T14:15:00.000+08:00

Katering was done by artists Soraya Yusof Talismail and Ariff Awaluddin. The pasangan suami-isteri's most recent projek was Angin, an exhibition of foto documentation of Kelantanese performance traditions at Galeri Petronas. The exhibition was presented in collaboration with PUSAKA - Centre for the Study and Documentation of Traditional Performance in Malaysia.

order persembahan

2006-05-30T14:12:00.000+08:00

the venue - 67 Tempinis Satu Gallery

2006-05-30T14:01:00.000+08:00

Many thanks to Sek San for letting us use the space while he was away on the April 28th weekend. 67 Tempinis Satu Gallery, on the ground floor of Seksan Design (landscape architecture and planning), has over the past year become an energetic alternative space for exhibitions, performances, screenings, readings and discussions.

Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund application form

2006-05-29T19:11:00.000+08:00

Please apply using the format below. You may apply in English or Bahasa Malaysia. A PDF of the application can also be downloaded at www.fiveartscentre.org.

Deadline for applications : 30 September 2006

All applications are to be sent to:

Five Arts Centre
27 & 27A Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur

Email : fivearts@tm.net.my
Website : www.fiveartscentre.org
Tel/Fax : 603 77254858

Section 1
Applicant Information

Name of applicant
Name of project director
Name of company
Address(es)
Telephone number(s)
Fax number(s)
Email address(es)
Website

Section 2
Personal Profile

CV of applicant
Main activities/past history
Objectives of your past/present/future work
Annual number of projects and annual expenditure of these projects

Section 3
Project Information

Description of project
Objectives of project
Profile of those involved in the project
Significance of the project
Time frame of the project

Section 4
Budget

Detailed budget
Which other funding organizations have you applied to?
What amounts do you expect from these organizations?
What are your plans for this project if this application is not successful?

Section 5

Any additional information that you think will help the selection panel have a clearer understanding of your project.

Section 6
Account Information

Name of Account holder
Name of Bank and Branch
Type of account
Account number
Swift code
Address of Bank/Branch

For more information please call or email us as the above contact.

The Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund

2006-05-29T18:56:00.000+08:00

The Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund has been created by ASTRO to encourage and support creative work in Malaysia. One of the main objectives of Krishen’s pioneering work was celebrating original Malaysian creativity in as varied and alternative ways as possible in all the areas of the arts. His groundbreaking theatre practice straddled and brought together a wide range of contesting spheres, producing projects that were inter-disciplinary, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and experimental. Negotiating between academia and practice, tradition and contemporary pop culture, Hollywood and Bollywood, the mainstream and the marginalized, Krishen’s work articulated a Malaysian identity that was ever evolving and encouraged practitioners and audiences to reflect on their lives and societies. This is the spirit of the Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund.

The fund will give out grants ranging from RM5,000 to RM20,000 for :

Training
Workshops
Attachments/residencies
Experimental productions
Research and documentation
Writing
Creating new work in music, dance, theatre, writing, visual/performance art
Others

Examples include, but are not limited to:

- Artist A might want to study under well known Indonesian theatre director Putu Wijaya. Artist A could apply to be attached to a production directed by Putu Wijaya for a 4-6 week period. This would give artist A insights and learning on methods of this director.

- Artist B might want to do research on a subject for purposes of writing a new script. Artist B could apply to do this research and write the script.

- Artist C could apply to direct and mount an experimental workshop or production.

- Artist D could apply to attend a training workshop within or outside of Malaysia.

- Attachments and internships.

The Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund will try to be inclusive, but work sited in Malaysia will be given preference. All arts practitioners in Malaysia are eligible to apply. The fund will be managed by Five Arts Centre and ASTRO.

The selection panel for awarding the grants shall comprise :

Ravi Navaratnam – Five Arts Centre
Mac Chan – Five Arts Centre
Kathy Rowland – Kakiseni.com
Norliza Rofli – Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Malaysia
Representative from ASTRO.

The Krishen Jit Experimental Workshop Series 2006

2006-05-29T18:37:00.000+08:00

The Krishen Jit Experimental Workshop Series is Five Arts Centre's tribute to the work of Malaysian theatre legend Krishen Jit (1939-2005). While his art is lauded for its unflinching search for emotive expression through experimentalism, Krishen's greater legacy remains with those he has left behind - the practitioners of performing arts today.

Five Arts Centre believes that it is best to honour and pay tribute to one man's dedication by demonstrating that his vision is very much alive and endures in the lives of those he has touched and inspired.

The project consists of a series of six workshop performances to be staged throughout 2006, focusing on experimental approaches and the exploration of ideas, perpetuating the energy and inspiration Krishen brought to exploring art forms in Malaysia.

Each workshop will be an attempt to generate original, experimental work through an approach guided by the zeal and commitment exemplified by Krishen during his career. The workshops must produce original work. They will not be a rehash of Krishen's past productions nor are they confined to attempts at applying Krishen's 'style' or 'method'. Rather, each workshop performance within the series will provide its creator with an avenue for exploration. Since its aim is to allow individuals to explore, the series will avoid conventional genre labels such as visual arts, music, theatre, dance, etc. While each workshop performance should be experimental, the definition of the term is left to the individual initiating the workshop performance.

The projects in the Krishen Jit Experimental Workshop Series include:

Baling (membaling), led by Mark Teh.
Choreography for Non-Choreographers, led by Marion D'Cruz.
In 1969, led by Chee Sek Thim.
Ensemble Performance Project, led by Akshen.
Adjudicating Sita, led by Anne James.
Wayang Kulit, led by Fahmi Fadzil.

Krishen Jit (1939-2006)

2006-05-28T21:41:00.000+08:00

Krishen Jit was a pioneer in shaping the identity of post-colonial theatre in Malaysia.

A founder member of Five Arts Centre, he was one of Southeast Asia’s most influential theatre practitioners. Renowned for his experimental style of theatre and for fusing traditional with contemporary forms, he created works that reflected a fast-changing psyche, particularly in urban contexts. Krishen’s career as a director covered a span of over 35 years, during which he formed valuable creative partnerships with Malaysian and Singaporean playwrights such as Usman Awang, Syed Alwi, Dinsman, K.S.Maniam, Kee Thuan Chye, Leow Puay Tin, David Henry Hwang, Dick Lee, Kuo Pao Kun, Lloyd Fernando, Jit Murad, Huzir Sulaiman and Stella Kon.

Krishen also became very engaged in Singaporean theatre in his later years, particularly with TheatreWorks, Practice Performing Arts, Wild Rice and Action Theatre. Recently, he was nominated posthumously as 'Best Director' for Everything But The Brain at The Straits Times' 6th Life! Theatre Awards. The Action Theatre production was also nominated in four other categories, including 'Production of the Year', 'Best Original Script', 'Best Actor' and 'Best Actress'.

Krishen’s directorial works have also played internationally; among them are Manchester United and the Malay Warrior (Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival, Manchester, 2002), Family (co-directed with Wong Hoy Cheong, Festival der Geister, Berlin, 1999), Emily of Emerald Hill, (Hong Kong Fringe Festival, 2000, Melbourne Arts Festival, 2002), US: Actions and Images (5th International Experimental Theatre Festival, Cairo, 1993), Nagraland, (toured five cities in Japan and Hong Kong, 1992), Three Children, (co-directed with Ong Keng Sen, toured two cities in Japan, 1991), and Matinya Seorang Pahlawan (1st Third World Theatre Conference and Festival, Manila, 1972).

In his role as a critic and scholar, Krishen defied the boundaries of language, genre and discipline, making his body of writings an indispensable resource in the structuring and historicising of arts practice in Malaysia and the region. His essays and articles have been published in several publications, including two collections - Membesar Bersama Teater and Krishen Jit: An Uncommon Position.

In 2003, Krishen was honoured with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the inaugural Boh Cameronian Arts Awards in Kuala Lumpur. Two years later, and a week before his passing, Krishen received the 'Best Director' award at the 3rd Boh Cameronian Arts Awards.

28 April 2006 @ 67 Tempinis Satu

2006-05-28T15:17:00.000+08:00

28 April 2006 marked the first year since the passing of theatre pioneer and Five Arts Centre founder Krishen Jit. In commemoration of this anniversary, Five Arts Centre organised UTIH… Celebrating Krishen, a tribute to the memories and stories we have of Krishen.

UTIH… Celebrating Krishen featured free-flowing performances, recollections and installations by many of Krishen's friends and co-workers over the years, including:

Amir Muhammad
Anne James
Charlene Rajendran
Elaine Pedley
Fahmi Reza
Huzir Sulaiman
Imri Nasution
James Lee
Janet Pillai
Jo Kukathas
Judimar Hernandez
Kathy Rowland
Leow Puay Tin
Liew Kung Yu
Mark Teh
Nam Ron
Norman Teh
Ray Langenbach
Rhythm In Bronze
Soon Choon Mee
Temple of Fine Arts.

UTIH… Celebrating Krishen was also the occasion for Five Arts Centre to launch the Krishen Jit Experimental Workshop Series and the Krishen Jit – ASTRO Fund (more details on both in the upcoming posts).

Kenapa?

2006-05-28T15:05:00.000+08:00

The initial idea for this blog was to share the canggih photos from the night of Utih... Celebrating Krishen (taken by Wee Ling and Wilson from Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL).

Further along the line, we hope to continue devising and archiving the online resources related to Krishen - director's notes & photos from productions, the entire collection of his 'Talking Drama by Utih' articles (which ran for 22 years in the New Sunday Times), as well as interviews and his other writings.