Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

82 INTERMINGLING OF CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITYContemporary artists, who have very little or no supportfrom the government, have taken the initiative to recordtheir own experiences, though raw and unorganized, inan effort to keep track of their work. Video recordingshave been made to record their works and theirrehearsal process; diaries have been continuously filledwith personal illustrations of an artist’s travails. Onmost occasions, contemporary theater groups give outbrochures and handouts or create websites about theirplays. Much of this work has been supported throughthe personal funds of the actors. Indeed, younger artistslike Pradit Prasartthong of the Makhampon TheaterGroup; Kamron Gunitilaka, Thepsiri Monsukpa, Kageand Sineenadh Keitprapai of the Crescent Moon TheaterCompany; and Nikorn Saetang of 8 x 8 Playhouse haveasserted the creation of new forms of theater to createvenues of negotiation among the different sectors ofsociety. While traditional theater dwells on the classicalstories of royalty, contemporary theater tackles issuessuch as identity, unresolved historical crimes such as theThammasat student massacres in the mid-1970s, genderissues, education and poverty. Through experimentalplays, books and documentary films, traditional theaterhas been re-evaluated and challenging issues havebeen tackled in an effort to negotiate the relevance oftradition to contemporary life.The National Library houses theater reviews that havebeen published in various journals and magazines sincethe 1970s. International research institutions suchas the Special Program for Archeology and Fine Arts(SPAFA) and the Siam Society Library have maintainedjournals and magazines featuring traditional theaterexperiences. Scholars have been assigned to do researchon contemporary groups’ efforts to enliven the theaterscene. Scripts and write-ups about artists still have to besystematized and collected. The Princess Maha ChakriSirindhorn Anthropology Center is an example of aninstitution that houses a rich collection of materialsabout the traditional shadow puppet theater andpublishes books and journals about traditional theaterforms; however, a number of materials about theater,especially those that are oral and improvised in nature,still need to be documented.Recently, a group of critics has initiated a research projecton the state of the arts in Thailand entitled, “Criticism asan Intellectual Force in Contemporary Society.” Underthe leadership of well-respected literary scholar andcritic Chetana Nagavajara several areas of art, includingtheater, were studied using various theater reviews andfocus group discussions to abstract the status of theater inThailand. The discussions observed that classical theaterin Thailand is basically created by the Royal Court;thus, the trend of contemporary artists since the 1970sis the direction of “art for the oppressed.” In addition tothis, theater critics have initiated discussions to elicit afeedback mechanism for artists. Kamron Gunitilaka hasshared experiences in inviting theater critics to watchplays and discuss their comments after the show. Thesame is true for the performances of Pichert Klunchungand Nikorn Saetang for B-floor Theater. Theaterreviews have been frequently published in newspapers;theater students have made theater practices the topicof their researches and inquiries, signifying a clearinterest in the theater. Critics from major dailies havealso sought discussions with contemporary artistshoping to create a venue for exchange and criticismamong artists and the viewing public. Theater artistswho are also members of academia, like Prof. PornratDamhrung of Chulalongkorn University and ParichatJungwiwittanaporn of Thammasat University andSrinakharinwirot University, have engaged studentsand scholars in monitoring the development of theaterthrough scholarly activities. Much work, however,remains to be done in developing a clear theatercriticism process and practice. Theater criticism hasnot yet been institutionalized as a practice since, as onecritic says, Thai society is not very open to the idea ofcriticism. The idea of making theater practice an area ofdiscourse is a far cry from the usual treatment of theateras an institutional practice in reverence of the King andthe gods. Much work remains to be done in creating aclear-cut interest by putting together materials for thedevelopment of theater resources in Thailand. Whilea number of foreign scholars have taken an interestin writing about Thai traditional theater experiences,traditional and contemporary artists have yet to developa consciousness in writing their own narratives andkeeping track of their artistic legacies.Evolving theater as a community forceLike theater in Thailand, the practice of theater inIndonesia has been sustained through continuousperformances by various artists and individuals. In SoloCity or Surakarta City, performances are teeming withartists who are very open about sharing their experienceswith their community. Wayang performances are part ofthe people’s daily life, whether as formal performancesor as venues for engagement with the community.The institutionalization of the wayang kulit as aUNESCO-designated Masterpiece of the Oral andIntangible Heritage of Humanity stems from the factthat wayang kulit is part of the people’s collectivememory. Although many younger dalang (wayangkulit master puppeteers) complain about the youngerAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows