Graphic Design: Swedian Lie
“It is clear that the fictional worlds are plural, liquid and intermingling. We find narration, central characters, imagination and also local or tribal beliefs and superstition. We find historical facts gasping for air from under the mounds of imagination. Yet, above them is a magical world where things do not follow rules of cause-and-effect and therefore lie outside the logic of our daily lives.”
— Muhammad Haji Salleh,
from “Hang Tuah in the Sea of Oral Malay Narratives”
A retelling of the stories of Hang Tuah, the great warrior from 15th century Malaysia, this piece in development incorporates Wayang Kulit shadow puppetry, gamelan music, and Silat martial arts. The script was written by Randy Baker, Carina Hales, Rizal Iwan, Adib Kosnan, Ridhwan Saidi, Riz Zolkepli; with text used from the writings and translations of Muhammad Haji Salleh; and some additional material devised by Salif Hardie, Farez Najid, Sahirrah Safit, Jamil Schulze, and Tan Guo Lian Sutton.
The script, told with a self-aware contemporary voice, stitches together the episodic adventures of the Malay hero, Hang Tuah and his warrior friends who fought for King and country during the height of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century. Their adventures are thrilling, thoughtful, funny, and heart breaking.
Originally commissioned and developed by Pointless Theatre, the script had subsequent workshops in Singapore with Nusantara Theatrics and in Malaysia with KL Shakespeare Players in collaboration with Masakini Theatre.
Mingling Glances 