Five Arts Centre places equal importance on training as much as producing art and cultural events as outlined above, with the aim of leading Malaysians towards a finer appreciation of their plural and multi-dimensional artistic heritage and promise.
Bookmark this website so that you will be easily informed of the Company's forthcoming workshop performances, works-in-progress, public exhibitions and performances.
Five Arts Centre would like to acknowledge the support of Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn. Bhd., the Company's principal sponsor.
A founding member of Five Arts Centre, Krishen is a director, producer, actor and occasionally a theatre critic. He is also a Dramateur for TheatreWorks and advisor for Practice Performing Arts , both of which are professional theatre companies in Singapore.He has directed K.S. Maniam's The Cord (1984, 1986 & 1994), The Sandpit (1991 & 1994) and Skin Trilogy (1995); Leow Puay Tin's Three Children (1992) and Ang Tau Mui (1995); Lloyd Fernando's Scorpion Orchid (Singapore Arts Festival 1994, Malaysia Fest 1995); and Dick Lee's Nagraland (1992).
Krishen is at present the Head of the Theatre Department at the National Academy of Art, Malaysia.
A founding member of Five Arts Centre, Chin San Sooi received his theatre training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and has been involved in various aspects of stage life, serving as actor, set designer, playwright, director and producer.He has directed numerous plays, ranging from Shakespeare to Shaw, Brecht, Monsaemon, as well as those of Malaysian writers K.S. Maniam and Leow Puay Tin. He has also directed his own plays namely Yap Ah Loy, The Play, (1985), Morning In Night (1986), Refugees : Images (1986), Lady White (1989) and Reunion (1994).
San Sooi directed the very familiar and famous Emily of Emerald Hill written by Stella Kon. Emily was performed in Kuala Lumpur in 1984, 1987, 1992 and 1995; and in Hawaii and Singapore in 1987.
A founder member of Five Arts Centre, Marion graduated with a BA in Performing Arts and an MA in Dance from Universiti Sains Malaysia (Penang) in 1979.Her MA thesis was in Joget Gamelan, a classical court dance from Pahang and Terengganu. She has studied Ballet; Malay and Indian Dance in Malaysia; Javanese and Balinese dance in Indonesia; and Modern and Contemporary dance as well as Choreography in New York.
She formed her own dance company "Marion D'Cruz and Dancers" in 1983, who have performed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Vienna. Marion has also done solo performances in New York, London, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Her many works include Swan Song, Urn Piece, The Misery of the Chanting Widows, Immigrant and Woman at Point Zero.
A quantity surveyor by profession, Kin Wah has been involved in performance and productions with Five Arts Centre since 1985.Some of his performances include 1984 - Here and Now (1985), Yap Ah Loy, The Play (1985) and Lady White (1989) both written by Chin San Sooi, and Caught in the Middle 2 - Speaking in Tongues by Thor Kah Hoong. He last performed in K.S. Maniam's Skin Trilogy 1995. Kin Wah also co-produced Emily of Emerald Hill - 1992.
Anne has been a teacher at Sri Aman Secondary school for the past 10 years. She was trained in theatre at University Sains Malaysia and Northwestern University, USA.A versatile actress and dancer, her major and memorable roles include Dudard in Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, Kali in The Cord and Santha in The Sandpit, both written by K.S. Maniam and Tybalt in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
She has also danced with Marion D'Cruz and Dancers in Maria Zaitun, Urn Piece, Woman at Point Zero, Immigrant and The Concorde Hotel Series. She made her directorial debut in The Hour Of The Dog 1995.
Ivy graduated with a BA in Literature from University Malaya where she was trained in Malay and Modern dance.She has been active as a dancer and producer since the early 1980s. She acted as Kali in the original production of KS Maniam's The Cord and has danced with Marion D'Cruz and Dancers since its inception.
As a producer, she has been responsible for major productions in Five Arts Centre and has also produced for Ramli Ibrahim (Sutra) and Thor Kah Hoong (KamiKasih)
Ivy is currently the executive secretary of Women's Aid Organisation (WAO).
Puay Tin is a writer and a performer. She has worked as a journalist and is now teaching vocals at the National Academy of Art. She has been an active playwright and actress since 1981.Her written works include Ang Tau Mui, Three Children and The Window.
Puay Tin is currently involved in The Writer Workshop jointly organised by Five Arts Centre and Dramalab.
Ravi has been active on and off stage especially with Five Arts Centre since 1985. His most notable stage appearances were as Ratnam in KS Maniam's The Cord (1984, 1986). Multiple roles in Kee Thuan Chye's 1984 - Here & Now and in Chin San Sooi's Yap Ah Loy, The Play (1985).Ravi has also produced and been the business manager/financial advisor for Five Arts Centre.
Ravi is now working as an executive in Malaysia Airlines System.
Equipped with a BA in Social Science (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang) and an MFA in Children's Theatre (University of Hawaii), Janet is undisputably a pioneer in working with children to create their own multi-arts plays, using music, video, games, shadow play, storytelling, visual arts and dance.Janet is the prime mover behind Five Arts Centre's Teater Muda - an integrated arts training programme for children.
Some of her outstanding productions include We Have A Dream 1990, Kami Bukannya Patung (1991) and Suara Rimba 1994.
Janet also teaches at Universiti Sains Malaysia's Pusat Seni (Arts Centre) in Penang.
Charlene graduated with a BA & MA in English Literature and Linguistics from York University, UK. She started acting in children's theatre in Garuda 1979 and was the assistant director in Main-Main Perang 1991, Kami Bukannya Patung 1991, and Suara Rimba 1994.She is also the coordinator and facilitator for Five Arts Centre's Teater Muda.
In adult theatre, Charlene has acted in K.S. Maniam's The Sandpit 1991 and performed with Marion D'Cruz and Dancers in Sook Ching 1991 and Widow's Piece 1992. She is also a trained musician.
Charlene has been the publicity manager for most of Five Arts Centre's productions in recent years.
Suhaila is by profession the Purchasing Manager of Nestle Products Sdn Bhd. She has been involved in theatre for the past 10 years as an actress and on the productionside.She has produced several of Five Arts Centre's productions, among them Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon 1992, Reunion by Chin San Sooi 1994, The Cord by K.S. Maniam 1994 and most recently The Concorde Hotel Series 1995.
Suhaila's most notable role as an actress was Lady Green in Chin San Sooi's Lady White 1989.
Hoy Cheong studied painting, literature and education at Brandeis, Harvard and University of Massachusetts (Amherst), USA. He teaches in the Fine Arts Department of Kolej Bandar Utama. A painter and a critic, he has exhibited and lectured extensively in Malaysia, South-East Asia, USA, Columbia, Australia and Japan.He is undoubtably one of Malaysia's foremost young artists and his work has been bought, among others by the Gallery of Modern Art in Hiroshima, Japan and Singapore's National Art Gallery.
Hoy Cheong has curated and produced exhibitions/performances including Laras Bunyi (Five Arts Centre, 1992), What about Converging Extremes? (GaleriWan, 1993) and he was recently involved in Warbox, Lallang, Killing Fields - an exhibition by Five Arts Centre where he did the Lallang Installation (National Art Gallery, 1994)
Sunetra, a recent welcomed addition to the Five Arts Centre has been involved in musical activities almost all her life. She studied music at the University of York, UK and spent a year studying Javanese singing and Gamelan in Solo, Indonesia. She also plays the piano and the flute. Sunetra sings solo and in choirs and was conducting the Kuala Lumpur's Baroque Choristers until 1993.She sang in Marion D'Cruz's Maria Zaitun (1990 in Hong Kong, 1991 in Singapore and 1995 in Kuala Lumpur). She was also the musical director for Suara Rimba 1994 and Scorpion Orchid 1995.
At present, she is studying and researching the Mak Yong for her MA at
University Malaya.