“Pariah”
After critically acclaimed ‘Nadirah’ which won best script in Life! Theatre Awards 2010, Alfian Sa’at returns with… ‘Pariah’, the second installation of Alfian’s tribute to the late Yasmin Ahmad.
Synopsis
Melur is a Form 5 student studying in Kuala Lumpur. When she hangs out with her friends, Hafiz, Mahesh and Kahoe, they look like the poster children of 1Malaysia, a slogan celebrating multiracialism and nationhood.
One day, Melur discovers that a page from a novel that was lying around in her room has been torn out. The trouble is that the novel belongs to her schoolteacher mother, who uses it as a literature text. Investigating further, Melur realizes that the page that has been torn out contains the word ‘pariah’, deemed controversial by the Indian community.
The only suspects are the three boys, who had visited Melur’s house during the school holidays. As they begin to read it, however, the four students start to question some of the histories presented in the book, histories that they are supposed to claim as their own.
Who are the indigenes and who are the immigrants? Is there a grain of truth in even the most repellent stereotype? What power does a word have to shape reality? And is a civic nationalism possible in any society obsessed with race?
Inspired by Yasmin Ahmad’s final film, ‘Talentime’, as well as Abdullah Hussain’s novel, ‘Interlok’, Pariah is a timely exploration of how identities are contested in a young, pluralistic nation. Funny, provocative and moving, Pariah asks urgent questions about love, home and belonging.
Written by ALFIAN SA’AT
Directed by JO KUKATHAS
Featuring an all Malaysian Cast
Farah Rani
Gregory Sze
Iedil Putra Alaudin
Mervyn Raj
Performed in Malay with English Surtitles.
Presented by Teater Ekamatra with support from Instant Cafe Theatre.
23-25 June 2011, 8pm
25 June 2011, 3pm
Get your tickets from www.GATECRASH.com.sg or GATECRASH Hotline 6100 2005.
Tickets also available at all SingPost
outlets, S.A.M. Kiosks and The Substation Box Office
$35 / $28 (excluding $2 booking fee)
Group discounts
4 Adults $120
4 Students $100
For more details, check out Teater Ekamatra!