First theatre play at new venue PJPac tackles climate change and social isolation

'Orang Bulan' is directed by Christopher Ling (right) with Dzeelfa Zainal and Anwar Hadi as the leads. Maza Maamor (left) stage manages the show. Photo: Theatrethreesixty

It was a haunting photograph, one that would leave a lasting impression in theatre director Christopher Ling’s mind.

The image by Swedish photographer Magnus Wennman featured two bed-ridden teenage Kosovan refugees lying motionless.

Their coma-like state was due to a little known condition called "Resignation Syndrome" (believed to exist only among refugees in Sweden) which renders patients immobile, mute and unable to eat and drink.

“I was genuinely puzzled when I first looked at it. My initial thought was how possible could it be - in this day and age - that a person could conveniently slip into a coma when his or her ideal life circumstances no longer align, ” recalls Ling, 46, Theatrethreesixty’s co-founder and artistic director.

To keep this theatre idea going, Ling approached Penang-based playwright Yusof Bakar in 2018 to write a science fiction play, using the photograph as a writing prompt.

“I was also intrigued with how possible it would be for us as playmakers to be able to immerse an audience in a strange, unfamiliar world - on a limited production budget.

“Could a sci-fi themed play work minus the external trappings of set and costume?” questions Ling, whose directed the pre-pandemic drama 24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun last year.

The script for this new project was finally completed in January this year, rehearsals began in March and this week, theatregoers can catch this new show called Orang Bulan.

Orang Bulan opens on April 29 at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre’s (PJPac) Nero Event Space, 1 Utama Shopping Mall.

The play will be the first production to be staged at the new arts venue as part of its soft launch programme. PJPac is set to officially open its doors on May 25.Orang Bulan also marks Theatrethreesixty’s return to staging productions for a live audience since the first movement control order (MCO) last year.

The hour-long two-hander, which will be presented in Bahasa Malaysia with English surtitles, features Dzeelfa Zainal and Anwar Hadi. Kirthana Kuhendran composed the original music and soundscape for the show.

“Getting back into a bonafide theatre space is akin to feeling the warm embrace of an old friend.

“I’d dare say that even having the mere opportunity of being able to physically conduct a rehearsal in person has had the same rejuvenating effect on me, ” says Ling.

Orang Bulan is about Luna (Dzeelfa) who lives on a moon colony with her son Nila (Anwar), a rare earth mineral miner.

Their seemingly peaceful lunar life gets shaken when they are both forcibly repatriated back to Earth with the imminent replacement of the existing lunar workforce with robots.

Unable to cope with the sudden change, the long-suffering mother plunges into a bout of Resignation Syndrome. In the process, more secrets are dredged up to the surface.

“At a glance, it’s a story about a mother having trouble with her past. In another look, it’s a story about Resignation Syndrome.

“But if you look deeper, actually it's also a story about a catastrophe that will almost definitely happen to Earth in the future because of climate change.

“So it's a multi-layered play, waiting for the audience to dig in and enjoy, ” says Yusof, whose playwriting credits include Resiprokal, Dusta Pada Skala 1 Hingga 10 and Munchausen Melalui Proksi.

Ling mentions he was introduced to Yusof through a KL staging of Resiprokal (a compilation of his short plays) in 2017.

“I admired his deceptively simple writing style that places seemingly everyday conventional characters in rather unconventional, sometimes even fantastical, situations.

“All the while debating high-flown issues as if these were the sort of things you would happily discuss with your husband or friend. It was then that I decided that I would be keen to direct some of his work, ” recounts Ling.Orang Bulan, says Ling, offers a very human story that zooms into a dysfunctional mother-son relationship while tackling something larger and dangerous in the background.

“If we, as a post-pandemic audience, are so scared and stressed because of the pandemic, we should be more concerned as to what's going to happen to Earth due to climate change.

“Orang Bulan provides some ideas as to what will happen in a few hundred years if we ignore these early signs of Earth's suffering. If the Earth is changing, humans will also change with it, either for better or worse, ” says Yusof.

Despite the themes surrounding isolation and anxiety, Ling says that Orang Bulan doesn’t directly reflect the pandemic situation.

“At its core, I do believe that Orang Bulan invites us to take a look at the decisions that we are forced to make when we are faced with situations of unbearable stress and mounting uncertainty.

“Ultimately, audiences go to the theatre to see themselves onstage, to be assured that they are not the only ones who feel the way they do as human beings, ” concludes Ling.

Orang Bulan plays at Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPac), 1 Utama Shopping Centre from April 29 to May 2. Showtime: 9pm. Ticket price: RM30. The theatre space capacity has been reduced to 50 people per show and public health SOPs must be observed. More details here.