Nearly a decade ago, theatremaker Kelvin Wong stood outside Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre’s (KLPac) Indicine space to welcome audiences to Antigone, a contemporised staging of the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles. It was the first production by his newly formed collective, Theatresauce.
The play raised enduring questions that continue to resonate: does standing up for one’s beliefs risk being branded an act of treachery, and who – or what – ultimately decides what is right and wrong?
Through the years as a theatre collective founder, producer and educator, Wong has consistently pushed boundaries with thought-provoking shows examining social, identity and political dynamics.
Theatresauce, currently led by Dhinesha Karthigesu, continues to fulfil its mission of asking bold questions on stage.
Wong is currently a PhD candidate in Performance Practice with the Universities of Exeter and Bristol in England.
His research in Britain explores how performances, storytelling, audience engagement and sustainable creative practices intersect, especially for a digital generation.
Modern day tyranny
As theatre evolves globally, Wong, now 40, remains a progressive voice in contemporary Malaysian productions, and a homecoming show – a winter break of sorts – is always a warmly anticipated return.
He may no longer be involved in Theatresauce’s day-to-day operations, but he has the privilege of opening its 10th anniversary year with a probing production that sees him back on familiar ground.
The upcoming Theatresauce production No Particular Order, which plays at Indicine, KLPac from March 12-15, brings a regional theatre voice to local audiences.
Based on a script by Singaporean playwright Joel Tan, No Particular Order first debuted in May 2022 at London’s Theatre503.
Described as “startling and apocalyptic”, the play was shortlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. This performance opened in Singapore in 2023 and travelled to Sydney last year.
With Wong back in the director’s seat, No Particular Order arrives at a timely moment, examining the many facets of modern day tyranny and the quiet pressures of the digital world – how algorithms shape what we see, guide our choices and exert a subtle, almost invisible control over our lives.
The Malaysian premiere features a multi-generational ensemble including Anne James, Alfred Loh, Putrina Rafie, Kamini Senthilathiban, Nabil Zakaria and Dexter Zhen.
Lee Si Jin serves as stage manager for the show, with Jazzie Lee providing assistance, and Naque Ariffin responsible for the lighting design.
The 80-minute performance (without intermission) unfolds through modular, event-based vignettes rather than a traditional narrative, evoking the experience of doomscrolling.
In a sense, the themes of reordering and chaos could be drawn straight from today’s daily news.
No Particular Order also fits within Wong’s practice-based doctoral work, acting as a testing ground for how a playtext engages media-shaped audiences.
“I saw a similar version of this play in London, and when I returned to KL, I knew I wanted to produce something with this unconventional structure. The performance doesn’t follow a linear timeline, giving audiences the freedom to piece the story together themselves,” says Wong, who last directed in KL in April 2023 with Come Home And Eat, a devised project involving seven directors.
“In my thesis, I explore how today’s media-saturated environment shapes the way we experience theatre. Younger audiences, in particular, are constantly exposed to screens on their phones and in their surroundings – stimulating, yet often desensitising.
“This piece reflects that habit of rapidly shifting attention from one thing to the next,” he adds.
Instead of a static set, Wong’s vision calls for the cast to continuously reconfigure the space at Indicine, moving across multiple locations and perspectives, while lights and projections are seamlessly integrated into the action.
Theatre life is what drives him, and bringing this show to KL has given Wong a renewed sense of connection with the home audience.
He also directed a trilogy, The Unsilent Mode Project – part of his PhD – staged in Yokohama, Japan and Exeter, England in 2024.
Screens, surveillance and loops
In the unsettling, cerebral world of No Particular Order, set in unnamed locations, Wong reflects the rapid, high-volume flow of information, pulling in theatregoers to engage more with the story.
“Technically, the story unfolds across three timelines: the present, 30 years in the past, and 300 years into the future. Each scene gradually reveals more of the larger world, allowing us to understand the characters’ circumstances and the authoritarian ruling class that shapes them,” says Wong.
For the actors, switching between more than 40 characters demands careful attention to nuance to convey the story effectively. The audience, in turn, must stay fully engaged, as no amount of post show discussion can fill in what is missed.
Through a series of immersive snapshots depicting the lives of bureaucrats, soldiers, artists and tour guides, No Particular Order charts the fate of a society in deep turmoil.
“The characters don’t have names – only titles like ‘Bureaucrat’ or ‘Writer 1’ and ‘Writer 2’. When they appear in one scene, they may not return in another. That doesn’t make them stock characters, they still represent real people with genuine intentions and goals. We just don’t follow them in the conventional way, as we might with a character like Hamlet,” says Wong.
Typical of an experimental production, the stage manager explains that the fragmented structure constantly challenges the backstage team in managing both actors and technical elements.
“Being a practitioner who’s trained as a performer and experienced tech managing under Kelvin, I’m constantly putting myself in both the ensemble and director’s shoes, tying both parties’ needs together,” says Lee.
Through these fleeting interactions with its characters, the play lays bare the hypocrisies of both creatives and those in positions of power.
There may be unrest on stage, but the performance offers a philosophical takeaway.
“As much as the script comments on authoritarianism and how society navigates it, it also examines how creatives operate – using art for activism, profit or even appropriation,” says Wong.
“In trying to reach international audiences, art can be used to manipulate or divert attention from other issues. There is no clear right or wrong,” he concludes.
This production is presented by Theatresauce in collaboration with KLPac, by arrangement with Nick Hern Books Ltd, with technical support from Japan Foundation KL and sans collective.
No Particular Order plays at Indicine, KLPac from March 12-15. More info: cloudjoi.com.
