アジアン・ドラマトゥルク・ネットワーク・サテライトシンポジウム 2018：ドラマトゥルギーと政治的なるものAsian Dramaturgs’ Network Satellite Symposium 2018: Dramaturgy and the Political

Presenters: Lim How Ngean, Robin Loon, Charlene Rajendran

BankART Studio NYK, 2B Gallery
2.16 Fri 10:30 - 12:30

*This session is conducted in English only.

This session presents ADN in its conception to its activities thus far, with reflections and even ‘reflexion’ on our programmes. There will also be public discussion on the future critical direction of the collective in regards to burning needs and gaps in dramaturgical activities in Asia.

Speakers: Jae Lee Kim, Li Yinan, Ho Tzu Nyen
Provocateur: Robin Loon

BankART Studio NYK, 2B Gallery
2.16 Fri 14:00 - 16:00

*Simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese is available.

This roundtable will discuss some of the current themes and issues of political art that are emerging in Asia. Some of the questions asked include:

i. What is the role of the political artist as activist in today’s society?

ii. How does the dramaturg – consciously or unconsciously – incorporate thematic, contextual, structural or form-based approaches that tie in with the dramaturg's notion of the political in art?

iii. How successful is political art in engaging the immediate society where the artist works and inhabits?

Speakers: Leow Puay Tin, Kaku Nagashima, Masashi Nomura
Provocateur: Ken Takiguchi

BankART Studio NYK, 2B Gallery
2.16 Fri 16:30 - 18:00

*Simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese is available.

Focusing on Japanese dramaturgical theory and practice, this panel presents artists and dramaturgs who engage with social change, critique, commentary, or even social action, in a Japanese context.

Speakers: Virkein Dhar, Janice Poon, Taufik Darwis, Yoshiji Yokoyama, Jae Lee Kim, Kei Saito
Facilitators: Robin Loon, Lim How Ngean

BankART Studio NYK, Library
2.17 Sat 10:30 - 12:30

*This session is conducted in English only.

This session is an open discussion that will continue and expand upon discussion points brought up by participants of past ADN events. Dramaturgs, arts educators and practitioners from around the region will also share their dramaturgical practices within their socio-cultural context. Topics that will be explored include:

i. Definitions of “dramaturgy,” “dramaturg” and “dramaturging” in an Asian context.

ii. The etymology of terms used to describe local cultural and social practices in dramaturgy.

iii. The “Asian” in Asian Dramaturgs’ Network.

Speakers: Bilqis Hijjas, Linda Mayasari, Hiromi Maruoka
Provocateur: Charlene Rajendran

BankART Studio NYK, 2B Gallery
2.17 Sat 14:00 - 16:30

*Simultaneous interpretation in English and Japanese is available.
*The participation of Ruhanie Perera has been canceled for an unavoidable circumstance.

Art that is purposeful stems from a deep connection with culture, society and politics. This roundtable asks what kinds of leadership roles does the artist assume in one’s community and society:

i. Can an artistic / festival director advocate ways of thinking about shaping culture, society, politics beyond art appreciation and cultural education?

ii. How does this draw from dramaturgical thinking and the role of a dramaturg in artistic production?

BankART Studio NYK, 2B Gallery
2.17 Sat 16:30 - 17:30

*This session is conducted in English only.

Bilqis Hijjas writes, produces, performs and teaches about dance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is the President of MyDance Alliance, a membership organisation supporting dance in Malaysia, and directs the dance programme at private arts centre Rimbun Dahan. She lectures in dance criticism and performing arts theory at University of Malaya, and runs Critics Republic, an online platform for written criticism of Malaysian art. She is the Vice President for Southeast Asia for the volunteer regional organisation World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific.

Charlene Rajendran is a theatre educator, dramaturg and writer. She has performed, directed and written for the theatre, as well as facilitated theatre workshops and dialogues. More recently she has been dramaturg in interdisciplinary and collaborative arts projects such as Both Sides, Now (Drama Box and ArtsWok, 2013-2018) and It Won’t Be Too Long: The Cemetery (Drama Box, Singapore International Festival of Arts 2015). Charlene also researches contemporary performance, issues of identity and play-based pedagogies.

Hiromi Maruoka is President of the Japan Center, Pacific Basin Arts Communication (PARC) and Director of the Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama (TPAM). In these roles, she provides opportunities to connect people with people, and people with places, both in Japan and overseas. She is Vice President of the Open Network for Performing Arts Management (ON-PAM) and also one of the founders.

Ho Tzu Nyen is a Singapore-born filmmaker and visual artist whose practice spans video, writing, and theatre. His work explores the structure and power of myths, often revealing stories as discursive probes to shape past and present. His theatrical works have been presented at the Asian Arts Theatre, Gwangju, Wiener Festwochen, Theater der Welt and the Kunstenfestivaldesarts, his films were shown at Cannes Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival. Recent solo exhibitions at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Mori Art Museum.

Jae Lee Kim is living and working in Seoul as a dramaturg, dance theorist and lecturer. Currently she is working as an adjunct professor in Department of Dance at Sungkyunkywan University in Korea. She received her PhD from the Department of Dance at Ewha Womans University in 2012, and also undertook a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Performance Arts at Kookmin University in Korea in 2013. She was a resident dramaturg of the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company from 2014 to 2015. 

Janice Poon is a Hong Kong-based theatre artist and cultural practitioner, and Lecturer (playwriting) and Academic Project Coordinator at the School of Drama, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. She is also Artistic Director of contemporary theatre group Hong Kong Dramatists. She engages in cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural creative work through playwriting, directing, dramaturgy and curating. Her works have been presented in major cities in Europe, the US, China and other Asian cities.

As one of pioneering dramaturgs in Japan, Kaku Nagashima has collaborated with many theatre directors and companies. Kaku also translated plays by contemporary, modern and classical authors including Samuel Beckett, Sarah Kane, Jon Fosse, Alan Harris, William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen. He is a member of Shigeki Nakano + Frankens. Kaku teaches at Tokyo University of the Arts, ZA-KOENJI / Creative Theatre Academy and Aichi University.

Kei Saito is a performing arts administrator and producer currently based in Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture. Born in Tokyo in 1974, he moved to Tottori in 2006 and helped set up BIRD Theatre Company and BIRD Theatre, where he managed the venue, performances, festivals and international projects. He left the company in 2016. He is also a board member of the Open Network for Performing Arts Management (ON-PAM). 

Ken Takiguchi works in theatre as a dramaturg, translator and producer. He has actively participated in numerous intercultural productions, including Mobile 2: Flat Cities (2013, The Necessary Stage [Singapore]); and HOTEL (2015, W!ld Rice [Singapore]). He was a research fellow at the Theatre Studies Programme, Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore. He obtained his PhD in Japanese Studies from National University of Singapore, specialising in theatre translations, intercultural theatre and cultural policy.

Li Yinan is Professor for Dramaturgy and Theatre Studies at the Central Academy of Drama of China, Beijing. Since 2009, she has been making efforts to introduce the German concept and working methods of Dramaturgy into China. At the beginning of 2015, she established the Faculty of Dramaturgy and Applied Theatre at the Central Acedemy of Drama and took up its Director position.

Lim How Ngean is a performance-maker, dramaturg and dance researcher who has been actively involved in the performing arts for over 20 years. He is also the founding director of the Asian Dramaturgs' Network. In recent years, How Ngean has served as dramaturg for dance performances at the Singapore Arts Festival and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. He was conferred his PhD in 2014 from the National University of Singapore for his research on contemporary dance choreography in Southeast Asia.

Linda Mayasari is Director at Cemeti – Institute for Art and Society, as well as an associate curatorial assistant for the Indonesia Dance Festival. She is currently completing a Masters programme in Religious & Cultural Studies at Sanata Dharma University, whilst pursuing personal research and writing exploring the intersections of art, politics and post colonialism in Indonesia. Occasionally she works collaboratively with artists from various fields (particularly dance and visual art) to produce independent research-based projects.

Masashi Nomura is a dramaturg and producer. Since 2007, he has been with theatre company Seinendan (founded by Oriza Hirata) at Komaba Agora Theater as its manager / administrator. He is also the chief program officer of the Okinawa Prefectural Foundation for Cultural Promotion (Okinawa Arts Council). He works as a lecturer of performing arts management at Obirin University, and is a board member of the Open Network for Performing Arts Management (ON-PAM). He has also produced and curated several productions at TPAM. 

Robin Loon is a dramaturg, academic and playwright. He currently teaches at the Theatre Studies Programme, National University of Singapore. Robin has consulted on many theatre projects as a dramaturg. He has also been writer and dramaturg in several projects, including Casting Back (2012, Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary), 男男自语 (2012, Singapore Arts Festival), and Blue Prince (2012, The Blue Statesmen). Robin also headed Singapore's first Dramaturg Apprenticeship Programme under Centre 42's Garage initiative.

Taufik Darwis is a dramaturg and researcher based in Bandung, the capital city of West Java province, Indonesia. He is co-founder of the Bandung Performing Arts Forum. Since March 2016, he has been a co-curator of the Indonesian Dance Festival. In 2018, Taufik has been invited as a guest curator at the Teater Garasi / Garasi Performance Institute.

Virkein Dhar is an independent contemporary dance collaborator, scenographer, spatial designer and curator in India. Her interests lie in exploring the applications and documenting the impacts of the arts and design outside of their normative environments. Currently based in Delhi, she is the Festival Director at IGNITE! Festival of Contemporary Dance and leads Strategy and Programming at OddBird Theatre, while building an artistic practice that creates spatial experiences through movement, design and media.

Yoshiji Yokoyama is a dramaturg at Shizuoka Performing Arts Centre (SPAC), in-charge of international exchanges. He is also a programmer of the World Theatre Festival Shizuoka since 2007, and Tokyo Festival since 2017. He is a board member of the Open Network for Performing Arts Managers (ON-PAM) and a member of the Asian Producers’ Platform (APP). He lectures part-time at Gakushuin University, Tokyo, and University of Shizuoka.