The Play-by-Play

The concept sounds like a godsend for theatre lovers with ADD, but seriously, Short+Sweet has built an uncontested reputation as the world’s biggest short play festival. Beginning from its first ever iteration in Sydney’s Newton Theatre in 2002, the festival has made its way to various parts of the world since; this year, it’s KL’s turn to join the growing global movement.

Short+Sweet Malaysia’s marathon of short-form performances will be running for two weeks in KLPac this month from the 6th to the 16th, showcasing a total of 20 plays. The plays, which will be in English, Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin, will be split between the two weeks, with 10 plays being performed every night each week, leading up to the Gala Night on the 17th showcasing the 10 best plays of the festival. The festival will feature the works of some of Malaysia’s most established stage craftsmen, as well as a bevy of newcomers. Expect to see the likes of Kee Thuan Chye, Teng Ky-Gan, Chacko Vadaketh, Hani Khaursar, Soefira Jaafar, Christopher Ling and Amelia Chen busting out their stage chops throughout the festival.

"Short+Sweet will help to uncover and develop new voices in Malaysian theatre, helping them in developing craft and skill and providing that essential on-stage experience that is impossible to recreate, until you actually put a show on the stage," says Nicole Stinton, Festival Director for Short+Sweet Malaysia. If that’s the case, be prepared for a crash course in theatre appreciation in bite-sized chunks. Don’t get it confused, though: this two-week  tapas of theatrical sweetmeats aims to fill you to the brim.

Text Azwan Mahzan