Bangkok--12 Apr--B-Floor Theatre
To celebrate its 13th anniversary, B-Floor Theatre, a vanguard contemporary theater troupe in Thailand, has launched its “Fright in Sight” project, which kicks off with a contemporary dance theatre performance inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear. ‘Lear & His 3 Daughters’ is the opening performance of B-Floor’s special project in 2012: ’Fright in Sight’ which consists of 4 performances to be staged throughout the year.
‘Lear & His 3 Daughters’ will retell the story of King Lear and his 3 daughters by exploring the love, hatred and relationships in Lear’s family through the form of dance theatre. Lear, realizing that the curtain on his life is drawing to a close, has summoned his three daughters to describe their love for him… but not all of them will pass the test. Love that is held precious by the citizens of Lear’s kingdom will be questioned and challenged in this performance.
‘Lear & His 3 Daughters’ is directed by Jarunan Phantachat, a director, actress, and playwright who has been contributing to Thailand’s contemporary theater scene both on and off stage for the past 15 years.
‘Lear & His 3 Daughters’ will be staged from April 26th to May 7th 2012 (except Tuesday and Wednesday) at the courtyard of the Pridi Banomyong Institute, Soi Sukhumvit 55 (BTS Thong Lo) for a total of 10 performances. All tickets are 450 Baht. For reservations, call 089-167-4039, or email B-Floor Theatre at
[email protected]. Tickets are available from March 1st, 2012. An early bird promotion of 390 Baht tickets is available for tickets purchased before March 31st, 2012. After March 31st, groups of 10 or more can receive a 10% discount of the 450 Baht tickets upon booking.
More information at www.bfloortheatre.com
About ’Fright in Sight’
As B-Floor (named after the Basement Floor) is celebrating its 13th anniversary, beliefs and ideas around the meaning of number 13 come to our mind. In many cultures, the number 13 seems to bring misfortune to those who are involved with it. Many elevators have floor 12A instead of floor 13, or sometimes they just skip directly to floor 14. B-Floor finds that such reactions to the meaning of the number 13 imply a state where the existence of something is denied or treated with fear-driven silence - as if it did not exist.
“What is happening at this very minute in this country is in surprising parallel with the fear of the number 13 phenomenon. “ The unlucky number has inspired B-Floor Theatre to create 4 contemporary performances for the year 2012. We’re inviting you to enter the elevator, press the 13th button, and together with the theater troupe from the basement floor, step into Floor 13, look fright in the eyes, and explore what awaits there.
** After ‘Lear & His 3 Daughters’ the first performance of the “Fright in Sight” project, be prepared for Teerawat Mulvilai’s “Oxygen” which is going to look at freedom as the air we breathe. (After the Bangkok premiere, “Oxygen” will go on to perform in the Undergroundzero Festival in New York City in July 2012). Next, Ornanong Thaisriwong, an award-winning stage performer, will present her solo performance titled “Bang La Merd”. Finally, B-Floor will bid farewell to 2012 with (In)sensitivity where self and body are put in our sights and examined in depth by Dujdao Vadhanapakorn Boonyai, the first and only Dance Movement Psychotherapist in Thailand.
About the Director
Jarunun Phantachat (Jaa) — Artistic Director and Co-Founder of B-Floor Theatre
Jarunun received her BA in Mass Communications from Chiang Mai University. Besides acting in and directing numerous B-Floor productions she has also continuously performed with other Thai and international theatre companies and distinguished herself as a playwright and producer for several international collaborative projects. Her most recent directorial work, “Taste of Curry,” was hailed as a “tour de force” by the Bangkok Post and she has been praised as "one of the best stage actresses in the country" by The Nation.
About B-Floor Theatre
B-Floor Theatre was founded in 1999 and is known for creating highly visual theatre productions that combine movement and multimedia elements, and stimulate social and political awareness. Over the past 10 years B-Floor has not only enjoyed success in Thailand but has also impressed international audiences in the United States, France, Denmark, Egypt, India, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
B-Floor's plays often involve little or no script, focusing instead on highly visual and sensory storytelling that communicates across borders of language and culture. B-Floor has been called, “One of Thailand’s best professional theatre companies” by The Nation, and “thoughtful, affecting and uncompromising” by The Bangkok Post. When reviewing B-Floor’s performance in the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Scotsman wrote, “expect to be impressed, challenged and maybe even enlightened.”