Three months of 'naked' theater in Bangkok
But as small as the city’s independent theater scene may be it’s incredibly active, with The Naked Masks Network one of few prominent theater groups putting on regular high quality stage shows.
Their latest event is the Naked Masks Spring Season 2011, which runs from January to March. It starts tonight with "Asurakai," a suspense thriller that gained great feedback when it was staged for the first time in 2009. When a child goes missing, his family uses the dark arts to help find him but instead unearths the family’s darkest secrets.
“The strength of Asurakai is in its powerful portrayal of human fear,” says Naked Masks founder Ninart Boonpothong, Asurakai's director and playwright. “The first staging of this play was successful but for this re-stage the cast found a deeper and more profound understanding and interpretation of the characters. Too much love can lead you and the people around you to disaster.”
The festival moves into lighter-hearted fare in February with “The Rules of the Game,” inspired by Italian dramatist Luigi Pirandello’s work. Also directed by Ninart, this satirical play comically tells the story of a couple who pretends to break up just to discover true love.
Finally in March, the festival ends with the powerful “Lady Mina: Vampira Hunter.” The ironic drama discusses the cultural changes that took place in Bangkok in and around the era of King Rama VI by telling a story of three sisters who have to fight vampires to save the country.
One warning: all the performances are in Thai. But even if you understand little more than “kob-khun-krub,” Ninart still thinks non-Thai speakers will get something out of all three plays and “discover that sometimes not understanding a word said can be surprisingly entertaining.”
Not for people looking for extravagant musicals or slapstick comedy, the Naked Masks Network celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year and says it plans to stick to “drama for life” and keep putting on fresh, intelligent stage shows in the years to come.
Naked Masks Spring Season 2011 plays take place at the Art Gorillas Gallery (2/F of Lido Theater, Siam Square). Asurakai is showing from January 26-30. Tickets are 250 baht per person or 150 baht for students. Due to the small space seats are limited. For tickets, call +66 (0)85 503 4525 or email nakedmasks@gmail.com.
Website: Nakedmasksnetwork.blogspot.com
On Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Naked-Masks-Network/183288368349178
