Begin Again - A New Play in Bangkok, Thailand
A Review of B-Floor Theatre’s latest production
Aug 24, 2009
Dakin, informed by her own experiences of migration and culture change, has created a short, yet powerful work that focuses mainly on the dilemmas of Burmese migrants to Thailand. Exploring the motivations and consequences of migration for three characters provides an interesting contrast that does not always work, but in the end delivers a strong emotional pull that stimulates discussion. "Begin Again" which is running in Bangkok, Thailand opened last week.
Physical Theater
The B-Floor Theatre group utilizes the concept of physical theater, combining dance and drama to create this piece. The set was a small space with a climbing structure, while the floor was marked in a grid by elastic bands. The elastics were used to create new spaces as well as being integrated into the choreography which mixed both traditional Thai forms with hip-hop. Begin Again is in Thai and English sub-titles were projected on the back drop.
Migration and Trafficking
Begin Again consists of nine performers and follows the story of three migrants. These include a woman full of wanderlust wanting to migrate to explore herself; a Burmese woman trafficked into Thailand who ends up working as a domestic servant for Bangkok’s elite, and a Rohingya refugee seeking to escape repression in Burma. The juxtaposition in class and issues of identity were not explored deeply enough, and the story of the woman on an inner journey, while easily relatable, seems extraneous to the emotional thrust brought by the other two storylines.
The piece deals with the many sacrifices made by migrants. One person leaves their lover, while the refugee seeking a place where he has human rights, is asked if he’ll settle for a place of protection, and is informed that it will cost him his roots and identity. The actors and dancers capture the fear, humiliation, confusion, and isolation experienced by many economic migrants into Thailand. The callousness of Thai attitudes towards migrants is touched upon along with the predominant Thai fear and feeling that migrants will over run the country.
Held at the Democrazy Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand, the production made excellent use of the intimate space. Overall the play is well-performed and excellent for conveying some of the issues faced by refugees today. At one hour in length, the story was well conveyed in an interesting way. There is a small flirtation with lights and shadow which could have been better utilized by the players, but as a piece to stimulate discussion, technical criticism is superfluous as Begin Again imprinted both an emotional impact along with new perspectives on migration issues.
Begin Again will have its first run at the Democrazy Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand from August 19-23 and August 26-30, 2009.
 |
 |
