Could you introduce yourself?

I am a contemporary performing arts practitioner based in Bangkok, working as an artist, producer, curator, and artistic director of a festival.

Is Bangkok a vibrant theatre city?

It is not at all a theater city. Thailand lacks an arts infrastructure that can sustain practitioners over the long term, and no one can really have a ‘proper career’ in the arts. All the performing arts work you can see in Bangkok and Thailand, if they are not commercial musical productions, are usually DIY, self-produced, and small to medium scale. The theater community here is small but vibrant, active, and diverse. It feels like a big extended family rather than an ‘industry’. At the moment, there are some key platforms or festivals in Bangkok and a few other cities, and many artist collectives making work. It is not so common, though, for a group or troupe to be able to continue their practice regularly. What keeps us all going, I think, is this inexplicable love we have for the performing arts despite all the challenges, and the undying spirit of making things happen despite the lack. 

What was your most memorable theatre experience?

I was performing in an ensemble with B-Floor Theatre in Bangkok, the company I have been with for many years. The piece was called Flu-O-Less-Sense, directed by Teerawat Mulvilai, one of the best remembered pieces by B-Floor Theatre. I remember being on stage doing the most intense choreography in the performance, feeling in sync with my co-performers, strong as an ensemble, but also highly free as an individual within it. That same energy moved the audience, too. The show tackled the political turmoil that took place in the heart of Bangkok in 2010, and performed in the small theater in the neighbourhood where the violence erupted. In the midst of a situation where everything felt wrong, the coming together of the show and the audience that week felt right.

What view do you have from your office?

I do not have an office 🙂 Even for our festival BIPAM we work always on Zoom. The view I have is essentially the computer screen with my and my colleagues’ faces on it. And my own apartment. Luckily there’s some green on my balcony – something to be grateful for in a city like Bangkok.  

Do you have a connection with the Belgian theatre scene?

Yes, I was in Belgium mostly to participate in Kunstenfestivaldesarts, as a producer accompanying my artist, Wichaya Artamat, when he toured there. It was beautiful to get to return quite a few times and it became an important event in my life, so much so that one year I went back purely to be an audience member without a project in the festival. Through this, I have some acquaintance with the city and the theaters in Brussels. I’ve also been back as the Artistic Director of BIPAM to attend professional programs in Liège and at Théâtre National in Brussels. Out of interest, I also went to Kortrijk once for a short time to get a sense of a festival there. 

Suppose we had 24 hours in Bangkok, what should we definitely see or do?

It really depends on the timing; if you come when there is a festival going on, there will be lots to see in terms of performances. Off festivals, you can always expect to catch some great visual arts exhibitions. Some of my favorite places are the Jim Thompson Art Centre, the BACC, Bangkok CityCity Gallery, just to name a tiny few. Get on a commuter boat on the Saen Saeb canal, or take a river boat on the Chao Phraya – this is my most authentic Bangkok experience. And EAT – eat lots of great, affordable food and fresh fruit.

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