From the same team that created the sold-out short plays series: Don’t Let Shakespeare Know comes another exciting installment slated for April 2017. The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat is proud to present Don’t Let Children Know which will feature a variety of fun takes on traditional fairytales. Expect the unexpected as five directors, a singer-songwriter and a choreographer each present their own take on a well-known fairytale but with a twist. Hence, the title Don’t Let Children Know because there will be some risqué material too. Featuring 5 theatre directors, Amelia Tan, Easee Gan, Esther Liew, Vincent Hau & William Yap, a singer-songwriter, Chan Jian Ning and a choreographer Tan Bi Ni.

Executive Producer: Dato’ Faridah Merican
Artistic Director: Joe Hasham OAM
Producer: Easee Gan
Host: Faustina Kow
Directors: Amelia Tan, Easee Gan, Esther Liew, Vincent Hau & William Yap
Singer-Songwriter: Chan Jian Ning
Choreographer: Tan Bi Ni

Supported by MUKA Space and ACX Productions.

PIECES
Wayang The Tapir 《小塔比》(Non-verbal Shadow Puppet)
Director & Writer: Amelia Tan 爱美丽亚
Puppet Design: Meng Chit 陈明泽
Music Composer and Sound Designer: Lee Yueh Yi李月依
Puppeteers: Jinnie Lim 林敬雯, Lee Yueh Yi 李月依, Simon Lee 西門李 & Swing Chong 张舒茵
Tapir grew up in a joyful and blissful jungle. One day, he heard a weird sound, the trees around their home were being chopped off, his world started to change… Original contemporary shadow puppet for children.

M Kaki (Short Play in Mandarin)
Director & Writer: William Yap 叶伟良
Assistant Director: Season Chee 徐世顺
Cast: Jason Lim 林文耀, Ryan Ho 何思达, Wei Qiang 王伟强, Yan Zhen 郭颜祯 & Yau Weng 李友荣
Four fairytale heroines in drag contemplating their love life over mahjong.

Belah (Short Play in Bahasa Malaysia)
Director: Esther Liew 刘慧雯
Assistant Director: Ariff Kamil
Cast: Azzad Mahdzir, Grace Ng 黄慧芬 & Perassath
“Every mother is one fish roe away from self-destruction.”
A mother feels betrayed by her children, after her son ate her share of a rare fish roe. Dejected, she decides to give her life to the haunted Batu Belah. BELAH is a reimagining of the classic Malay folktale, Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup.

The Legend of Chang Er 嫦娥与后羿 (Dance)
Choreographer & Dancer: Tan Bi Ni 陈碧宁
Dancers: Ong Foo Howe 王富濠, Maghen Kor Yu Zi 高毓智, Eveyln Lim Yan Ling 林燕玲 & Callista Chuah 蔡慧俐
Memsmerising Chinese traditional dance about a love story between Hou Yi and Chang Er.

The Words Factory 《文字工厂》(Short Play in Mandarin)
Director: Vincent Hau 侯纬晨
Cast: Song Yong Hong 宋泳锋, Poh Hui Hui 傅惠惠 & Jonathan Wong 黄振宾
There is this peculiar place where everyone has to purchase words before speaking. Inspired by La grande fabrique de mots.

Tri (Original Bilingual Song)
Singer-Songwriter: Chan Jian Ning 陈健宁
Co-lyricist: Tee I-Wei 郑奕薇
Performers: Chan Jian Ning 陈健宁, Andrew Lim 林楷宪 & Mr. Katoon Kelvin
Original song inspired by fairy tales, lived out in the real world, and carried through life.

The Fisherman and His Soul 《渔夫和他的灵魂》(Short Play in Mandarin)
Director: Easee Gan 颜永祯
Music: Lee Yueh Yi 李月依
Cast: Lim Si Jie 林思杰 & Vivienne Oon 温慧茵
Oscar Wilde’s late masterpiece The Fisherman and His Soul is a short fantasy story about a young fisherman who falls in love with a mermaid and is willing to give up everything to be with her.