Budiey
Pernah tak bayangkan yang anda ada kuasa sakti? Pastinya mengujakan kalau benar-benar ada, apatah lagi kalau kuasa itu boleh dipertingkatkan untuk menjadikan anda seorang hero ternama. Mesti sangat menarik kalau ada seorang hero yang boleh mencungkil kuasa sakti anda yang sudah lama terkubur tanpa terusik.
Tapi tunggu. Siapakah dia hero dan apakah maksud kuasa sakti sebenarnya? Seorang hero tidak semestinya berbaju getah bermantel yang boleh lompat dari satu bangunan ke bangunan yang lain. Hero boleh juga terdiri daripada insan-insan yang berhati mulia dan melakukan sesuatu yang membantu masyarakat masing-masing. Jadi sebenarnya ada ramai antara kita mempunyai nilai-nilai tersebut dan kuasa-kuasa sakti yang belum diterokai.
Walaupun anda bukan Batman atau Spiderman pada masa yang akan datang, anda sebenarnya mempunyai kuasa sakti yang anda tak pernah sangka anda ada.
Dengan itu terbitlah buku “…. And Oh, These Are My Superpowers.” yang dilancarkan hari ini oleh Persatuan Kakiseni dijana penuh oleh kuasa sakti BOH Plantations.
Buku yang ditulis oleh Michelle Voon dan dilukis oleh Dave Liew dan Balkis Burhanudin daripada Fearless Ideas & Designs ini merupakan gabungan jurnal dan buku aktiviti yang ditujukan untuk membantu golongan muda membuka minda mereka. Buku ini juga mencerikan kisah-kisah perjalanan lima tokoh-tokoh seni di dalam kehidupan seni mereka untuk memberikan ilham dan sebagai sumber inspirasi bagi anak-anak muda.
Nama Chin San Sooi, Dato’ Faridah Merican, Datin Marion D’Cruz, Normah Nordin (A.M.N.) dan Dato’ Rahim Razali memang tidak asing lagi di dalam dunia seni persembahan. Pada awal tahun ini di Anugerah Seni BOH Cameronian ke-12, BOH Plantations dan Kakiseni telah memberikan penghormatan kepada kelima-lima seniman dan seniwati ini yang telah membentuk dan membangunkan industri seni persembahan tanahair. Dari bidang tarian ke lakonan, arahan, penulisan, penerbitan dan pendidikan, kelima-lima tokoh seni tanahair ini masih lagi aktif di dalam menyumbangkan tenaga, karya dan kepakaran mereka di dalam industri lantas inilah yang patut dijadikan contoh bagaimana semangat cintakan seni itu tidak akan pudar.
“Buku ‘… And Oh, These Are My Superpowers’ ini memang lain daripada yang lain. Buku ini mempunyai kuasa saktinya yang tersendiri – daripada mempelajari kuasa sakti lagenda-lagenda seni kepada mencungkil kuasa sakti diri sendiri.
Bila anda membaca buku ini, barulah anda sedar anda sedang berjalan menerokai diri anda sendiri. Buku ini menceritakan kisah getir, perit dan lucu tokoh-tokoh seni kita dan bagaimana mereka boleh mengharungi dunia seni yang penuh pancaroba dengan kuasa sakti mereka. Cerita-cerita mereka sangat unik di samping memberikan ilham dan inspirasi untuk bakat-bakat muda yang bersemangat untuk menggunakan kuasa sakti masing-masing.
BOH sangat bersyukur kerana dapat bekerjasama dengan Persatuan Kakiseni bagi projek yang unik dan berani ini di atas cinta kami kepada industri seni tanahair,”
kata Caroline Russell, CEO of BOH Plantations Sdn. Bhd.
Buku ini juga bukan sahaja memuatkan kisah perjalanan kelima-lima tokoh seni tersebut, tetapi juga mengandungi koleksi kisah-kisah lucu mereka dalam mencungkil kuasa-kuasa sakti yang menaikkan nama mereka di persada seni tanahair. Pemilik buku boleh membaca semua kisah dan pengalaman tokoh-tokoh seni ini disamping melakar dan melukis kuasa-kuasa sakti mereka dan apa yang mereka akan lakukan dengannya juga. Ada juga tip-tip menarik untuk meningkatkan kuasa sakti anda!
“Kita mahu membantu golongan muda (terutamanya antara usia 14 ke 25 tahun) yang masih mencari hala tuju hidup mereka. Buku ini memberikan koleksi pengalaman kelima-lima tokokh seni tersebut yang mempunyai terlalu benyak pengalaman untuk dikongsi bersama. Di samping memulihara dan mengekalkan legasi-legasi seni dan penghargaan kepada sumbangan-sumbangan seni, kami juga mahu memperkembangkan industri seni persembahan di Malaysia – untuk menjadi satu industri professional di mana penggiat-penggiat seni boleh mendapat penghargaan di peringkat antarabangsa. Saya berharap agar buku ini dapat memberikan inspirasi kepada generasi muda dan memberikan mereka bekalan yang cukup untuk memahami dugaan dan cabaran hidup,” kata Puan Low Ngai Yuen, Presiden Persatuan Kakiseni.
Buku “…. And Oh, These Are My Superpowers” yang diterbitkan dan diedarkan oleh MPH ini boleh didapati pada harga RM29.90 daripada 28 Oktober 2015 di semua rangkaian kedai buku. Ia juga boleh didapati secara online di www.mphonline.com Hasil jualan daripada buku ini akan disumbangkan ke tabung seni Making A Difference (seniMAD), sebuah program oleh Kakiseni.
Setiap pembelian buku ini juga mengandungi satu pendaftaran percuma ke bengkel Speech & Drama oleh pengarah dan pelakon ternama, Ghafir Akbar. Bengkel satu hari tersebut akan berlangsung sama ada pada 16, 17 atau 18 Disember 2015 di Makespace, Quill City Mall bagi golongan muda berusia 14 ke 25 tahun. Buku yang datang dengan bengkel percuma memang pastinya akan mencungkil kuasa sakti anda.
Untuk maklumat lanjut, layari www.kakiseni.com
ABOUT seniMAD (seni Making A Difference)
seniMAD is an initiative by Kakiseni to give underprivileged children access to arts education through opportunities to learn music, theatre, dance, writing etc. Targeting the young from Projek Perumahan Rakyat Rendah (PPR) with a household income below RM1,800, the programme allows freedom to explore talent and interest in fields otherwise deemed too costly especially instrument lessons e.g. piano, guitar, violin and percussion.
Kakiseni passionately believes that the arts can fix almost anything and the exposure to music for example, is a gift of hope and creativity for expressions and self-discovery; often stifled in an atmosphere of economic hardship. Most of the classes under seniMAD are conducted by professional artists during the weekends at the PPR’s community centres, complete with second-hand and donated instruments on loan for practice.
ABOUT KAKISENI
At Kakiseni, we believe that more people should have better access to performing arts in this country because when more people get together to have the same conversation, it makes for enriching experiences. Beginning in 2001, Kakiseni is made up of a crack team of creative professionals who are intent on making that happen. It’s our job to develop performing arts in Malaysia and then share it with the world. To that end, we’re engaged in activities that nurture audience size and appreciation of performing arts, improve the skills of its practitioners and the quality of their performances, and champion the arts cause to the government and businesses of Malaysia. For more information, please visit www.kakiseni.com
ABOUT MPH
MPH Group Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian group of companies prominently known in the books’ industry. MPH is primarily known for its retail bookstores chain but is also involved in printing, publishing, distribution and library services of books in Malaysia and Singapore. Its retail bookstores chain, MPH Bookstores, is among the largest bookstores chain in Malaysia. The MPH brand is reputable for producing and catering premium books to Malaysians.
ABOUT BOH PLANTATIONS
BOH Plantations is the largest tea-growing company in Malaysia with 1,200 hectares of tea gardens both in highland and lowland areas. BOH is also the nation’s leading brand of black tea, consistently offering exceptional quality and exquisite flavours in each carefully sealed package. For more than 85 years and over a cup of BOH tea, we have brought together generations of multi-cultural Malaysians from all walks of life to bond and share special moments. As a Malaysian brand, we have stayed true to our promise of connecting people in an authentically Malaysian way to ‘Share the Ummph!’
ABOUT THE SUPERHEROES
CHIN SAN SOOI
San Sooi attended the School of Speech and Drama London in 1969-70 under a British Council Scholarship and has been involved in Malaysian Theatre since the 1960’s. He is a highly respected director within the music and drama circle and is also a playwright. San Sooi has many hits under his belt and adept not only at directing local broadway musicals like Brigadoon, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Flower Drum Song, The King and I, Fantasticks, Camelot, Fiddler On The Roof but also at Shakespeare in plays such as Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It and Othello. His forays into local works have been just as successful – among the more notable have been Lady White, Morning in Night (A Musical), Yap Ah Loy – The Play, Reunion (A Musical) and most recently Oh, Brickfields! Under his direction, Stella Kon’s Emily of Emerald Hill has won critical acclaim in Malaysia, Singapore, the United States of America and Canada and created a loyal following of Emily fans. San Sooi was the Artistic Director for Robert Sterling and Karla Worley’s musical drama Two From Galilee, The Rose of Sharon, Make His Praise Glorious and Do You Hear the People Sing?, The Season of Light, The Gift Goes On, Refugee:Images, For the Love of Music and A Grand Night for Singing by The Canticle Singers. He is a founder member of Five Arts Centre and the founding director of Wholesome Centre of Learning and is well known for his numerous workshops on voice and speech for professionals and students.
DATO’ FARIDAH MERICAN
Known as the First Lady of Malaysian Theatre, Faridah’s early acting credits include such plays as ‘Lela Mayang’, ‘Tok Perak’, ‘Uda dan Dara’ and ‘Alang Rentak Seribu’, works that defined the Malaysian theatre in the 60s and 70s, and determined the direction that theatre would take in the next few decades. In the early 60s, she joined Radio and TV Malaysia. Simultaneously, she was involved in the formative years of Malaysian Advertising, and is today, a member of the board of directors of Ogilvy & Mather. She also sits on the board of several other institutions. In 1989, Faridah co-founded The Actors Studio with her husband Joe Hasham OAM. In June of 2003, floods destroyed the entire complex of The Actors Studio in Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka. Out of that devastation, Faridah’s ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude generated yet another ground-breaking event – the birth of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, set up by the YTL Group, Yayasan Budi Penyayang and The Actors Studio. Faridah Merican was awarded the BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004. In July 2005, Faridah was conferred the ‘Darjah Dato’ Paduka Tuanku Ja’afar by the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan on the occasion of His Highness’ 83rd Birthday. The following year, she received an Honorary Master of Letters at University Sains Malaysia’s 35th Convocation. Finally in 2014, Faridah received the Outstanding Achievement award under the Arts, Culture and Entertainment category from the Inaugural Malaysian Women of Excellence Awards. Faridah now sits on The Laureate Advisory Board and is also the Executive Producer and co-founder of the Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac).
DATIN MARION D’CRUZ
One of the original founders of Five Arts Centre in 1984 alongside her late husband Dato’ Krishen Jit and Chin San Sooi, Datin Marion D’Cruz is a pioneering contemporary dancer-choreographer. Having graduated with a BA in Performing Arts and an MA in Dance from Universiti Sains Malaysia in the 1970s, Marion has studied classical, modern and contemporary dance in Malaysia, Indonesia, London and New York. In 1983 she formed Marion D’Cruz and Dancers, who have performed extensively both locally and internationally. Datin Marion’s focus has been to create a contemporary Malaysian identity in dance and to create works that speak of what she is passionate about. Datin Marion produces, performs, choreographs and now teaches fulltime at ASWARA. At the 2006 Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, Marion was awarded the Cross-Cultural Champion of the Arts Award.
NORMAH NORDIN (A.M.N.)
Normah Nordin (A.M.N.) has contributed to Malaysian arts for over 35 years. She holds a B.A. in Art & Design, Fine Arts and Sculpture from Institut Teknologi Mara. Some of the trainings and residencies she has had the privilege to experience are – Teaching Technique for TV Trainers, TV Lighting & Stage Design and Design, Photography & Stage Design in sponsored by The British Council London; Stage Lighting with Francis Reid in Kuala Lumpur through the British Council; Editing Digital Non-Linear-Avid in Singapore; TV Production, Screenwriting, Directing and Acting at the National Film Corporation Malaysia (FINAS); Master Class in Screenwriting and Master Class in Production Design for Film under the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage (KEKKWA); Film & Theatre Production ‘Teater Popular’ led by the renown Indonesian director the late Teguh Karya in Jakarta and Visits to ‘Small Professional Theatre Companies in 8 American Cities’ under the American Government State Grant. Normah began her career as a Set Designer in RTM in 1972. When she left RTM after 11 years, she was already a Senior Designer and Acting Head of Design Department. By 1982, she became an Assistant Director with FINAS. In 1984, Normah’s career direction took a major turn. In that year, she was invited by the late Mustafa Nor to join the Drama Centre which focused on training young talents in all aspects of professional theatre production. After the demise of her partner, mentor and friend, Centre Stage Performing Arts (CSPA) was formed with the same mission in 1990. CSPA became a hub and training ground for many young talents involved in theatre, filmmaking and the visual arts. Throughout the years she has lectured in various Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia. Amongst them- Akademi Filem Malaysia (AFM), Akademi Seni Kebangsaan (ASK), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Education Training Institute Jakarta (PUSTEKOM), Asian Institute of Broadcasting & Development (AIBD), Sunway University College & Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). Normah was also involved in the setting up of the Faculty of Performing Arts at UiTM in 1999. At the dawn of the new millennium Normah was awarded the A.M.N. (Ahli Mangku Negara) medal for her contribution to the Arts by the reigning Yang Di Pertuan Agung (then the late Sultan of Selangor). Normah has been actively involved in the annual ‘Kids Witness News -KWN’ project that involves hundreds of primary school children across Malaysia creating short video production with ‘Panasonic’. For the past few years Normah spends a lot of her time on her Artnest Studio programme which was established in 2007; doing philanthropy works in rural areas such as teaching children English through theatre.
DATO’ RAHIM RAZALI
Dato’ Rahim Razali is a film actor, a dramatist, a sports commentator, a director, a film producer, a TV producer, a script consultant and one of the best writers in Malaysia. Born and raised in Perak, Malaysia, he completed his Chartered Accounting studies in Melborne University under the Colombo Programme. He started his career as a Broadcast Assistant in Radio Malaya before working in Tobacco Co. Bhd, Ministry of Culture, SSC & B Lintas Sdn. Bhd., SH Benson Advertising Company and Fleet Communication. In 1981, he founded Angkatan Seniman Abad XX Sdn Bhd with Wan Rohani Zain, a former RTM news anchor. He has been writing scripts and direct dramas since the 50s. In Australia, Rahim joined the Melbourne University Theatre Dub, Brighton Theatre Group, and Australia Broadcasting Commission. In 1963, he acted as Hamlet in the Shakespeare’s Hamlet production in Brighton Theater Group.
In 1972, Rahim directed ‘Uda dan Dara’, the first ever musical in Malaysia, written by National Laureate, Datuk Dr. Usman Awang with Ahmad Yatim as Uda and Faridah Merican as Dara. He has produced 50 TV dramas for RTM and acted in more than 26 films. He has directed 8 films which have made it to the Tokyo International Film Festival, London International Film Festival and many other festivals. As an actor, Rahim have won countless awards in outstanding performance in leading and supporting roles. He also has won awards for best directing and script. He started as a professional sports commentator since 1965 due to his love for sports and has become one of the favourite sports commentator in Malaysia.
