Teater Kami has always been one of the stalwarts of the local Malay theatre scene, striving to tell authentic stories from the community in an artistic way, and focusing on developing various facets of the theatremaking process, from working together with playwrights to promote new scripts, to training actors with workshops during lull periods between performances. The latter, which took the form of the weekly Actors’ Training Workshop, was led by Teater Kami Resident Artist Moli Mohter, who initiated it out of the belief that, like dancers or any performer, actors must maintain their physical state, mental health, and emotional well-being to be ever ready to perform.

Now, the workshop is taking on new life as Teater Kami introduces their new Black Box Series, providing the opportunity for these actors from the Actors’ Training Workshop to perform. Headed by Moli, who both writes and directs new plays for these actors, the Series kicks off this week with double bill ‘Bohong’ and ‘Janji’, featuring actors Amirah Yahya, Rizal Aiman and Fadhil Daud (Bohong) and Fandy Ahmed and Suhaila M Sanif (Janji), all in the hopes of ‘feeding the soul’ with these dark, riveting works.

“Last year, the team at Kami had a discussion on what project we could focus our attention on in 2024, particularly with how to help grow artists in the industry. At that point, I’d been helping out with a few school programmes, but had also written a few short scripts I wanted to experiment with and see if they had potential to evolve into full-length productions,” says Moli, on the programme’s origins. “So we decided to make use of the Actors’ Training Workshop, and find a way to hold space for crafting talent, for artists and actors to learn from each other, and play and explore. I’m not here to command, but to really work with the group, hear out their ideas, and co-create these works together.”

The Black Box Series, in essence, has two main goals for its actors: to provide a platform for aspiring and seasoned actors/talents to train and work together for self-growth as a versatile performer; and to provide opportunities for participants and audiences to network and meet more people from the theatre circle and build connections for progression in their theatre journey. As lead, Moli too has her own reasons for helming the project. “I’ve always talked about wanting to go more into directing and writing, but there was always a fear of it – I ended up mostly doing work for my friends when they needed someone to help direct or write,” says Moli. “But I was encouraged to keep it up and develop my skills, familiarising my sense of direction more which would enable me even more to help people grow, which Kami has been very supportive of.”

Both Bohong and Janji take on rather dark themes – in the former, a man admits to killing both his parents during a house party, and his friends have to help dispose of the bodies; in the latter, a man has been informed that he has only a week to live, before striking a literal deal with the Devil to extend his life, at the expense of everything he loves. “The idea for Bohong came to me when I recalled all the true crime stories I used to listen to, while Janji was inspired by Genki Kawamura’s novel If Cats Disappeared From The World, and wondered how it would be if transposed to a Malay-Muslim context,” says Moli. “Pairing the two together seems unusual, but really, both of them are about making personal choices, whether it’s about giving up what’s precious to us, or how we decide whether or not to help a friend out in the face of trauma. And while both of them are dark, they’re told in a light way, so you might see them as dark comedies about choosing the kind of life you want to lead.”

“When I first read the script, I was thinking wow, this is great – it’s such a different character from what I’m used to playing, and I felt excited about the freedom I would experience in the role,” says Fandy Ahmed, who stars in Janji. “During the rehearsal process, it felt like Moli helped me unlock some hidden emotions I’d put away for so long, and I found a way to face that trauma I’d locked away from so long, and was able to channel that into my character. I’m excited to make more connections, and try out other areas of the arts, from writing to directing to teaching – I left a five-year job to return to freelance acting because I really just wanted to satisfy my heart’s needs, and I’m glad I took this leap of faith.”

“For me, it’s a very intimate role,” says Amirah Yahya, who will star in Bohong. “I’m glad I’m getting this opportunity – theatre is something that brings me genuine joy, and given a choice between acting and an office job, I think I would choose theatre. Especially as someone who also works in facilitating Malay speech and drama, as well as Malay theatre programmes, I honestly feel very proud of my lineage and language, and glad that this is taking me further in that journey.”

The Black Box series feels like an important platform for further development of adding new work to the Malay theatre canon, while also exposing actors to more productions and creating more jobs for them. But just how difficult is it to make this a reality? “It’s been difficult to get funding at times, and these days, I no longer believe in doing art and ending up poor because of it – we have to have sustainability and ensure we can pay our team,” says Moli. “The school programmes help fund our work for sure, and but really, sometimes it’s just hard to rent spaces in Singapore, where even a black box space can be unaffordable – something needs to be done about that.”

“Entering the arts is something that’s not for the soft-hearted, with so many rejections you have to face again and again. My own mother told me that going into Lasalle or NAFA, if you were good you’d get somewhere, but if you were not – then where do you go?” says Amirah. “Even as a freelance actor, people still think I’m playing around, and that I’m not serious about my career. That mentality is still very present in Singapore, but perhaps even if you don’t enter the scene, you can still support it by attending shows, and appreciating the work when you can.”

On the significance of the programme for Kami, Moli concludes on a positive note, and looks forward to the (hopefully) continuation of the Black Box Series. “I think that Kami has really come a long way since its beginnings putting up more historical, pre-war plays, and now the company is doing so much,” says Moli. “I always tell myself that if I feel that something isn’t present in the scene, then sometimes you have to go out there and do it yourself. With the Black Box Series, it’s really a very good opportunity for the actors to take their training to a new level – there’s nowhere to hide in a black box, and it really hones their ability to have that intimacy with the audience, and I hope that the work we do really sustains our people, both in terms of fulfilling their aspirations, while also ensuring they have enough to make a living – that’s my goal as a practitioner, and I hope I keep doing it.”

Photo Credit: Teater Kami

Bohong & Janji plays from 19th to 21st July 2024 at Teater Kami Black Box, Cairnhill Arts Centre. Tickets available here