The Phuket Fringe Festival has a simple-yet-grand mission, explains founder David Shrubsole. “I want this Fringe Festival to grab the rest of the world by the hair and say, ‘Look what we can do!’ I want it to bring the extremely high standard of various performing arts that we have here and showcase them to the world.” For this year’s inaugural festival, which takes over Patong’s Playhouse Theatre Restaurant from 4-13 October, Shrubsole has assembled an eclectic lineup of local and some not-so-local talents to dance and drum, to cut-and-mix, to clown and cajole — and most importantly to inspire. Following is an inside look at many of the performers featured at the festival.

Romadon: Street Theatre and Artwork

Romadon discovered street theatre in Bangkok, while living on the streets painting and taking postgraduate classes at universities when he could sell paintings to raise the tuition fee. He used to watch a man who everyday became a statue in a park. The man would remain absolutely motionless for long periods of time. He had a sign below him that said that if you gave him money you could move one thing about him. People would put 10 baht or so in his tin and move his arm a little, or a leg maybe. This art form fascinated Romadon, so he watched the man for many days.

One day, as he approached the man he noticed that there was a tear running down the man’s cheek. This really saddened Romadon, and he ran back to where he was sleeping, crying all the way. The next day he painted some clothes white and went to join the man. This was his initiation into street theatre. Thereafter he would perform his street theatre whenever he could, sometimes remaining like a statue for up to six hours at a time.

“I want people to look at my art or my street theatre and to think about what’s around them. I want them to see that art comes in many different forms and that each concept is equally valid,” he says. “I paint whatever I see and feel inside.

“In the future I want to do more exciting street theatre with maybe four or five people,” Romadon adds. “On one occasion I did an exciting piece with me dressed in white and a man dressed in black who was supposed to be my shadow. It worked well, and he followed close behind me and we would walk, stop, and maybe sit, whatever I felt like doing. It all went really well until I lay on the floor for a while and he forgot momentarily what we were doing and got up and talked to me! It ruined the moment!”

Romadon can be seen every Sunday up at Promthep Cape performing his street theatre. Despite initial objections from the authorities, he now has carte blanche to perform as and when he likes.

Romadon’s gallery is located at 63/6 Moo 7, Sai Yuan Road, Rawai.

The Phuket Academy of Dance

“Driven by dance” is a phrase that unquestionably applies to Karen Maciver. Some say that her blood does not course through her veins, rather it moves in a rhythmic and fully coordinated way. Her very being performs and functions sympathetically to nature’s pulse, apparently. Her neuron exchange is more reminiscent of a co-ordinated fireworks display than the usual random cerebral activity. Such descriptions are extremely complimentary to someone who oozes synchronisation in everything she does.

Born and bred in Sydney, Australia, Maciver landed in Phuket after running a dance studio in her home city for 26 years, leading many students to national championships. Having retired to Phuket, Maciver soon had the Phuket Dance Academy up-and-running in the Boat Lagoon, and now she works as much as she wants and makes sure that she has time to relax, too.

She currently runs 10 intimately numbered classes of all types of dance: tap, jazz and ballet to name but a few. She also runs a group especially for the mums of the children. They are called the High Steppers and apparently have to be seen to be believed. Every June the Phuket Academy of Dance does a big show involving all of the classes, and this year the sell-out performance was at the Phuket Royal City Hotel.

“The one thing that keeps me going is seeing the standard that the children can achieve and the looks on their faces when they are on the stage performing,” Maciver says. “Sometimes they think I’m just being horrible to them. But I know that they have it in them, and it is my job is to bring it out. They have to know that it’s not easy to be a successful dancer. It takes discipline, commitment and very hard work.”

Proceeds from the Phuket Academy of Dance’s performance will go to help little Ruby Lester.

The Phuket Academy of Dance performs their spectacular show on Sunday 5 October.

Andaman Players: ‘Night in a Bar Room’ and ‘Time–Shared’

The Andaman Players were formed in September 2007. Tony Kelsey-Stead describes the groups meeting with it’s prime collaborator:

“Let me tell you about a prodigious talent that we uncovered in the form of Simon Hand,” he says. “From the word go it was clear that the Andaman Players and Simon were meant for each other. He was itching to write, and we were itching to act. We scratched each other’s needs. Initially Simon just directed the pantomime but soon became such a driving force that what followed was inevitable. ‘What shall we do next?’ we said. ‘I’ll write you something,’ he replied.

“Simon took the Andaman Players by the hand and gently guided them through two new comedies, Night in a Bar Room and Adjoined,” continues Kelsey-Stead. “Both plays were met with excellent reviews. They are poignant, they are perceptive and personal. Each has its own character and a full spectrum of sentiments. Both are cunningly funny and observant. Night in a Bar Room is presented at the Fringe in celluloid form. The Players have been busily filming and are indebted to Stephen Buss, II for his production and editing skills.”

On Friday 10 October the Player bring you the world premier of Hand’s latest comedy, Time-Shared. This is the story of two hapless time-share salesmen who get locked overnight in a penthouse suite with the Flagon family. The Flagon’s comprise Mother, Father and young son Donny. If I divulge anymore it will spoil it for you. Suffice to say that there are twists galore, clothes swapping and a murky ending. Let me also tell you that the first read through was constantly interrupted by performers not being able to speak because they were laughing so much. You have been warned.

DJ Kensho

If it’s groovy sounds that turn you on, then you are well advised to view DJ Kensho with caution. He has more vibes than a vibrant vibe-making machine and he doesn’t have grooves — he has canyons. He is a full spectrum of sound, and he teases your senses like a well made cocktail.

His real name is Mat Vinyl (or DJK), and he has been a disc jockey for the past 15 years. He started to spin the decks in the early ’90s playing lounge, trip hop, funk and soul at the Sun Rooms in the south east of England from 1996 to 2000. He produced tracks with the “camp of concentration” in the UK from 1996 till 2004, laying down beats and rhythms at venues like Dragon Bar and 93 Feet East to name a few.

He has spent the last 4 years living on Phuket and has played at most of the top resorts, clubs, bars and lounges on the island and had bookings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. Not only is he a disc jockey, he also works with live musicians, other disc jockeys, and artists from all over Phuket. He has a wide mixture of packages and styles including live remixing and audiovisual shows. He is currently working on his second album and is creating this in Studio 274.

From Chiang Mai with Love

An dinner-and-show performance, the Fringe event on 8 October presents a trio of performer, including students from the Rajabaht Chiang Mai University, pop music band the Men in Black and rope-trick master Manoo.

“The University is very happy to be a part of the very first Phuket Fringe Festival,” explains the director of the Chiang Mai group. “It gives us a chance to showcase what talent there is in Thailand.”

The Men in Black have a unique quality that makes them very popular at many of the local venues. Featuring Colin Tate on keyboards and vocals, with Tony Kelsey-Stead on guitar and vocals they provide a complete evening’s entertainment in one small package. Both are very experienced musicians and have played in bands for most of their lives. Tate’s skills at mimicry often make songs by Tom Jones, John Lennon or Elvis sound very real indeed. They are even involved in the music for the documentary to be made about the Fringe Festival itself.

“The production work is exciting, and we have already spent sometime in the studio putting down some basic tracks,” says Kelsey-Stead. “I can’t say too much about the movie at the moment because we are still planning, but I hope that we can start the real work on it next year.”

Men in Black plays the patio area outside, and they hint that there may even be a special guest.

Manoo has spent many years perfecting his cowboy show.

“In my early days I worked as a farm hand on Farm Chokchai, located in Pakchong, Nakhon Ratchasima, which is also the largest dairy farm in Southeast Asia,” Manoo says. “After working there for several years, I decided to take up my boyhood dream of being a cowboy that could perform those amazing rope tricks. After years of practice and studying examples of various tricks, I set out to master the skill. I have performed my show to the public for many years.”

When he’s not twirling the rope, Manoo teaches Thai and English. He will be demonstrating his skills during the Men in Black’s performance.

Seductive Stories at Suppertime

Denise Bertrand rewinds the clock back to times long since gone and rekindles the artful skill that is storytelling. When humans took their first tentative steps on the planet, the only way to communicate was to draw pictures on the wall of their cave. This was the very first form of story telling.

The development of enhanced graphic imagery for television, computer games and cinema have meant that we have to a large extent lost the ability to imagine. “This is something we need to correct for the sake of our children,” she tells me.

Originally from Canada, Bertrand was first introduced to the magic of storytelling by her aunt and uncle. Her aunt was a librarian, and her uncle was just naturally very good at telling stories. After training as a speech and drama teacher, she taught in government schools in Singapore and formed her company, Articulating Drama, to offer programs in speech and drama, public speaking, presentation skills, teambuilding workshops, and poetry appreciation to name a few to students of all ages. She also conducts workshops for the corporate world, using drama and storytelling communication techniques. She has taken her “Art of Communication” workshops to China, New York, Los Angeles, Italy, Vietnam, Singapore and, of course, Thailand.

Sometimes she writes the stories herself; sometimes she “finds” stories to tell. Some of the indigenous North American Indian stories, for example, are just as gripping today as they were many years ago. She favours these tales. Whether told to instil morals or just relating history, a good story is hard to beat. Even the latest explicitly graphic Hollywood blockbuster is nothing without a good story line.

“Seductive Stories” is the tagline for the Fringe show, meaning “the seduction of the mind”, in a purely alluring and tempting manner within this context. There is nothing primitive about these stories.

Budu Group, Pasukang Sriemas

Hailing from Southern Thailand near the border with Malaysia, Khun Sak is a one man music show. He spent much of his youth as a designer of fibreglass figurines and in the evenings would play music wherever anyone would listen. Here he developed his talents and skills on all instruments and styles, and it was not very long before he was in demand all over Thailand.

“I call my music, Phuket and beyond,” he adds. “I like my audiences to experience all sorts of musical styles and origins. I can do everything from very old traditional Southern Thailand music to modern day Western pop music, and I will even put on a karaoke show if people want. I like to think of what I do as a “musical debate’.”

When he’s not playing music, Khun Sak is a restaurateur. He has a small restaurant in Phuket City called Kiotong. “Nothing fancy, just plain and simple Thai food,” he added.
He performs his one-man-band show at venues along Rawai Beach on various nights of the week. He performs not only songs in the English language, but also in German and Swedish. He also likes to include a smattering of Thai songs from Caribou, Job 2 Do and Losso. With Pasukang Sriemas, he plays traditional music from Sungaigolok.

“My main aim is to support the Fringe Festival and introduce people to the variety of music here on the island. I enjoy playing and I hope people enjoy listening to what we have to offer.”