Jo Kukathas continues to fight the good fight where the local theatre scene is concerned
JO KUKATHAS’S name is synonymous with the local theatre scene ever since she, along with her friends Andrew Leci, Zahim Albakri and Jit Murad, started their own theatre company, Instant Cafe Theatre (ICT) in 1989.
Jo continues to be the most high profile of the four, with her live shows and theatre productions. In fact, she continues to be one of the strongest advocates for the local theatre scene.
The theatre world was one of the hardest hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, as this art form relies heavily on people coming to theatres to enjoy live performances.
ICT recently became one of the few theatre groups to actually stage a play live (Parah in August), and most recently made Nadirah, a theatre performance that was recorded live at Festival Tokyo in 2016, available for online audiences.
Both plays are directed by Jo, and both attracted audiences not only from Malaysia, but from overseas as well.
During our interview, Jo pointed out that during the pandemic, people were dying for entertainment content and were hooked on streaming services that provided them with non-stop entertainment.
Strangely enough, no one gave a thought to those who create the content, especially those who create content locally. Among those who are suffering the most are those involved in theatre.
Some, like ICT, have found the digital world to be a new avenue to showcase their work.
Jo has been in the business for a very long time.
“ICT is a very small outfit. There are only two of us who work full-time, and only when we have a production can we get more people involved.”
She explained that most of those involved in the arts community are in fact part of the gig economy, and hence most have not been earning an income during the pandemic.
“It has been hard on everybody. When you can’t do a production, then you can’t hire people to be a part of the show, which is kind of how you sustain yourself.
“It has been hard on the backstage people such as the lighting designers and sound engineers. A lot of them have more commercial work. People like me who are artists, we are making a conscious decision to explore things that are digital.
“I don’t see it as a negative thing. I see it as another thing to add to theatre.”
She says that she doesn’t believe that the effects of the pandemic are temporary. She referred to reports of other pandemics that might occur in the future.
“We must find a way to create art by using other technology at the same time.”
Referring to the play Parah that ICT put online, Jo said it was a play that would not appeal to mainstream audiences, but once it was available for viewing online it was able to reach audiences all across the country.
“It is a kind of a new world to explore.”
Hamilton was a huge hit on Broadway, but when the pandemic hit, the play, with the original cast, was recorded and made available via a streaming service company. Some people saw it as a great way to open people’s eyes to theatre, while others saw it as the slow demise of theatre.
“We shouldn’t control what audiences want to see. I think some audiences who have never dreamt of going to the theatre might now want to watch it after experiencing it at home. I think audiences who will go, will still go.
“It is like watching your favourite band. You can stream them, but if your favourite band is Coldplay and they come down to give a concert, you will still buy a ticket and go watch them.”
She pointed out that when music streaming services began, many thought it would be the death of music, when in reality it did not affect the music industry at all.
“You can never replace a live experience, that sense of going to an event with other people. It is its own pleasure. Going online should allow us to reach more people.
“During this pandemic I watched a lot of theatre from other countries online. These are productions I never had the opportunity to watch before.”
Parah was literally performed live online. Jo said it was an experiment to see if this could work online.
