Timely platform for talents
Unleash your inner talents — or be entertained — through this special platform borne out of the Movement Control Order, writes Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal
IT’S certainly a fabulous idea. Offering Malaysians balking at the thought of sitting through yet another Iron Man re-run as they ponder what else to do during this Movement Control Order (MCO) period, the chance to enjoy a diverse spread of entertainment (and infotainment) free of charge.
Not only that. In addition, talented Malaysian performers suffering from a dry spell due to the pandemic also get the opportunity to dust the cobwebs off their talents and get to showcase their art to an appreciative audience looking for ways to stay sane!
Unrestricted Stage (US) is the non-profit initiative providing this timely platform.
“Since we believe that artistes and creatives are in a unique position to raise awareness towards issues that affect us all, we decided to utilise this platform for the purpose of dedicating our shows to a specific section of society affected by the MCO,” begins Barry Westerhout, a corporate trainer and the person behind the initial idea to pursue this undertaking.
The platform isn’t limited to “performing artists” (singers and musicians). Those keen to share their interests or expertise are also welcomed.
“To date, we’ve had everything from pole dancers to chefs, bakers, clowns, storytellers and spoken word poets, activists, physical workout instructors, deejays, theatrical readings, makeup artists, drag artistes, tarot card readers — you name it, we’ve probably had it!” the 39-year-old reels off, chuckling.
The idea for Unrestricted Stage struck when Westerhout, a Malaysian of Eurasian descent, noticed local and international acts going live on their respective social media accounts to entertain fans during lockdown.
“Could this be done with our local artistes?” he wondered and subsequently went on to post an FB status on March 18 (the first day of the government #RestrictedMovementOrder — which incidentally is how the name Unrestricted Stage came about, thanks to the idea from his good friend and past performer, Atif Zulkifly).
To his surprise, the call received an amazing response, which then led to the kick-off of the first show — a one day programme on March 24 featuring 26 acts.
“From the get-go, a few of the performers began lending me a helping hand and offered useful suggestions, which was truly God-sent as it was my maiden venture into organising musical events,” he recalls.
After the first week, the team behind the show was expanded to include Tina Isaacs and Joshua Peterson, who performed in the maiden show. The concept was further refined.
Elaborates Westerhout: “Joshua is the official tech person who handles group performance videos and branding, and Tina handles the scheduling, organising and writing work, while also doubling as our legal advisor.”
A group of moderators also came on board to help with cueing and sharing of performances throughout the jam-packed performance days.
“By the fourth week, the team had expanded to include Andrew Nelson, to handle all design work relating to the programme, as well as Nadia Gideon who’s in charge of media relations,” adds Westerhout.
Online perfOrmance hub
The affable Westerhout is quick to point out that this event is organised purely out of the notion of giving back to the community and that he and the team are doing it out of their
own goodwill.
“We’d received some feedback that certain performers were wary of our intentions. Actually, our agenda is simply to entertain the masses and give back to the community.”
Adding, he says: “We’re truly thankful that we’ve had more support than brickbats, and well-known names such as Elvira Arul, Poova, Evelyn Feroza, Kelly Siew, Cassidy La Creme, Azah Yazmin, Chacko Vadaketh, Melissa Indot, and so many others have performed on our show for free just to entertain our fellow Malaysians.”
Continuing, Westerhout shares that the initial idea was really to showcase the performers and potentially raise funds for them.
“I’d heard stories of how artistes were worried about their source of income during the MCO. But as the idea gained traction and became a reality, I realised that the logistics behind raising money was a stretch for one person to handle. It needed oversight, plus I didn’t have the experience of raising funds either.”
Even when his team members came on
board, they agreed that in terms of allocation of manpower, and to ensure that everything would be above board, this wasn’t the right time for it.
“What we did instead was to allow the performers to ‘busk’; if they wanted to raise money, they were allowed to do so on their own volition, without any implications to US should anything go awry,” adds Westerhout.
They then refocused the platform to becoming an online performance hub to help keep their audience occupied at home, thus supporting the government’s call to “flatten the curve”.
It also became a safe space for people who needed a platform to try their hand at showcasing their talents, as well as a platform to educate their audience on various topics such as plight of refugees, autism awareness, mental health, and so on. The mechanics, continues Westerhout, has evolved over time to give a better viewing experience to viewers and create more reach for the performers, but essentially, it’s based on transmitting a “Live Video” via Facebook.
All the performances are viewable on the main Unrestricted Stage page (www.facebook.com/unrestrictedstage), where each performer goes live from their own Facebook pages (viewable by their own fanbase) and it’s then shared on the US page for the general public’s viewing.
Viewers need only refresh the US page once every performance is over to watch the next show.
“By combining the social media following of all the performers involved, we’re able to help all the performers to leverage on each performer’s own viewership and that of the wider public who watch all the performers directly from the combined ‘Stage’ of Unrestricted Stage’s platform,” says Westerhout.
Adding, he explains: “This means, together, we enable every performer to extend their audience reach to a crowd which may never have heard of them before, thus helping build new bridges for artist/content exposure, opportunity and credibility.”
Success and Challenges
Although the initial target audience is Malaysians under the MCO, Westerhout proudly shares that through word of mouth, they’ve been blessed to see it expand internationally.
They have even had performers and speakers from the UK and Australia.
“As US is ‘Unrestricted’, we welcome everyone, regardless of language of delivery, race or creed. Our shows appeal to the family-oriented, with children watching day-time shows (through the kids and family-friendly segment), and those who
want to learn and understand issues that have been bothering them (through our awareness talks).”
Asked whether something like this has been done before, Westerhout pauses before replying: “Many variations of these shows have existed for a long period of time albeit via different mediums. Think At Home Together, or closer to home, Forces of Nature which happened after the tsunami that affected the region. Those featured established, world renowned artistes all coming together for a good cause.”
He postulates that perhaps US was able to take off so well because of timing.
“It was thought of and launched immediately when the MCO was announced,” he muses, adding: “People needed a distraction from the sudden curtailing of the freedom they’d been accustomed to, and we provided enough variety of well- known names and fresh talents, in addition to an assortment of content, enough to pique their interest.”
When it comes to challenges, coordination and tech issues have always been the main ones, confides Westerhout.
“As we’re juggling between our workfrom-home jobs and doing this on the side, coordinating a large number of performers can sometimes be a challenge.
“Imagine playing Jenga, but with people’s availability against viewer’s interests. Not everyone is well versed with using Facebook technology, and guiding the performers through the intricacies has been a fun challenge.”
They’ve also had to deal with unavoidable situations
arising at the last minute (sickness, work demands and family emergencies etc.) which led to sudden pull-outs.
But, says Westerhout, a huge Mariah Carey fan, they’ve fortunately had performers step in to save the show as well, either by way of recommending replacements or repeating their performances to ensure uninterrupted programming.
As they’re a fully online platform, they’re also heavily reliant on Internet service providers, which due to the recent undersea cable issues have affected their performers as well.
“Lagging videos, sudden drops, audio and visual issues — we’ve weathered so many storms!” says Westerhout, before adding with a chuckle: “But in the end, it’s all great fun and we enjoy doing what we do. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!”
living the McO life
Just like everyone else, the MCO period has been rather trying for Westerhout too, particularly when he’s the sort not accustomed to working from home.
Chuckling, he confides: “All the access that was once at your fingertips now needs a little more effort to procure. And distractions are aplenty! There’s the incessant eating which has led to a significant weight gain; the call of the bed which demands your attention, and the lure of online entertainment!”
There’s also the mental health factor, he adds, in a more sombre tone.
“The loss of freedom, the worry about job security and income, safety of loved ones, being bombarded with the pandemic news on all fronts — there’s so much playing in my head.
“It’s overwhelming at times. But overall, there have been more good days than bad, which I’m grateful for. And of course, US gives me something else to focus on.”
Suffice to say, there are things that he
misses. “The option of going out, and hugging people,” confides Westerhout, adding: “I want to see and hug my extended family and friends! There’s also the all-important karaoke sessions, and my favourite Nasi Kerabu Sotong Besar in Klang!
“I’m really looking forward to a gathering with the family of past and present performers of the US, finally meeting most of them in person, and having a lawfully wild gathering!”
But with every cloud, there’s always a silver lining. And it’s no different with this latest cloud that’s blanketing the world. “The silver lining would be how most people have put their woes aside and stepped up not only for themselves, but for the community as a whole,” says Westerhout, his voice low.
Adding, he points out: “You can see so many Facebook pages that are raising awareness of not only the plight of the suffering Malaysians, but also our foreign guests here in Malaysia. So many are stepping up to help either by donating their money, supplies or even their effort by sharing posts.”
More and more people, adds Westerhout, are learning new skills to adapt to what’s called “the new normal”.
“For example, people I know who have never been IT-savvy before are now embracing the Internet. Meanwhile, families who may have had shaky relationships are learning to repair them during this forced time together.”
As for those in the arts scene, Westerhout believes that they’ve been embracing the virtual platform for a long time now to interact with their fans.
Concluding, he says: “They certainly have stepped up their game since the MCO. And for that, I’m grateful as there may not have been an Unrestricted Stage without them!”