Fresh take on the Bard at fest
UNIVERSITI Malaya’s (UM) English Department will host the Shakespeare Refreshed Festival next Saturday in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death as well as UM’s 111th anniversary.
“The festival is not meant to be academically oriented, but its objective is to stress Shakespeare’s relevance for Malaysians,” said Prof Dr Sharmani Patricia Gabriel, head of the English Department, in an interview.
Citing the example of The Tempest, a play by Shakespeare where Caliban uses his conqueror Prospero’s language to mock Prospero and rail against the injustice heaped upon by him, Prof Sharmani said English has been in Malaysia long enough to have been adopted and adapted by Malaysians to serve local ends and aspirations.
“English should be viewed as a Malaysian language, in a cultural sense as well,” she argued, adding that the same holds true for Shakespeare as well.
“He may have been introduced to us through the colonial education system, but it is important to remember that we have made something new of what history has given us. It is important to bring him back into the public imagination, considering that he was part of the education system from the early 20th century, when attempts were already made to adapt his works to local theatrical traditions such as the bangsawan.
“More recently, there were local film and stage productions of Othello and Macbeth. We have made both Shakespeare and the English language speak for us and our experiences.
“We want to show that Shakespeare can be enjoyable instead of being that distant figure he now is. We want to show how he can appeal to our Malaysian sensibilities,” Prof Sharmani said.
She added that the central conflict and themes of Shakespeare’s plays echo the sorts of moral struggles and personal crises facing Malaysians.
Echoing her views was Dr Kok Su Mei, senior lecturer at the department and chair of the festival’s organising committee, who said the festival aims to show how Shakespeare can be contemporary.
“Technology seems to be overtaking art and literature, and it is through blending these two ideas that we intend to bring Shakespeare into the current age,” she said.
“Visitors will be able learn and play around with the text and see how the plays can be performed on stage. Our hope is that this will break down the barrier of not understanding the text written by Shakespeare,” said Dr Kok.
Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar and senior lawyer Philip Koh will be among the speakers, other than playwright and director Chin San Sooi, as well as former UM academic Fadzilah Amin.
“There will also be screenings of Jarum Halus, a Malaysian film adaptation of Othello, original and parodic performances, readings by staff and students of the department, and choral performances by Cantus Musicus.
“When you think of Shakespeare, you should relate him and his works to the cinema of today. His plays were never meant only for the elite, and that is the driving force for all the things we have planned,” added Dr Kok.
The festival will be held at Publika Shopping Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, from 10am to 7pm. All events are free, except for the workshops, where a nominal fee will be charged. For details, visit