"MY non-existent father is the inspiration behind my new play, 24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun (24 Hours in 37 Years),” says Anomalist Production's Khairi Anwar.
"Throughout 28 years of living, I have not met my father for a complete 24 hours, yet. I think, at this moment, the accumulation of hours we have met is maybe... 11 hours? And the fact that I know he lives in Cheras (and I live in KL and Shah Alam) makes me wonder a lot more on why my father doesn't make the effort to meet me, his son. But to be honest, I too have not made a consistent effort to meet him as well, but, in my opinion, he has to make a greater effort. Because a father's role is to protect and guide his child.”
"I'm sure I'm not the only one lacking this connection. Hence my need to share this story with people. I hope I will not treat my children like how my father did. No one deserves this kind of treatment from their parents," he says.
24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun, which will be directed by theatrethreesixty's Christopher Ling, revolves around Haikal who struggles with finding out what it means to be a good man without having his father around for much of his life.
He questions his parents' fractured relationship, his place in the world, and whether having a father figure is necessary at all to lead a happy and successful life.
Arts fans might recall Shah Alam-based Anomalist Production's works like Pohlithik, as well as Khairi's short films especially for BMW Shorties I in 2018 and 2019 (for Ralat the Musical).
"I've been active in theatre since 2014. I have been consistent in writing, directing and producing with my theatre company, Anomalist Production, up till now.”
"But, I know that I wanted to be a film director ever since I was 14 years old, when I got my first digital camera in high school. I found theatre in 2011, when I was studying law in UiTM Shah Alam.”
"The journey has been an interesting experience. But I feel if a person wants to be a good film director, he/she should experience theatre, be it as an actor, crew, writer, or direct a theatre play. Why? Because in theatre, a director has to focus on the human side of the production; how to direct an actor, how to give context about the story to the cast and crew, how to make sure what the actors experience on stage stays solid for a 3-hour play, how to communicate with the designers on what you envisioned on stage, etc.”
"In theatre, the director has to collaborate with everyone. If he/she doesn't, the director does not have the power to stop the play if any of the cast and crew decide not to follow his direction while the show is going on. A theatre director needs to create a space and show where everyone is on the same page. Collaboration and trust are key," he says.
24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun features a new song, 24 Kata, written for the production by Takahara Suiko (Taka, and not her real name).
She has produced and published 200 songs and 2 commercial albums with the band, The Venopian Solitude, and her own solo project, Viona, since 2009.
Her songs were recently included in the soundtrack of Shirkers, a Netflix documentary that was shortlisted in the Best Documentary category in the 91st Oscar Awards.
Soundscape for 24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun was designed by Kirthana Kuhendran, a Sunway University student as part of her internship with theatrethreesixty.
On working with Taka, Khairi says: "She makes the creative process look so easy, and I envy her for that. She made me feel like I can write my own lyrics, but trust me, I tried, and it didn't work out well. Taka is just pure genius."
The mysterious Takahara says she became an instant fan of Khairi's work after watching IQ Rock from 2018.
On her music for Shirkers, Taka says a friend of the filmmaker, Sandi Tan, had shared some of her early YouTube videos of original songs that she had written in 2009-2011.
"She obviously went on a binge and one day she emailed me to tell me all that, and that she wanted to use some songs of mine for the documentary. They were very archaic, both in terms of creativity as well as technical recording (the audio was not supposed to be beyond demo versions, they were recorded using cheap kenduri/dewan mics and/or videocams). During that time I had no access to studios but she insisted on using the demos so I let her have them anyway.”
"I was mad crazy when my music was heard for Shirkers!"
Taka's musical journey may have had impetus when studying in Japan. "Studying in Japan definitely changed me as a person, consecutively and inevitably it spilled into my work as well.”
"I was persistent on choosing a college (for diploma) that had no Malaysian seniors so that I didn't rely on them, forcing myself to survive on my own. The technical college that I went to was the most kampung of all, and had more elderly people than youngsters. It was fun, chatting with the neighbourhood atuks and neneks who took care of local shops, drives taxis and buses etc.”
"But at the same time, the loneliness drove me to experience depression and anxiety. Because my suppressed emotions needed release, writing was the main way for me to organise the dark thoughts and let off steam. Many would say music is their passion, to me, it's a necessity, just like eating and sleeping."
Challenging drama does have a social impact, with plays on suicide, for instance, adding a human touch to any social policy debate.
Under the skilled and passionate direction of Christopher Ling, 24 Jam Dalam 37 Tahun is bound to throw light on the importance of family.
"It's been a very challenging piece for us as a team to put together. The play is very personal in nature. How do you tackle such serious themes in a deceptively light-hearted manner? Being able to answer this question has been the key to unlocking this particular play for all of us."
He hopes that each and every member of the audience will get to reflect on the relationship they have with their own fathers (and their loved ones) and acknowledge the importance of belonging.
27 JAM DALAM 37 TAHUN
When: March 5-8, March 12-15, 8.45pm with 3pm matinees on Sundays
Where: Lot'ng Arts Space, 32, 2, Jalan USJ 10/1E, Taipan Business Centre, Subang Jaya.
Tickets: RM48/RM38 (students, seniors)
Visit https://24dalam37.peatix.com. For any enquiries, e-mail: info@theatrethreesixty.com.