Tikam-Tikam: Malaysian Roulette (2005)

Tikam-Tikam: Malaysian Roulette is made up of over 30 extracts of texts from various kinds of writings by Malaysians or about Malaysia. There are whole poems and a couple of songs, and fragments of fiction and non-fiction taken from sources such as novels, plays, edgy magazine articles, as well as an extract from the memoirs of the US-based poet Hilary Tham who passed away recently. It follows then that the writers too are quite diverse. Among the playwrights, poets and novelists are a former Prime Minister and Lord President, a war heroine, journalists, and writers from various fields who bring to us, the stories of people who aren't writers themselves. 

In short, from what was available at the time of selection, I have tried to put in as many extracts as possible to allow for a polyphony of voices, each telling a story after its own fashion, in under 500 words. I have not put them into any order, and have left it to chance, the tikam-tikam, to determine which pieces will get performed within the allotted 60 minutes and in what order. In place of a single structured 'narrative' about Malaysia or Malaysians, the tikam-tikam will give us an ad hoc pattern or constellation of texts. The randomness will have thrown together certain diverse and maybe divergent views, experiences, events, emotions, and ideas. I think this effect may give a clearer and truer notion of what the country and its people are about.

- Curator's Message

Cast: Gani A Karim, Jonathan Lim, Karen Tan, Lim Yu-Beng, Neo Swee Lin

Director: Ivan Heng
Curator: Leow Puay Tin (Tikam-Tikam: Malaysian Roulette)
Producer: Tony Trickett
Associate Producer: Madeleine Lee

Photography Artist: Chris Yap
Lighting Designer: Tony Kam
Set Designer/Technical Manager/Lighting Operator: Teo Kuang Han

Production/Stage Manager: Pierre-André Salim
Asst. Stage Manager: Kenny Low & Yvonne Yuen

Sound Operator: Sandra Tay
Publicity Materials/Programme Design: Brian Gothong Tan & Ash Lim

(Source: Wild Rice Programme)