THE NUTMEG SAGA

A Play Concept (with Music and Dance)

Word Forward Presents

Wednesday, 9 October 13

An Epic Narrative Poem by Chris Mooney-Singh

Published in Lontar Journal, 2013.

BASED ON

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WF TEAM

Director: Jonathan Lim

Writer: Chris Mooney-Singh

WF Producer: Savinder Kaur

Dr I.N. Sedana (Bali music and choreography)

Music and Multimeda: Arctic Fox Studio, Ivan Chew

Set Design: Ratna Odata (Balinese-Singapore)

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Balinese Performance Elements

Spore Partner: Gamelan SingaMurti

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A narrative poetic text in EnglishBalinese gamelan, topeng (mask dance), wayang kulit Contemporary staging and multimedia highlights.

A MIXED PRODUCTION

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JAYAWARMAN

The story of an imaginary rajah, Jayawarman IX from the beginning of his dynasty.

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A mountaintop in Bali

Dead rajah dialogues with son, while sharing boiled eggs cooked in the fissures of the volcano

Singaporean climbers explore the summit and hear Balinese stories from guide.

SETTING

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JUXTAPOSTIONS

The work takes post-modern techniques of multiple juxtaposed

storytelling: past and present, the immortal

and mortal worlds, represented by

humans, masks and puppets

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NARRATIVE CONCEPT

Narrative intention: to draw the audience forward discovering through an unfolding story their position on Puputan - warrior sacrifice VS mass ritual suicide

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CLIMAX: PUPUTAN

‘Sacrifice by ‘fighting to the death’

Ritual royal mass suicide

c.f. passive non-resistance: Satragraha -- Gandhi’s political strategy

Puputan Bali, 1906

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COLONIALISM VSASIAN CULTURE

Javanese-Balinese traditions and the ‘spice race’ colonial period overlap with Spore history, also on the ‘spice trade-route’ and a nutmeg producer

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SPORE RELEVANCE

This post-colonial story is as generic to historical Singapore as to the region

To be timed with Spore’s 50 year Birthday Celebration in 2015

Nutmeg and Mace, 2009ION Orchard's signature sculpture

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Phase 1 - Bali Arts Festival production, July 2014

Phase 2 - Melbourne production 2014-15

Phase 3 - Singapore Festival production, 2015

SCHEDULE

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A grant to adapt script for dramatic performance

Research funding to re-visit Bali - 10-14 days

Production grant to mount Phase 1 performance at Bali Arts Festival, July 2014

Furtheer funding to upscale to Melbourne productions and Singapore, 2015

WHAT WE NEED

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WORDFORWARD

THANKS YOU

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