Things to do at Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival

If you don’t have plans for the weekend, you do now. The Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival at klpac features a packed schedule featuring music, theatre, art and film. The schedule might be a bit hard to navigate online, so we’ve picked some of the best events for you.

1. Paras Bunyi 
Musicians and DJs alike will be taking over the Indicine room throughout the festival, playing ethnic-fused experimental sounds with specially curated visuals. Some of the acts to look forward to include Space Gambus Experiment, Menikmati and electronic sape band Another Universe. Come early to hear field recordings of music from the Orang Asli tribes of Kelabit, Kenyah, Meratus, Bahau and more.
Indicine; 10am-8pm.

2. Balcony Scene of a Malay Peninsula Couple 
To have an arts festival at klpac and not include theatre would be a very odd thing indeed. But not to worry, there will be plenty during this festival. One to catch is ‘Balcony Scene of a Malay Peninsula Couple’. Directed by Liang Ka En, this play explores the themes of forbidden love and unrepresented identities. For more options, there will also be staged readings, improv theatre and drum theatre.
Lobby; 2pm.


’Jagat'

3. Gerai Tai Tai 
This performance art was first ‘staged’ at the SS2 pasar malam in June. The brainchild of POW Ideas, this interactive show features Lim Bek Yee as the namesake Tai Tai. Audience is encouraged to participate by way of a three-way dialogue between the audience, the Tai Tai and the festival.
Throughout klpac; all day long.

4. Film screenings
The three local films selected to feature during the festival are hailed as the more interesting ones of recent times. These films are ‘Jagat’, ‘Terbaik Dari Langit’ and Liew Seng Tat’s ‘Lelaki Harapan Dunia’. If you missed their cinema runs, this is the time to catch it. Some of these films have made numerous festival appearances worldwide.
Pentas 1; 12noon-4pm.

5. Pentas Wayang 
The Pentas Wayang area of the festival will showcase some of the best puppetry shows around, including Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’ with wayang kulit elements, family-friendly glove puppet performances, and Wayang Kulit Purwo from Johor.
Pentas 1 foyer; 10.30am-7pm.

For more info visit klpac.org/ysdartsfest. All events are free.