Venturing into the 9th year of celebration, the George Town Festival 2018 once again turns this city into a global stage by connecting the past and the future in the form of traditional and contemporary talents, performances and collaborations among others.
In correlation to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, this festival from the 4th of Agust till the 2nd of September, 2018 aims to act as a medium for international and local talents to shine their way across the stage of art and with the overwhelming love of all art enthusiasts around the world, GTF (George Town Festival) recognized as one of ASIA’s Must-See Event managed by Joe Sidek Production Sdn Bhd has rekindled the euphoria of many.
Top 15 George Town Festival Events You Shouldn’t Miss
Now with more than a dozen of events aligned, you may wonder ‘Which One?’ and so here we are with the top 15 GTF events that might just the best way to spend them moolah. Let’s get going!
1. Kelantan: A Living Heritage
Opening the show with Kelantan: A Living Heritage revolves around the ancient stronghold of Malay culture occasionally known as the ‘Cradle of Malay Culture’, GTF will celebrate and honor its unique and ethereal tapestry woven through its captivating art forms.
The spectacle of KELANTAN will feature Rebana Ubi, the gigantic traditional drum, Asyik, a royal court dance, a taste of Mak Yong, a traditional form of northern dance-drama, dance piece Dikir choreographed by Raziman Sarbini and Dikir Barat, the lively and mesmerising display of a group singing in moving trance, Wayang Kulit, a type of traditional shadow puppet with child prodigy puppeteer Kamarul Baihaqi, and the splendour of Songket.
Date: 4-5th August (8.30pm)
Venue: Dewan Sri Penang
Price: RM25, RM65,RM85,RM125
Tickets: KELANTAN
2. Between Tiny Cities by Nick Power
In Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច, dancers Erak Mith from Phnom Penh and Aaron Lim from Darwin use the rituals, movement styles and language of their shared hip-hop culture to reveal the dramatically different worlds that surround them and uncover the choreographic links that unite them.
Phnom Penh and Darwin are very different cities – but there is one strong style that unites them. The dancers blend the raw, powerful and sometimes aggressive energy of b-boy battles with elegant improvisation and choreography. Always aware of each other’s presence, always staying focused on the other, the dancers are locked in a fierce competition and yet at the same time are a partnership, a team.
Date & Time: 4th August- 3.30pm, 8.30 pm/ 5th August -8.30pm
Duration: 40 mins
Venue: Loft 29
Price: RM25, RM65
Available Tickets
3. Yaron Kohlberg ft.Ciaran Mcauley & Penang Philharmonic Orchestra
One of the world’s most acclaimed musicians, the “pianist with the golden hands”, will perform a classical music suite with Penang Philharmonic Orchestra. Yaron Kohlberg is a celebrated pianist and the winner of over 10 prestigious international prizes. He has played in numerous international venues from the Moscow Kremlin to the Carnegie Hall in New York, and has performed as a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, and more.
Drawing its membership from all communities living in Penang, PPO performs a diverse selection of repertoire drawn from over 350 years of symphonic literature. PPO is an outlet for Penang’s musically gifted to continue to cultivate their devotion to their art. Yaron Kohlberg, Ciaran McAuley and PPO will perform selected pieces from Schumann and Tchaikovsky.
Date & Time: 10th & 11th August – 8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang
Price: rm25,rm65,rm85
Tickets availability
4. 2062 by Karla Kracht & Andres Beladiez
2062 is an experimental theatrical show about a dystopian world, where the “present” is deemed as the authentic protagonist. Borders, walls, new migrations, current affairs, and economic changes are the key ingredients to this society. The conceptual interdisciplinary show is developed through a combination of formats such as multimedia, comic, illustration and animation techniques. It uses a blend of shadow play and theatre props to create a cinematic live performance.
The world will never be the same again … Borders will turn red again or disappear completely. They will become less accessible. New walls will be built and old ideals will be buried. Wars will be different, but killings will be continued at an ideological gunpoint. Capitalism will spread, covering the terrestrial world with its coat. Governments will lose their power cells to big corporations.
An agonized Europe loses its hegemony. Citizens search for their identities in shopping carts. The 21st century has arrived and changed us forever. But we hardly realize it. Somehow everything continues to be the same…
Date& Time: 10th and 11th August-8.30pm
Venue: Loft 29
Price: RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Tickets availability
5. Second Body by Anarchy Dance Theater
A dark stage. A dancer with abstract light projected on her skin. The study of the movement itself. Welcome to the Second Body, the performance generating an out-of-body experience. The performance begins by establishing and examining the body, with light and sound used to create both abstract and very strong recognizable visuals of the natural human body and the way it moves. Movement is used to represent our awareness and knowledge of our own bodies.
Afterwards, a 360º full body-length projection enters the picture to create a non-natural second body, showing movement distinct from the movements of the first body. Do we, during the transition from one to the other, produce new knowledge to define our bodies with the change in our viewing perspective? Furthermore, how does the second body replace the definition and existence of the first body in the process?
In the collaboration between George Town Festival and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) Isle to Isle will be running 12-19 August 2018. Programmes hosted throughout the week will be an effort to showcase and create a discourse on Taiwanese performing arts and design and the use of creative spaces to generate a people-centric experience.
Date & Time: 17th &18th August-8.30pm
Venue: Loft29
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Tickets availability
6. Isle of Dreams by La Cie Maxmind
Isle of Dreams is a mythological musical theatre piece featuring Nanguan and Beiguan music integrating with poetry, puppetry and ritual dance in the performance. The story is about the world is going to the end because of greed, desire, power and uneven distribution of resources. Who can save the world? Only the conscience might.
Date & Time: 18th & 19th August -8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang
Duration: 2 hours
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Ticket availability
7. We cannot talk about it by The Hole In the Wall
At a family dinner table, no one talks about Mehrnaz. Who was killed as a result of rape? They open their mouths, not to speak. But to eat spaghetti. A dark and gripping theatrical performance taking you through intense expressions of suppressed life. Tehran’s very own The Hole in the Wall Theater Group brings light to the subject of pain and melancholy, through silence, due to the existence of a dictator, in this Southeast Asian premiere.
Date & Time: 24th & 25th August -8.30pm
Venue: Loft 29
Duration: 60mins
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Ticket availability
8. Ensemble Q
Ensemble Q is the Ensemble in Residence of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. It is an exciting collective of some of Australia’s most prominent musicians, selected for their passion and character by co-artistic directors Paul Dean and Trish O’Brien. At the heart of Ensemble Q is a brilliant mentorship program for aspiring young musicians who are nurtured by some of the best musicians in Australia.
Ensemble Q will perform:
Mozart arr Emerson Papamina Suite (music from the Magic Flute)
Janacek arr Emerson String Quartet No 1 for Trio (cl, vcl, pf)
Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time
Date & Time: 3rd August -8pm
Venue: E&0 Hotel
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Ticket availability
9. The highlight of European Acapella Music by Cantamus Dresden
Renowned chamber choir – and regular performers in German cultural hotspots – will perform a programme of sacred or secular European choir music highlights.
Date & Time: 4th August-3.30pm
Venue: The Star Pitt Street
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85
10. Ingatan by Fasyali Fadzly
An ‘iPuppad’ (iPad and puppetry hybrid) production, talking about memories and how we place our own to a certain object or place.
Date & Time: 11 & 12 AUG-8.30pm
Venue: The Star Pitt Street
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85
11. Hsinchu City Youth Chinese Orchestra Concert
The famous youth orchestra, honored “the most capable and energetic Chinese orchestra in Taiwan”, perform at GTF to share the beauty of traditional and contemporary Chinese music.
Date & Time:12 AUG-8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85
12. Kaboom: Stories from Distant Frontline
KaBooM is based on the experiences of soldiers who have fought on the frontline. The performance tells the tales of Fabrice, a child soldier from Burundi, who hid in lakes to escape machete-wielding hordes; Majid, who deserted after fighting for 10 years in Saddam Hussein’s army; Ivor, who, as a 16 year old escaped the Holocaust to fight in the Pacific Islands along with a guardian monkey.
Date & Time: 25th & 26th August -6.30pm,8.30pm
Venue: Art Lane (Lebuh Pantai)
Price:RM25 | RM65
Ticket availability
13. Under the Kayon Tree by Temple of Fine Arts
Under the Kayon Tree brings to life Malaysian legends and folklore with Puteri Hang Li Po, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Sultan Parameswara and Mahsuri as the protagonists. The subtext of these stories carry a subtle thought-provoking social message and engage the audience to introspect. The production will also showcase dance and theatre to support the stories.
Date & Time: 25th & 26th August-8.30pm
Venue: Dewan Sri Pinang
Price:RM25 | RM65 | RM85 | RM125
Ticket availability
14. Beach & Quinn Present: Score
An atmospheric, dazzling trip of a show paying homage to Film Noir – specifically, a fictional Irish classic, following a desperate man in an uncontrollable situation.
15. Baroque & Roll By Wicked Music People
An exciting expression of baroque music from Wicked Music People specially arranged for a contemporary twist – from Bach to the Beatles.
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