Latest news with #performingArts
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Tributes pour in for veteran actor Mano Maniam
Mano Maniam, who died at age 79, was a cherished star of stage and screen. (YouTube pic) PETALING JAYA : Veteran Malaysian actor Veteran Malaysian actor Mano Maniam , star of stage and screen, died last night at age 79. As news broke of his passing, members of the performing arts community have come out to pay tribute to a treasured performer. Faridah Merican, the First Lady of Malaysian theatre, recalled their very first play together back in the 1970s. 'It was called 'He Who Gets Slapped', directed by Joy Zinoman. Mano played my father, and he gave his all, as he did with every role,' she told FMT Lifestyle. 'I worked with Mano for over a lifetime. He touched many lives with his roles in theatre. We were just talking about having a theatre show for seniors, and it is a pity we won't get to do it. 'The Malaysian arts scene will miss a great performer. May he rest in peace.' On the set of 'Kopitiam' with co-stars including Douglas Lim. (Double Vision pic) Theatre director and artistic director of The Actors Studio Joe Hasham, added: 'Mano was an amazing actor, and a wonderful human being. He lived a full and wonderful life, which we should celebrate.' Actor, comedian and musician Douglas Lim, who co-starred with Mano in the sitcom 'Kopitiam', considered Mano one of his primary mentors when he started doing television work 30 years ago. 'Mano was always passionate about the arts and the environment,' Lim said. 'In my eyes, he will always be the free-spirited, adventure-loving, caring and generous Uncle Mano.' Sabera Shaik, executive producer of Masakini Theatre, said Mano was a long-time friend with whom she had countless hour-long phone conversations. Mano, seated next to Hollywood actress Jodie Foster, on the set of the film 'Anna and the King'. (Mano Maniam pic) 'He was and will always be cherished as a formidable director, and actor who did Shakespeare proud. But Mano was not only an actor, he was an intrepid traveller who enjoyed exploring the world, discovering geographical marvels and meeting people. 'Above all, he was a wonderful friend who loved to laugh at himself, and laughed with you and never at you.' Actor Colin Kirton, who worked with Mano in 'Natra: The Musical' (2004) and a staged reading of theatrethreesixty's 'Death of a Salesman' in 2016, will always remember Mano's humility. 'In spite of his accolades and how highly he was viewed in the arts scene, what stands out to me was his character. He was the most humble, down-to-earth man – a true gentleman.' Mano accompanied by former 'Kopitiam' co-star Joanna Bessey (middle) and theatrethreesixty artistic director Christopher Ling, with teachers and students from SM Convent Bukit Nanas in 2014. (theatrethreesixty pic) Director, actor and animal activist Nicole Ann-Thomas concurred, calling Mano 'well-loved and kind'. 'He was always ready to share his experiences and stories with anyone who was willing to listen – and there were many of us,' she said. 'Thank you Mano. Rest well now.'
CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
The rural P.E.I. music hall that makes history pop
Mike Ross and Nicole Bellamy left Prince Edward Island for Toronto many years ago to establish careers in the performing arts. Over nearly two decades, the couple became fixtures in the worlds of theatre and music. But after becoming parents, they felt the call to return to the island, and made the move back as a family of four in 2020. While settling back into their Maritime home, they came across a music hall in the town of Hunter River, P.E.I., that was for sale. Though Ross was unsure, it was "risk-averse" Bellamy who pushed to purchase the space. The couple bought the venue, known as Harmony House, in November 2020. Since opening, Ross has employed many artists from across the island, developed a loyal audience and built the majority of Harmony House's original productions himself. Ross, who previously served as Soulpepper Theatre's music director, always felt a calling to music and storytelling, and to combining these together. "If there was a certain amount of context provided around the performance of a piece of music, that always really enthralled me," he says. This fusion was somewhat satiated by theatre — which includes elements of design, storytelling and music — but once back in P.E.I., he concentrated on a format he has dubbed the "docu-concert." Harmony House's docu-concerts use pop songs as a vehicle for historical storytelling. The show Inside American Pie, for example, does a line-by-line breakdown of Don McLean's hit song American Pie, explaining references to historical events, figures and popular music, while also offering commentary related to the present. Last March, they took the show from Hunter River to Mirvish's CAA Theatre in Toronto for a run of sold-out performances. And this summer, it will be Harmony House's fifth season performing Inside American Pie on the island. They're also just about to debut a brand new show. Fifty years ago, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank beneath Lake Superior, taking all 29 crew members with it. The shipwreck was immortalized in song by the great Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. On Friday, Harmony House will begin previewing its new production, Inside the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which explores the story of the ill-fated ship. During his time with Soulpepper, Ross created docu-concerts inspired by all sorts of subjects, including distant time periods and major historical events. "We've made shows about Paris in the '20s," he says. "[It's] post-World-War-I, everybody's traumatized and this insane art explosion came out of that … with Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein." He's even done a show about the Voyager Golden Record — the album NASA shot into space aboard the Voyager spacecrafts in 1977. To create the docu-concerts, Ross and co-writer Sarah Wilson begin by building two lists: one of songs tied to the subject matter and another of storylines they want to tell. The pair then find natural relationships between the elements. With Inside American Pie, for example, Ross selected the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Bad Moon Rising"to talk about the end of the 1960s and not knowing what was going to come next," he says. "We've always known the upbeat version; you've never heard it as the apocalyptic, dystopian song that it is." The lyrics — which go: "Hope you got your things together. Hope you're quite prepared to die. Looks like we're in for nasty weather. There's a bad moon on the rise" — are actually quite "foreboding" when you remove CCR's happy tune, Ross says. "There's an awakening happening for the listener. It's nostalgia, but it's interpreted nostalgia. It has a really wonderful energy." One of the musicians who's been working with Ross on Inside American Pie and other shows is Brielle Ansems. She has been singing and playing music since a young age, but she was unsure about making the leap into a music career because of the lack of financial stability. It was after working a season at Watermark Theatre in North Rustico, P.E.I, that Ansems was invited to perform in a festival Ross was putting together. "I remember showing up and working with him for the first time and just feeling that something clicked into place," Ansems says. Afterward, Ross asked the young performer if she was interested in joining a new show he was building with Wilson about the song American Pie. Ansems was intending to move back home, more than an hour away from Harmony House, but she wanted this opportunity to work with Ross so badly that she stayed. "I ended up staying with Mike and Nicole and their family every weekend that summer while we did Inside American Pie," she says, "and it immediately felt like this was exactly what I'd been looking for. It's rare that you come across something that is so rewarding artistically, working with people who you connect with on a really intense, emotional and artistic level." For Ansems, the experience of bringing Inside American Pie to Toronto's CAA Theatre has been surreal. "We're all honoured to be getting that kind of attention for the show that we all care a lot about. But it felt like we were just bringing a piece of home with us and just sharing that home with other people. We had three weeks where we were doing eight shows a week and it was so intense. Then we got home and … we kind of can't believe that it actually happened." Harmony House has changed Ansems's life. She is now able to work full time as a performing artist between Harmony House and other shows, while also pursuing her own musical endeavours. "It means so much to be able to do this as a career and to have found something that is sustainable, rewarding work in a place where we're treated really well." Completing its final performance earlier this month, Ansems recently led the creation of her own Harmony House show, entitled Soundtrack Songbook. Ross has seen the success of the docu-concert format and he hopes it continues to thrive long past his time at the helm. " There's a community of incredible island artists and storytellers here that have been part of these shows … that are really now starting to understand the format in a way that they can become the captains of their own shows," he says. "We're trying to expand things so that I'm not the only one making these shows."
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Adrian Fisher obituary
My friend Adrian Fisher, who has died aged 67 of a heart attack, was an actor and opera singer. He lived for many years in Antwerp, Belgium, appearing in more than 700 performances with the local Vlaamse Opera House from 1992 to 2004, before touring extensively across Europe in solo roles, including as Stárek in Jenůfa (2007) at the Muziektheater Amsterdam and on a national tour of the Netherlands, and as Charles Guiteau in Assassins (2010) at the Teatergarasjen Bergen in Norway, followed by a tour to Poland and France. Fascinated by the parallel lives of Noël Coward and Ivor Novello, in 2009 Adrian collaborated with Stuart Barham to write and star in The Two Most Perfect Things at the Jermyn Street theatre in London, at the Edinburgh festival and at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte Carlo. For a long time he had also picked up work as an English language teacher for international singers, and as the years passed he gradually scaled back on performing to focus more on coaching – his strong affinity for Benjamin Britten's operas led him to work with international casts for several productions of Peter Grimes for the director David Alden. For a time he ran his own agency, representing singers and liaising with opera houses around Europe. Adrian was born in Leeds to Janos Fischer, a renowned industrial chemist, and Marieanne Frank, a technician, Jewish refugees who had fled Germany to the UK in 1939, just days before the outbreak of the second world war. He went to Bradford grammar school and then the University of Kent (1975-78), from where he graduated with a degree in drama and English. He then did another drama degree at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, which included the study of speech production and breathing technique. Embarking initially on an acting career, he appeared in two musicals in 1981 with the London-based Spectrum theatre company, one of which, Oh, Coward!, went on a national tour. He worked in children's theatre with several touring companies from 1982 to 1984, before setting up his own company, Smalltime. Deciding to retrain as an opera singer, in 1987 and 1988 he completed a final degree at the Royal College of Music Opera School, after which he worked successfully for a number of years in the UK and Ireland with various opera companies, including at Glyndebourne, predominantly in the chorus but also as a principal. He made his West End debut in 1988 at the Donmar theatre in the opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis), written by Viktor Ullmann and Peter Kien while they were in Theresienstadt concentration camp, where coincidentally many of Adrian's relatives were interned before being murdered in Auschwitz. His international solo debut came with the Wexford Festival Opera in 1989, performing as Friar Tuck in Marschner's Der Templer und die Jüdin, before his long stint in Antwerp. Charismatic and dynamic, Adrian was a kind-hearted, generous and funny man who helped many people throughout his life, including aspiring singers and several godchildren. He is survived by his sister, Rosalind, and his nieces, Katie and Nikki.
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Cultural life inside the Loop
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Bursting through - but what's the point of all that tunnelling if there's no show to go to? Photo: Supplied / City Rail Link Jack Bourke trained as an operatic tenor. These days, he makes his living in communications and infrastructure, but he hasn't turned his back on classical music. His love of opera and the performing arts is one of the drivers behind his work advocating for Auckland's cultural sector as it prepares for the completion of the City Rail Link. The underground line will connect the central city with Auckland's wider rail network with the potential to deliver tens of thousands of people an hour to stations directly under the waterfront, Aotea Square, and Karangahape Road. But why spend billions of dollars on a rail line if there's no reason for people to use it? That's where Bourke comes in. As Head of Strategic Engagement with the company RCP , he offers advice to the public and private sector on property and infrastructure projects and he's keen that Auckland city has a beating cultural heart once the City Rail Link is opened - most probably next year. Bourke spoke to RNZ Concert about his work, what he thinks the central city is missing (it needs more medium-sized performing arts venues) and the vital importance of what are called "third spaces" - the spaces that aren't home or work, but where you go to meet other people: squares, arcades, pubs, theatres, concert halls, sports grounds. He also spoke about his enduring love of opera and opera singers, including his favourite, Maria Callas.
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Listening To Customers To Power Product Innovation
Maile Keone, CEO of Listen Technologies, turns ideas into action as a leader in assistive listening & communications. Early in my career, I went to a customer feedback session at a big performing arts center. An older man with a hearing aid came up to me and said, 'I just want to sit down, push a button and hear the show.' He told me that using different listening devices at different places was so confusing that he often skipped going to theaters. That moment really stayed with me. This interaction underscored a fundamental truth in any assistive technology industry: It's only as effective as its ability to meet customer needs. For my company, that means developing products that are technologically advanced, as well as intuitive and easy to use. Over the years, customer feedback like this has directly influenced our product design and innovation strategy. Let's explore how being customer-centric can drive innovation and amplify your ability to meet customer needs: In the assistive listening and communication industry, the customer experience isn't just about sound quality—it's about accessibility and ease of use. We've learned that the two biggest concerns for customers are: • How do I connect? • How good is the audio quality? Our end users are often older and may have hearing aids with varying levels of compatibility. This makes it critical for our systems to be simple and consistent. When we were developing a Wi-Fi audio streaming service, we heard from universities that students and staff were having a hard time connecting—especially when there were hundreds of channels to sort through. So, we simplified the app interface, boosted signal strength for larger spaces and added a beacon to auto-trigger content. That kind of feedback was key to shaping the product and making sure it actually worked for higher ed. Another example: Users told us they wanted a solution that allowed them to stream audio directly to their hearing devices without needing additional hardware or a complicated setup. Broadcast audio technology we developed now allows us to deliver audio directly to compatible hearing aids, earbuds or our very own dedicated receiver, making the experience effortless for the end user. The key to being customer-centric is not just gathering feedback—it's acting on it and making customer feedback part of your product development cycle. One example of real-time customer feedback in action came when we asked theater owners to show us the biggest issue with our products. Without hesitation, they dropped a receiver from a seat—and we watched as the batteries rolled all the way down the sloped floor, right through the rows. It was clear. We tightened up the battery enclosure immediately. Being customer-focused doesn't stop once a product is launched. It's an ongoing cycle of listening, learning and adjusting. Feedback isn't just about collecting opinions—it's about asking the right questions and paying attention to what's really being said. I recommend staying in close contact with partners, venues, staff and end users to find out what's working and what's not. That means going beyond surface-level comments and getting to the root of the issue. If someone says, 'It's hard to connect,' that could mean anything from a clunky app interface to weak signal strength—or even unclear instructions from staff. The key is understanding why they're having the problem so you can solve the right thing, not just the most obvious one. We do this through regular check-ins, structured surveys and, importantly, through real conversations in the field. Some of the most useful insights come from those informal chats that weren't even planned. To us, being truly customer-centric means hearing what people say, understanding what they mean and being willing to adapt based on what we learn. That mindset is what drives meaningful improvements—and builds stronger relationships with the people who count on our solutions. In closing, listening to customers isn't just about making better products—it's about building trust. When people feel heard, they're more likely to stay engaged, share feedback and recommend what you do. And when you make it easier for them to share, you're not just improving your technology; you're making spaces more accessible and inclusive. The takeaway for any business is simple: Real innovation starts with listening. Stay close to your customers, respond with intention and you'll be able to build solutions that matter. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
