About
Somewhere between a stage light and a classroom, Adi found a rather wonderful place to live.
His adventure with theatre began in 2006, when he stepped onto the stage as an actor. Since then, he has wandered happily between stage and screen, taking on the many hats of an actor, director and writer — occasionally wearing more than one at a time.
In 2013, Adi discovered another favourite kind of audience: a classroom. Armed with a Diploma in Mass Communications, a BA in English and Literature, and years of performance experience, he began teaching drama, communication, speech and creative writing.
Thirteen years later, the journey continues.
Along the way, Adi has collected a few awards—Best Actor, Best Director and Best Writer—and created works for audiences young and old, including Mak Kat Mana?, Ma, Mum, Mak, Kata Orang Tua-Tua, Kawan and Si Penjaga Memori.
He holds a Masters in Education (Drama) from NIE and a Masters in Creative Writing from LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore.
At heart, though, Adi remains a storyteller—still curious, still creating, and always looking for the next story waiting to be told.
From Oral Tradition to Contemporary Stage: Reimagining Cerita Rakyat Through One-Act Plays
This practice-led research explores the borrowing of traditional cerita rakyat form and reimagining it as one-act plays that examine and discuss contemporary issues faced by today’s audiences.
Traditionally transmitted through generations, cerita rakyat relies on economical narrative structures, memorable characters, and repetitions to facilitate oral transmission and remembrance. However, many of these traditional cerita rakyat have not captured the changes many contemporary audiences face.
Therefore, the research investigates the one-act play as a contemporary theatrical form through which selected principles of cerita rakyat can be reimagined. Through the developmental of five contemporary one-act plays, the research examines if the condensation of dramatic narratives, theatrical structures, the use of anthropomorphism as well as the breaking of the fourth wall can indeed create a form that is similar to cerita rakyat.
The research argues that the adaptation or reimagination process need not be understood as a direct reproduction of traditional narratives. Instead, it can operate as a process of transformation in which underlying principles of cerita rakyat are retained while their form, context and theatrical expression are reconfigured.
Through this practice-led exploration, the research contributes to an understanding of how cerita rakyat may be meaningfully reinterpreted within contemporary theatre, while highlighting the potential of theatrical adaptation to sustain, renew and transmit traditional storytelling practice to new audiences.
Professional practice
Pratima Balabhadrapathruni
Ianna Flores
Ang Fonteyn
Tan Kai Suan
Leon Oh Jun Cheng
Jacqueline Chang
