It is undeniable that The Actors Studio is much closer today to its dream of seeing performing arts venues at every street corner and every shopping centre in the country than it ever was before. Although the journey of nurturing the performing arts to develop a more cultured race of Malaysians is a long one, it is one that The Actors Studio intends to complete—and it is also one that MyCreative is honoured to accompany this organisation on.
The year was 1989 when Joe Hasham, OAM and Dato’ Faridah Merican realised that they needed their very own venues and space to fulfil their desire to help the Malaysian performing arts industry run on an on-going basis. In order to do this, they required an organisation of their own. One that could live by their creed; one that would grow by their vision.
With that, The Actors Studio (M) Sdn Bhd was born—and the song of evolution began to play throughout the local theatre scene.
Plaza Putra was our biggest milestone
Seven years later, The Actors Studio unveiled its very first venue—The Actors Studio @ Plaza Putra—to Malaysia. This move symbolised the company’s dedication to the arts, while setting in motion the gears of its mission to construct more culturally-enriched Malaysians that the nation could be proud of.
Since then, The Actors Studio went on to secure numerous other venues of its own, including The Actors Studio @ LOT 10 and The Actors Studio @ KuAsh. It has also been acclaimed for the founding and operation of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) and The Penang Performing Arts Centre (penangpac), two of Malaysia’s most renowned performing arts stages
We faced many difficulties along the way
Today, with numerous successful productions—such as ‘Broken Bridges’ and ‘Uda dan Dara 2015’—and programmes like ‘Short + Sweet Malaysia’ under its belt, The Actors Studio is undeniably a leading player in the Malaysian performing arts scene.
But where there were triumphs, there were also losses—and where there were opportunities, there were also difficulties.
Though the company knew that there was no turning back after the opening of The Actors Studio @ Plaza Putra, it has faced considerably frightening challenges on numerous occasions. These were—and still are—especially prominent in the department of funding, as productions often require substantial financial support to be staged.
MyCreative came to our rescue
It was while facing one of these challenges that The Actors Studio crossed paths with MyCreative. After being introduced to MyCreative by a friend, The Actors Studio sought aid for one of its big productions that was in dire need of sponsorship. Naturally, MyCreative was more than happy to lend a helping hand—and this beautiful partnership has stayed interwoven ever since.
The future of the performing arts is bright
A long and colourful history in the industry has made The Actors Studio a greatly-respected organisation, transforming it into a champion of the Malaysian performing arts scene—for both the present and the future.
However, the company firmly believes that the responsibility of steering this industry towards glory is not one to be shouldered by just one company. “The future for the Performing Arts is bright, as long as there are people in the industry who are willing to work hard and make sacrifices,” it shares. “They will need to work hard and not be afraid to take risks. It is such a rewarding industry, not financially perhaps, but your soul is enriched.”
Venues, at every street corner and shopping centre.
It is undeniable that The Actors Studio is much closer today to its dream of seeing performing arts venues at every street corner and every shopping centre in the country than it ever was before. Although the journey of nurturing the performing arts to develop a more cultured race of Malaysians is a long one, it is one that The Actors Studio intends to complete—and it is also one that MyCreative is honoured to accompany this organisation on.
