Nusantara Open Circle

Founded in 2016, Main Tulis Group (MTG) is Singapore’s only collective that works on developing both English and Malay plays. The emphasis is on main (play) and tulis (write)—writing organically, without restrictions—while also being about playwriting as a craft. The group organises regular readings of works-in-progress known as Open Circle Sessions and is known for its dramatised readings showcase ETA: 9 MIN. MTG has worked with institutions such as Centre 42, Esplanade, Singapore Writers Festival and the National University of Singapore, organising readings, workshops and outreach events on writing.  

Panas Panas Theatre is a multidisciplinary collective founded in 2019, made up of Arief Hamizan, Theyvapaalan S Jayaratnam, Ariff Kamil (Kuala Lumpur), Hana Nadira (Glasgow), and Ali Motamedi (Berlin). The collective’s projects mainly draw inspiration from political and feminist literature, with a focus on community readings and play development. They are currently housed in the Zhongshan Buildingin central Kuala Lumpur, where they run “Write Write Revolution”, a fortnightly writing space for all and sundry.

Indonesia Dramatic Reading Festival (IDRF) is a festival of reading scripts in Bahasa Indonesia as an effort to introduce the latest Indonesian scripts to the wider public. It can be said that IDRF is a festival for Indonesian playwrights—a place to meet, discuss and introduce their latest scripts. IDRF can also be used as a bridge between playwrights and directors or theatre groups. In its implementation, IDRF also presents translations of foreign plays as a comparison with participants’ plays. It is also intended to link Indonesian playwrights with writers from various other countries with the hopes of creating a wider network.

Moli Mohter (Singapore) is a theatre practitioner. She loves writing and telling stories. Despite her recent return to school, she hopes to continue creating new works. Moli has written and directed memorable works such as Sembelit Lagi, Penantian, and Kemas. Her recent works Bohong and Janji, were part of the Teater Kami Blackbox series. Moli was also the leading artist for Both Sides, Now, an arts-based community engagement project in 2021 and 2022. As an actor-facilitator, she was part of a forum theatre play, Trick or Threat by Drama Box, that toured to the World Forum Theatre Festival in Austria in 2009. As a Teater Kami Resident Artist, Moli is able to create a forum theatre play for the company's Theatre in Education program for Malay students.  

Aziz Azthar (Indonesia) is a writer and stage performer. He has spent 12 years as a book editor, working with both major and indie publishers. Aziz has performed dramatic readings at various literary events, including the Ayu Utami "RASA" Literary Award ceremony in 2023 and 2024. He performed with Teater Mandiri in the 50thanniversary production of Aduh by Putu Wijaya. He also participated in the work-in-progress program of Salihara International Performance (SIP) Festival 2024with Aliansi Teras, performing documentary theatre based on the BPUPKI (Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence). His play, Makan Malam (The Dining Table), was developed at Teater Salihara Jakarta in November 2022, and the Jakarta Campus Theater Festival 2024. His latest work, Tanah yang Terpenjara, a collaboration between Titimangsa and Dompet Dhuafa, was performed at Jakarta Art Building (GKJ)in October 2024. 

Arief Hamizan (b.1993, Kuala Lumpur) is a theatre practitioner and researcher whose work focuses on the socio-legal, historical and multilingual peculiarities of Malaysia. He is the co-founder of Panas Panas Theatre, a collective that explores political and feminist thought through community-focused programmes. Beyond the arts, he is the Policy & Programme Coordinator at The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, where he leads advocacy and research on anti-corruption and good governance reforms. Arief completed an MSc Comparative Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh as a Chevening Scholar and holds an LLB from the International Islamic University Malaysia.