PETALING JAYA, July 2 — Malaysian creatives Ian Skatu and Dhinesha Karthigesu knew they had to tread carefully when picking a name for their upcoming project.
The producers and artistic directors behind The Human Exhibit: Sex & Gender (THESE) had reservations about how their play — which will tell stories surrounding conventionally taboo topics — would be perceived, especially after a show in Penang was axed this year after backlash over its title which included the word “sex”.
However, the pair told Malay Mail that the need for education and productive discussions on sex, gender, and the stories of people who have gone through hardships related to these themes are especially relevant in the current sociopolitical climate.
They swept alternative titles including Love & Gender and Love & Intimacy aside in favour of the simple yet powerful Sex & Gender in order to emphasise the urgency of the subject.
“I think this topic, now more than ever, feels important to Malaysia Baharu. If we want to uphold this idea of a new Malaysia, these are the conversations we need to have.
“One of the first topics that came up after the 14th Malaysian general elections was the number of female ministers in the Cabinet.
“That alone tells us that not only is there a need to talk about this, but there are Malaysians ready to talk about it, and we think theatre is a good place to start,” said Dhinesha.
THESE will consist of 10 different pieces performed through several mediums, including dance, spoken word, monologues, dialogues, and music which audiences will witness while walking through AkuSembunyi, a private property transformed into a theatrical space for the show.
It will shine the spotlight on stories concerning gender norms and roles, love and intimacy, as well as the intersection between race and gender discrimination.
Deconstructing the ‘scary Indian man’ stereotype
Dhinesha shared his own personal story of how his appearance often triggers other people, especially women, to jump to negative conclusions about his character, an experience that laid the foundations for working on the themes for THESE.
“I get treated both as a ‘scary man’ and also as a ‘scary Indian man’. Women clutch their handbags closer to them in the lift when I go in and people lock their car doors when I walk past them.
“What I’ve had to be conscious of is how I present as male and how that might make other women feel. This has taken years to be aware of.”
Skatu added that while this can be disheartening, it was also important for men to be aware of how they can make women feel safer as their fears often stemmed from valid reasons.
With race and gender intermingling to become a complex issue, the duo hope that THESE can help unpack the subject for audiences and open up conversations around it.
“As men, we need to be conscious of the privilege we have. It’s not something that we, for lack of a better word, ‘asked’ for, but it’s rooted deeply in our everyday lives.
“It’s something I myself am still trying to be more aware of,” he said.
Josh Blake, an actor in one of the pieces titled TRANSE, recounted how even those closest to him would invoke negative gender stereotypes to critique his behaviour and later, his choice of career.
“Growing up, I had friends tell me, ‘Josh, you need to walk more like a man’. What does ‘walking like a man’ even mean?
“I also got comments like, ‘oh Josh does theatre? Isn’t that a ‘gay’ thing?’” he said.
The young actor believes that these stereotypes are instilled in people at a young age after making certain observations in a class where he teaches speech and drama.
“I’ve had a four-year-old tell me I look good with long hair, but older kids who are 10 or 11 ask me why I look like a girl.
“I think there’s a huge shift in a child’s mindset between the ages of four to 10 and I want to know what contributes to that.
“That’s why I wanted to get involved with THESE and show that gender and superficial appearances don’t matter as long as you realise that the other person you’re looking it is human.”
Making gender discrimination a talking point
Ranessa Theyakaraja, director and stylist for a piece titled Head in the Clouds, drew on her own personal experiences of having to live up to countless expectations simply because she was born a woman.
“My piece is about how women always expect so much of themselves and pressure themselves to make sure everything is right.
“Even our parents and husbands, they expect women to do things like cook, clean, take care of the baby, take care of their spouse, iron his clothes, make his breakfast, and on top of that, since we’re multitasking, we have to have sex with him too.”
The exhausting process of having to live up to these norms prompted Dhinesha to make connections between the power dynamics that influence interactions between the sexes, noting that women often have to deal with additional pressure due to gender roles being so strongly rooted in our culture.
“It’s very hard to tear away the patriarchal mindset from gender. It’s so connected with the tradition and norms we have in place.
“It’s like a rulebook except boys and girls are taught different chapters in the book, and I think the girls have more chapters to cover.”
As a result, Skatu and Dhinesha have gone the extra mile to make sure that there’s a balanced perspective in THESE with enough female voices to share their stories on their platform.
Skatu hopes that audiences can take away positive messages regarding sex and gender after seeing the show by simply showcasing the stories in an authentic manner.
“Some people say that when you do theatre, you have to tell a story and the values are subliminally inserted in there.
“But I feel like sometimes people need to be confronted in the face with text and told literally what is what, because certain topics can just fly by them.”
THESE will be shown from July 4 to July 14 at AkuSembunyi in Petaling Jaya.
Tickets are priced at RM60 and RM50 for senior citizens and students with the promo code “CONCESS”.
The show is for mature audiences only, containing partial nudity, strong language, tight spaces, loud noises, and sexual themes.
For exact showtimes and ticketing information, visit the event’s official Facebook page .
