Bangkok Community Theatre – coping with the pandemic
by Dan O’Shea
We’re lucky, really, to have an outlet. Through all our years, we’ve gone through a ‘during’ moment. During the war, during the 80’s, during ‘that fashion phase’, during Trump! We now all share a ‘during Covid’ moment.
Well, what did you do during Covid? What have you taken up? Apart from your jeans size?!
If the opportunity to redo your last 18 months arose again, your best move would be to join the Bangkok Community Theatre (BCT).
Investing in Zoom, alcohol gel and face masks aside, being a part of a worldwide theatre community has been a brilliant release, a chance to feel part of a growing group of friends and a reawakening of the love of theatre in a brand new stage: Online.
A dynamic company of talent; offering the chance to star in, direct and write your own plays, Bangkok Community Theatre is as close knit group of actors and producers as you could ever hope to have the pleasure of meeting. They have successfully delivered 3 volumes of ‘Shorts’, a series of 10 minute filmed performances. Combining comedy, horror, romance and a close-to-home feel of those Zoom conference calls with your colleagues and neighbours that we’ve all become accustomed to in a fantastic 34 shows in total, over 3 volumes (5 of which from volume 3 were written by BCT’s own membership).
With BCT, there is the opportunity to work with incredible writers who have allowed us to put their words onto screen for 3 volumes since the world changed, and a collection of actors and directors from around the world who – at some stage in their lives have lived in Bangkok and were active in BCT – have now branched out to the UK, the USA, Dubai, South Africa, The Philippines and Pakistan as well as Bangkok and several other cities around Thailand.
If that’s not enough to whet your conversations about which vaccine you took or why you’re immune now, then joining the public Tuesday night play readings is a must for any lover of drama still going strong, this has been a total of 66 plays since the pandemic began (33 plays in 2020 and 33 in 2021 to date) from 7:30pm every Tuesday. On some occasions we were even given the premiere reading of the play by the playwright!
BCT also moved monthly club nights online for most of the past two years. Would be thespians could be found holding online quiz nights and theatre games plus workshops on Psycho Physical Acting, Character Development, and Page to Stage Script work, among others
Can you believe there is more that this group of players produce? Well there is! Auditions for the long awaited short movie ‘Go!’ took place this past spring. The film was created in Bangkok by BCT’s own writers, actors and directors, is currently in editing post production and will be released later this year.
All of the active brilliance that BCT offers is, almost, in its entirety down to Bonnie Zellerbach and the BCT Committee who, week-in-week out rally to gather all the players, writers and directors to show off what we have to offer.
Long may BCT continue to entertain us all during Covid, curfews and crash diets and fingers crossed we can soon return to theatres and rejuvenate a lifeblood that has long been missing in Bangkok! Theatre!
If you are interested in learning more, please see Bangkok Community Theatre’s website, facebook and Instagram page and catch up with all the latest Shorts on Bangkok Community Theatre’s Youtube channel. www.bangkokcommunitytheatre.com
