Qum & Taqdir Ramadhan Discovery Bundle Show

 A NIGHT OF HOLY REMEMBRANCE

The holy month of Ramadhan has arrived and countless of Muslims, in Malaysia and other places, seek peace and tranquillity, to cleanse the soul and purify the lifestyle from all sanctions of temptations and lust. Universiti Teknologi Petronas' theatre club, Tronoh Theatre Shop (TTS) in collaboration with Rakan Masjid UTP (RM) decided it was high time to bring something new to the audience which can remind us of Allah the Almighty at the same time. This was in conjunction with an event called Ramadhan Discovery that is happening in UTP throughout Ramadhan. Together they produced the theatre production entitled, Qum & Taqdir.

For RM5, you get 6 short performances all aimed to remind the audience about the do's and don'ts of fasting during Ramadhan and about the beauty of repentance in this holy month. The performance was carried out in UTP's Multipurpose Hall (MPH) with almost a full house of audience. 

The opening act was by TTS' own mimers with a performance entitled 'Buka Puasa' (Breaking Fast). It was a series of hilarious non-verbal actions which signifies the one human weakness during fasting, cravings for good food. It was such a weakness that they had to fight for a box of Domino's Pizza. The mimers were very good in a sense that they reflected their expressions well. It was an enjoyable opening act.

The second act is by Mohd Zulfarid, who performed 2 songs entitled 'Bukan Kerna Nama' and 'Harapan Ramadhan'. His voice was astoundingly good and he is known to be the comedian. He proved it well when he decided to interrupt his own singing act by stopping and repeating the whole song...twice. But it did stir some confusion among the audience, and me as well, as what was his purpose in doing so. Was he truly unprepared, or was it all just a comedic scheme to enlighten our hearts? 

Then comes the first main act, Taqdir. It represented the trials and challenges in raising children born out of wedlock (anak luar nikah) and how one small slip can create a huge disaster in the form of an ungrateful step-son. The story was cut off short of a boy shouting as his mother, which again adds to some confusion among the audience. None the less it was a good performance which reminded us to appreciate the people who have taken care of us. Because our sinful actions could easily be the cause of our harm and injuries impended by Allah.

After the lights dimmed, there was a short tazkirah session by the mimers (again!). This session was light and funny in contrast to the serious tone of Taqdir. A narrator advised those present the do's and don'ts of fasting during Ramadhan as the mimers cheekily acted them out. I think 'miming' religious advice is a creative way to grasp the viewer's attention and it could be a unique form of daa'wa.

The next performing act included talented musicians from UTP itself, Boja and Jeff (from the famous UTP band Threnody). They performed 3 songs consisting messages of remembering Allah and being a good Muslim. It was a very interesting performance; however they could have done a lot better in gaining the audience's attention. 

Finally the second main act comes alive on stage, Qum. The scene started off with a confused and delusional young man who is visited by an Ustaz, who showed him the progress of Muslims over the centuries. We have become lifeless souls putting importance to worldly matters and insignificant petty social routines such as fooling around, gossiping, sleeping instead of performing salah, and making fun of people who do good deeds. I like the message of the drama, where to Allah we shall return, and almost infinitely, oblivion is inevitable. Our actions on earth will decide how we will fare in the hereafter. It was attention-grabbing and full of dramatic scenes where we could relate because one way or the other we have committed those sins ourselves. And in that brief period of time, we reflect back on what we've done and what the message conveyed really means. Do we realise the sins that we commit, and if so...do we have the courage to stop committing them?

Overall it was a good show, not as good as the previous TTS performances. But the story line and plots were relatable and easy enough to understand. There was a couple of glitches in their performances such as late audio que and unsynchronised lighting to name a few. Maybe the crew needs to troubleshoot their technical expertise in order to improve and guarantee a successful almost glitch-free performance.

Hearty congratulations to the directors of Taqdir and Qum: Amiratul Husna and Nik Ahmad Aiman respectively. They did a great job in producing these shows. Script was prepared by Dr Shark, UTP's own lecturer. :

Tronoh Theater Shop Qum dan Taqdir from Kekanda on Vimeo.


For more photos please visit Qum & Taqdir Ramadhan Discovery Bundle Show
Taqdir:

Nuryn as Aisyah

Hakimah as Munah

Farhana as Anita

Apai as Mazlan

Chan as Chong

Daus as Khairil

Haris as Johan

Aiman as Dr Fitri

Qum:

Najmi as Alim1 

Zulfaris as Alim 2

Haikal as Ustaz

Baem as Orang 1

Hisyam as Orang 2

Buza as Orang 3

Sheeril as Gossip Girl 1

Hajar as Gossip Girl 2

Jenny as Gossip Girl 3

Hariz as Awan Nano

Farhana as Furapanda

Review written by Shahirah Loqman

Tweet