‘Family’ by Leow Puay Tin

A performance permit was issued for ‘Family’ to be staged in a disused mansion on Jalan Ampang, KL (with the permission of the owners). DBKL did an about face however, and threatened to retract the permit as the house was not a designated performance venue. Five Arts Centre submitted an appeal and DBKL allowed the show to complete its run. Subsequently, DBKL announced that it would not issue performance permits for performances outside designated venues, impacting community-based and site-specific performances. Ironically, under these new guidelines, traditional performances of Wayang Kulit, and Chinese Opera would technically be disallowed. (Source: Five Arts Centre).