Good evening and welcome to our Evening with Malaysia.

As producers we did our very best to oversee every phase of the show from inception to completion. We worked and certainly bonded with everyone in our dedicated and talented production crew from the actors, dancers, singers, props and design team, to the stage managers and technical team.

Following the success from our very first Malaysian Night last year, we were sure that we wanted to deliver another great show to showcase our rich Malaysian culture to the world. Following a light-hearted, fantasy-like theme for our shows, we decided to put our own Malaysian twist to one of our favourite childhood tales: Anastasia.

Inspired by the animated film we watched as a child, we knew that there was always something special about the story itself. We recognise that Anastasia is something that all of us can relate to at some point or other in our lives. It is not just about a lost young woman trying to find out about her past and her family. It is also a tale about getting through tough times, the journey of discovering life, and stepping out of your comfort zone to discover your true identity.

Get ready for a tale of self-discovery, joy, heartbreak, jealousy, friendship and love. University of Kent’s Malaysian Society Committee is proud to present to you: Anastasia.

Thank you for your support, we certainly hope you enjoy the show and have a wonderful evening!

My initial thought when I first became the director was how I wanted to share my previous Malaysian Night experience with new members. Little

did I know, instead of a breeze in a park, I would be accepted into a whirlwind of acting, frustration, passion and laughter for five months.

Bringing the story – imagined by our creative scriptwriters Aveena and Aina – to life was a tough journey, but still an enjoyable one. An example: making sure character portrayals were to be deep to the core, yet certain originality from the cast was to be remained intact. I would have never ever made it through without the cast and crew.

It was my darling crazy casts bringing me to new heights, amazing me with their raw talent and making me laugh and scream at the same time. To the stage managers and technical team, you have my utmost gratitude for your hard work and patience working with me. To the lovely choreographers and their dancers, I know about the immense practices you had and I would like to say, you all have done a wonderful job bringing together beautiful dance pieces.

For the artistic and dedicated props team, I salute you: the backdrops and the handmade props, all done within a time constraint. As for the design and photography team, I can’t thank you enough for designing and producing amazing promotional visuals.

And a shout out to a special group of individuals, thank you for taking some of your time out to assist the committee and I for the event. Last but not least, the people who have been with me since day 1, every single step of the way, my dear committee members, to each and every one of you: thank you, terima kasih, 谢谢 (xie xie), நன்றி (nanri).

I could not ask for a more brilliant cast, crew and producers to work with. They have worked so hard and put so much effort into this event. And who else better to share this memorable event with than you, the audience?

So sit back and relax. I hope you would enjoy the play as we bring you back to the beginning of Anastasia: the story of finding one’s true self.

or formerly “Malaysian Students Department of UK & Eire”, is one of the constituents of the Ministry of Higher Education. It was established in February 1954 as “Malayan Students Unit of the Colonial Office”. It is now located at 30 – 34 Queensborough Terrace, London.

was formerly known as the “Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia (TDC)”. Established on 10 August 1972, it is currently an agency under the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.

Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds with its focus on promoting Malaysia at the domestic and international levels. It aims to market Malaysia as a premier destination of excellence in the region. Its vision is to make the tourism industry a prime contributor to the socio-economic development of the nation.

With the growth of world tourism and Malaysia’s potential as a tourism destination, Tourism Malaysia has contributed to the change and focus in the country’s tourism sector. It now has 34 overseas offices and 11 marketing representative offices.

Kent’s Evening with Malaysia presents a tale that we know every member of the audience will enjoy to the fullest. Based

on the animated film Anastasia that was released in 1997 by Fox Animation Studios, and given a Malaysian twist, our play tells the story of Anastasia, a young girl separated from her beloved grandmother at the tender age of eight, all because of the actions of a jealous bomoh (Malay shaman), Rasputin. Ten years later, with no recollection of her past, she starts her journey to find her family.

Follow the determined Anya as she travels to the heart of KL in a journey of self-discovery, along with Dmitri – the conman and loving son with lessons to learn along the way, and Muthu – the buddy they both need to lighten the mood. Meet Rasputin, still twisted by jealousy ten years later, and his loyal but misguided servant Bartok. Watch the heartbreak of a grandmother after losing the only family member she has left and the theatrics of the mismatched but very much in love couple, Aunty Sofia and Pak Mir.

Infused with enchanting performances and a captivating cast, our Malaysian take on Anastasia is one that is bound to provide you with an evening of delightful entertainment!

STAGEMANAGERS

SCRIPTWRITER

+ EDITOR: Farah Raihanah

DESIGN

LIGHT & SOUND

PHOTOGRAPHER

PROPS

+ Aliyah

VOCALS& MUSIC

ANYA/ANASTASIA

YOUNG ANASTASIA

NENEK

MAKCIK NITA

AUNTY SOFIA

DMITRI

RASPUTIN

PAK MIR MUTHU

BARTOK

MALAY DANCE

INDIAN DANCE

CHINESE FAN DANCE

+ Karyl + Xiao Yen+ Xiao Chin

KL – Kuala LumpurNek – GrandmotherSayang – Darlingcicak – lizardnak kena rotan lagi – want to be caned againbomoh – shamanDulu takpe lagi, sekarang, punya lah bahaya. Tak sama tau!

–Last time was still fine but now it’s too dangerous. Not the same!

Mak – Motherkonon – supposedlyye lah tu – yeah rightMakcik – AuntyDah pergi mana ni? – Where did you go?Mat Salleh – Western peoplesepak takraw – kick volleyballcantik – beautifulbaju – shirtdia betul-betul sedih – he is really sadkompang – drums