JCPAC brings two distinctive theatre productions this September

The Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre (JCPAC) will present two contrasting Malaysian theatre productions this September, bringing together food, family, mythology, grief and contemporary storytelling across two separate productions.

The month opens with award-winning filmmaker and actor Gavin Yap’s FORK IT: One Man’s Journey Through Food & Memories, running from September 11 to 13, before Eurydice, directed by award-winning theatre-maker Ghafir Akbar, takes the stage from September 18 to 27.

FORK IT explores food, family and Malaysian identity

Following two sold-out seasons at Bobo KL in 2024 and 2025, FORK IT moves to JCPAC for what organisers describe as its biggest presentation to date.

Written by Yap and Honey Ahmad and performed by Yap, the 75-minute one-man production uses food and personal memories to explore family, identity, heritage and belonging.

Drawing on Yap’s experiences growing up as a mixed Chinese-English Malaysian, the production combines humour with more reflective moments, examining how meals and family recipes can preserve memories across generations.

“Food is never just food,” Yap said.

“Every dish carries a memory. Every family has recipes that hold stories, traditions and people we never forget. I wanted to create a show that reminds us that while our backgrounds may be different, the table is where we laugh, argue, celebrate, heal and ultimately find each other.”

The production also reflects the broader role of food in Malaysian culture, where shared meals frequently cross ethnic and cultural boundaries.

FORK IT will be staged at JCPAC from September 11 to 13, with performances at 8.30pm and 3pm. Tickets are available through Cloudjoi.

Eurydice reimagines a familiar myth through her eyes

The following week, JCPAC will present Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, a contemporary reinterpretation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice that places the woman at the centre of the narrative.

Directed by Ghafir Akbar, the production runs from September 18 to 27 at JCPAC’s 150-seat Studio.

The cast features Vinna Law in the title role, marking her return to the Malaysian stage after developing her career in London. She is joined by Jo Kukathas, Anne James and Sukania Venugopal as the chorus of the Underworld, alongside Gavin Yap, Terence Swampillai and Tinesh Janaki Raman as Orpheus.

The play follows Eurydice after her death on her wedding day, as she enters an unusual Underworld where she reunites with her father while gradually losing memories of her former life and love.

Rather than presenting grief solely as a sombre experience, the production combines surreal imagery, humour and theatrical invention with themes of love, memory and loss.

Akbar, a two-time Straits Times Life Theatre Award winner for Best Actor and recipient of the 2023 Cameronian Arts Awards’ Best Director award for Fault Lines, leads the production.

The two productions offer markedly different approaches to storytelling while sharing a focus on personal experiences and emotional connections, highlighting JCPAC’s role as a platform for both original Malaysian work and international contemporary theatre.

Eurydice tickets are priced at RM90, RM120 and RM150 through Cloudjoi.