Come listen to stories from the Nusantara through the voices of playwrights from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore at Nusantara Open Circle, a transnational programme that explores new writings of short scripts from playwrights in the region! Be the first to experience dramatised readings of three short plays by playwrights Maudy Puteri Agusdina (Indonesia), Adriana Nordin Manan (Malaysia) and Norenshah Sahari (Singapore). Each read will be accompanied by a feedback session where you can learn more about the artist and their craft while sharing your responses to their work.

End your evening with a spirited panel discussion involving the playwrights and representatives from Main Tulis Group, Kuala Lumpur-based collective Panas Panas Theatre and the Indonesian Dramatic Reading Festival. Be part of a nuanced discourse surrounding themes, resonances, and areas of interest for writers, makers and producers from the region.

This is the second of three editions of NOC. The 2026 and 2027 editions involve a development phase, which comprise open calls for new plays, and mentorships with the region’s most notable playwrights.

The mentors for this year’s edition are Ibed Surgana Yuga (Indonesia), Leow Puay Tin (Malaysia) and Zulfadli Rashid (Singapore). This year’s open call theme was Lapar (Hungry).

The plays will be in Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia and English, with English surtitles. All discussions will be conducted in English. 

Mandi Bunga

Scripted by Norenshah Sahari  (Singapore)
Performed by Rilla Melati, Norsiah Ramly, Siti Zuraida, Rusydina Afiqah

Am I the one? The only one? She is never sure. She can be insecure. She is hungry for information and validation that she is safe in the relationship. She craves to know. She desires a situation of stability. And sometimes she’ll do anything. Mandi Bunga is a play about two women who visit a fortune teller to find out the state of one of their relationships.

Amuk

Scripted by Maudy Puteri Agusdina (Indonesia)
Performed by Fadly Awaludin, Suhaili Safari, Al-Hafiz Hosni, Lyn Hanis Redzuan, Giovanni Harris

Marissa lives a perfect life as the devoted wife of Lukman, a respected politician. Their home is warm and harmonious, where Marissa finds daily joy in cooking meals for her husband.

When Lukman is detained over a serious accusation, the family’s routine collapses. As the news spreads, Marissa has to find the truth about her husband. Will she stand by him or turn against him?

Akademi

Scripted by Adriana Nordin Manan (Malaysia)
Performed by Ruzaini Rashid, Rizal Aiman, Ali Mazrin

There’s a rumble in a dodgy scam centre in Kuala Lumpur, and it’s not the sound of bank accounts being emptied out. Ajai and Pian, two junior scammers, are on a mission and only one person stands in their way is their supervisor, Encik Rosli. Amidst the sweet talking, impersonation, and badly photoshopped purchase orders, Akademi shows us how the scam economy, inflated egos, and misplaced ambition bring these men into situations of the sketchiest proportions.