| Kee Thuan Chye | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 紀傳財 (Traditional) |
| Chinese name | 纪传财 (Simplified) |
| Born | May 25, 1954 Penang, Malaysia |
| Occupation | Journalist, editor, author, playwright, actor, and civil liberty advocate |
| Spouse(s) | Lim Choy Wan |
| Children | Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin (daughter), and Jebat Arjuna Kee Jia Liang (son) |
Kee Thuan Chye (born May 25, 1954; aged 57) is a prominent Malaysian actor, dramatist, poet and journalist. Acting in theatre, films, and on television for more than 30 years, he continues to do so. In 1981, Kee co-founded the theatre group, KAMI, in Kuala Lumpur. A noted civil rights activist, he would express in his plays whatever he could not express through the newspapers under Malaysia's repressive Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). For speaking out without fear or favor, Kee was among the first recipients of The Annexe Heroes Freedom of Expression Awards when it was launched in 2008.[2] In 2010, he was also voted the 34th Most Trusted Malaysian in a poll conducted by Reader's Digest.[2]
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Born in Penang, Malaysia, Kee Thuan Chye joined the now-defunct National Echo newspaper as a literary editor after graduating from Universiti Sains Malaysia (Science University of Malaysia) in 1976. In 1979, he moved from Penang to Kuala Lumpur to join the New Straits Times (NST), serving various positions including news sub-editor, entertainment editor, leader writer and for 10 years, its literary editor. A theatre columnist for the New Sunday Times (1980–1981), he also wrote a weekly film review column for the New Straits Times (1980–1984) and a weekly column on the arts for Business Times (1986–1987).
Although social reengineering under the New Economic Policy had already begun after the May 13 Incident of 1969, it became more pronounced after Mahathir bin Mohamad became Prime Minister in 1981. At the New Straits Times, Kee Thuan Chye received numerous memos from his editor-in-chief for trying to push the parameters and opening up public discourse on what was deemed 'sensitive' issues. Firmly believing that the responsibility of a journalist to the public is to inform them of the truth, he had to battle with his superiors and as a consequence, he was often punished, marginalized, and shut out.[3] In 1988, Kee received his Master's degree in drama from the University of Essex, after being awarded a British Council Fellowship for postgraduate studies in England.
In 2001, Kee Thuan Chye became the Associate Editor of The Star in Kuala Lumpur, creating and editing the English column, Mind Our English, until retirement in May 2009.[4] His Sunday Star column, Playing The Fool, which he began in April 2001, ran for only two installments before it was cancelled. In his inaugural article, Kee had written that he would be speaking out frankly on social and political issues, without fear or favor. His second article, hitting out at racial discrimination in Malaysia, was published but when it came to his third article, the editors got jittery and suppressed it. The Star finally decided to terminate the column after Kee submitted his fourth article.
Other publications featuring his articles and reviews include Asiaweek, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Asia Magazine.
Kee Thuan Chye has appeared in numerous films and television series over the last 30 years, including acting in commercials and corporate videos. Film roles include not only the internationally acclaimed Malaysian film Sell Out! and 1957 Hati Malaya, in which he played independence fighter Tan Cheng Lock, but also international productions such as Entrapment, Anna and the King, the Hallmark TV-movie Marco Polo, and Secrets of the Forbidden City for the BBC and the History Channel.
On Malaysian TV, Kee Thuan Chye was the regular character Han Lee in the long-running series City of the Rich as well as the villain in the TV series 10 (Sepuluh), apart from numerous guest appearances. In 2008, he played the lead role in the Mediacorp TV-movie Sense of Home: Kampung Kid, shot in Cambodia. Kee was among the main cast in the Singapore drama series Perceptions and the TV-movie Love Matters. He also guested in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and Singapore Shakes! On stage, he has acted in countless productions since 1977 but the one role he is proudest of is that of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Also a voice talent, Kee has done voice-overs for countless radio and TV commercials. He is the voice of Ludwig von Drake for the Malay version of Walt Disney's TV series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and House of Mouse.
Kee has had poetry published in various Malaysian national newspapers, and in local and international journals such as Masakini, Pacific Quarterly Moana, Southeast Asian Review of English, Sands and Coral, Solidarity, Ideya, Ariel, Kunapipi, and Focus. Two of his plays have been featured at UK Festivals. The Big Purge was read at the International East Asian Playreading Festival as part of Typhoon 4 at the Soho Theatre in 2005. The Swordfish, Then the Concubine was placed among the Top 5 at the Warehouse Theatre's 21st International Playwrighting Festival in 2006. Of his other plays, 1984 Here and Now is included in an international anthology called Postcolonial Plays, published by Routledge, United Kingdom, and We Could **** You, Mr Birch has been adopted as a text in numerous Malaysian universities since the mid-1990s. Kee's short story, A Sense of Home, is included in New Writing 10, published by Picador, United Kingdom. He has also written numerous radio plays and directed 10 stage productions.
In 1998, Kee Thuan Chye was invited as a guest writer to the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Brisbane Writers Festival, and Spring Writing in Sydney. And in 2001, he was invited to the inaugural Standard Chartered International Literary Festival in Hong Kong. Kee was invited in 2011 to join Turkish, Egyptian, Iraqi, Ethiopian, and Malaysian writers as part of the Writers Unlimited Tour held in Kuala Lumpur.
Kee Thuan Chye has been a judge and regional chairperson of the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize. He was on the panel in 1997 and 1998 when the final judging was done in London and Jamaica respectively. In 2010, Kee was recalled to be a judge for the Southeast Asia and South Pacific region.
Kee Thuan Chye's political awakening began when he could not afford to pursue his Masters degree unless he had a tutor's position.[3] He applied for the post at Universiti Sains Malaysia, his alma mater, and although he was the top student in his class, the job was given to someone else.[3] Kee then joined the now-defunct National Echo as a literary editor where he wrote scathingly about political matters. Moving from Penang to Kuala Lumpur to join the New Straits Times in the late 1970s, he saw more clearly how race had been politicized to divide the people. Mahathir bin Mohamad who had become the Prime Minister in 1981 was becoming increasingly dictatorial and would tolerate no criticism of him and his government in the media.
What Kee Thuan Chye could not express through the newspaper, he eventually expressed in his plays. 1984 Here and Now which spoke out frankly against Big Brother and institutionalized racial discrimination, played to full houses in 1985,[3] followed, amongst others, by The Big Purge which brazenly satirizes Mahathir and Operation Lalang.
In the aftermath of the 2008 general elections, Kee Thuan Chye rushed out his book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up in a record three months, due to the topicality of the subject matter. This was followed by March 8: Time for Real Change in 2010. For speaking out without fear or favor, Kee was among the first recipients of The Annexe Heroes Freedom of Expression Awards when it was launched by The Annexe Gallery at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur in 2008 to recognize Malaysians who have done outstanding work in championing freedom of expression in the previous year.[5] In 2010, he was also voted the 34th Most Trusted Malaysian in a poll conducted by Reader's Digest.[2]
| Year | Title | Role | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sell Out! | CEO 1 | Directed by Yeo Joon Han (Amok Films) |
| 2007 | 1957 Hati Malaya | Tan Cheng Lock | Directed by Shuhaimi Baba (Pesona Pictures) |
| 2004 | Ah Lok Kafe: The Movie | Char Koay Teow | Directed by Anwardi Jamil |
| 2001 | Snipers | Mr. Tan | Written and directed by James Lee |
| 2000 | Lips to Lips | Scrabble Man | Written and directed by Amir Muhammad |
| 1999 | Anna and the King | Second Judge | Directed by Andy Tennant, starring Jodie Foster (Twentieth Century Fox) |
| Entrapment | Trader #1 | Directed by Jon Amiel, starring Sean Connery (Twentieth Century Fox) |
Kee Thuan Chye has appeared in more than 20 television dramas, including but not limited to:
| Year | Title | Role | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 10 (Sepuluh) | Liew | 8-episode TV drama series |
| Mr Siao's Mandarin Class | Robert Toh | TV sitcom | |
| 2008 | Sense of Home: Kampung Kid | Marcus Owyang | Lead role in the TV-movie, shot in Siem Reap, Cambodia |
| Secrets of the Forbidden City | Xia Yuanji | Playing the role of Minister of Revenue to the Emperor Yongle in the dramatized documentary for the BBC and the History Channel | |
| 2007 | Marco Polo: Discovery of the World | Chief Map Maker | Hallmark TV-movie |
| 2006 | Realiti | David Yeoh | A TV series |
| 2004 | Singapore Shakes! | David Setoh | 'Seventh Month' episode of the Singapore series |
| Perceptions | Victor Wong | Main-cast member in the 13-episode Singapore series | |
| 2003 | Each Other | Ronnie Ng | Semi-regular role in the 13-episode drama series |
| 2002 | Kopitiam | Kok Hui | Guest role in one episode of the 3rd season |
| Love Matters: The Marriage Factor | Daddy | A Singapore telemovie | |
| 2001 | Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd | Lim Pek Kong | Guest role of one episode of the Singapore sitcom |
| 2000 | Teh Tarik Dot Com | Vince | Main cast member of the 13-episode sitcom |
| 1999 | Kopitiam | Major Lim | Guest role of in one episode of sitcom (2nd season) |
| 1996-1997 | City of the Rich | Han Lee | Main cast member in the 200-episode series |
| 1984 | Maria | Peter | A Malay TV drama |
| 1977 | Bailey's Bird | Ming Ho | Guest role in German-Australian TV series |
Kee Thuan Chye has written, directed, and acted in numerous plays, including but not limited to:
| Year | Title | Role | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Swordfish + Concubine: The Fall of Singapura |
Writer | Directed by Jonathan Lim, Young 'n' Wild, Singapore |
| The Baling Talks | Actor (as Chin Peng) |
Played at the Singapore Arts Festival for Five Arts Centre | |
| 2008 | The Swordfish, Then the Concubine | Writer | Directed by Ivan Heng, premiered as the opening play of the Singapore Theatre Festival 2008, organized by Wild Rice Productions. |
| 2006 | The Swordfish, Then the Concubine | Writer | The play made it to the Top 5 out of over 600 entries to the International Playwriting Festival, organized by the Warehouse Theatre in Croydon, United Kingdom, with excerpts presented at the festival in November 2006 |
| 2005 | The Big Purge | Writer | Selected for Typhoon 4, a playreading festival organized by the Yellow Earth Theatre, held in Soho Theatre, London |
| 2002 | Beautifully Read | Actor | A performance sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, directed by Karin delaPena, Artistic Director of Speaking of Stories, based in Santa Barbara, California |
| 1994 | We Could **** You Mr. Birch | Writer-cum-director | Performed for two seasons in June and December 1994. The play was invited to the Festival of Asian Performing Arts in Singapore in 1995 (performances on 5–6 June at the World Trade Centre Auditorium). |
| 1993 | The Birch and the Rod | Director | A play written by K.S. Maniam, premiering at the Australasian Drama Studies Association Conference in Perth, Western Australia |
| 1992 | Macbeth | Director | A Shakespearean play |
| 1990 | Gulls | Lead actor | Directed by Robert Hewett |
| The Proposal | Actor (as Chubukhov) |
Play written by Anton Chekhov | |
| 1989 | Death of a Salesman | Actor (as Willy Loman) | Play written by American playwright Arthur Miller |
| 1988 | The Big Purge | Writer | Selected for Typhoon 4, a playreading festival organized by Yellow Earth Theatre and held in Soho Theatre, London |
| 1987 | Anak Tanjung | Actor (as Ah Heng) |
A Malay play written by Noordin Hassan |
| 1986 | The Coffin Is Too Big for the Hole | Actor (one-man performance) | Play written by Kuo Pao Kun |
| 1985 | 1984 Here and Now | Writer | Staged in 1985 by Five Arts Centre, directed by Krishen Jit |
| Yap Ah Loy - The Play | Actor (various roles) |
Play written by Chin San Sooi | |
| 1984 | Long Day's Journey Into Night | Actor (as Jamie Tyrone) |
Play written by Eugene O'Neill |
| 1981 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Actor (as Claudius) |
Play written by Tom Stoppard |
| 1977 | Eyeballs, Leper, and a Very Dead Spider | Writer-cum-director | - |
| Antigone | Actor (as Creon) |
Play written by Jean Anouilh | |
| 1974 | Oh, But I Don't Want To Go, Oh, But I Have To... | Writer-cum-director | - |
| The Situation of the Man who Stabbed a Dummy or a Woman and was Disarmed by the Members of the Club for a Reason Yet Obscure, If There Was One | Writer-cum-director | - | |
| 1973 | An Old Man Died Today | Writer-cum-director | - |
Apart from publishing numerous articles, Kee Thuan Chye has authored several books, including: