Drama in English
'You are a threat to the nation's security!' the interrogator (Kee Thuan Chye) accuses Wiran (Saleh Ben Joned) in a scene from the controversial 1984 Here and Now.
From the appearance of the first Malaysian drama in English in the 1960s, the genre has developed enormously, growing in both range and confidence. It has outgrown the traditional link between the language and British colonialism; playwrights writing in English are drawn from each of the major Malaysian ethnic groups. Since the 1980s, comedic plays have proved particularly popular with writers and audiences alike. Occasionally the use of political satire has led to government restriction.
- Information in the full article includes
- Early original work
- 1969 setback
- Beginning of a revival
- Comedy and contemporary drama