Faridah Merican

(This is an extract from  the entry for Encyclopedia of Women in Islamic Cultures, posted April 2011)
Faridah Merican is the actor, director and producer of either gender with the greatest longevity and influence in Malaysia and is frequently called the First Lady of Malaysian Theatre. Her career spans acting, directing, and producing. She demonstrates the evolution from helpmate to powerful theatre leader, capable of “kicking men out” [of rehearsals].

A direct descendant of the Indian Muslim trader, Kapitan Keling, (Cauder Mydin Merican) she was influenced as a child in Penang by popular theatre including Bangsawan and Chinese Opera, and presents herself as a secularist, uncomfortable with the idea of being a representative of Malay/Muslims in theatre.

Faridah became a teacher-trainee in Kota Bharu during the late 1950s, and then moved to KL in 1959, acting under directors like Krishen Jit and Syed Alwi in the postcolonial era. She performed leading roles in plays by male writers, including seminal works like Syed’s Alang Rentak Seribu and  Usman Awang’s Uda dan Dara.

During the 1960s, she began freelancing with Radio Malaysia as a broadcaster, programme host and newsreader, also working in the production side of the industry. In the early 1980s, she was co-founder of the theatre group KAMI (later renamed Kamikasih).

During the 1980s under a British Council grant, she took a short course in directing at Middlesex University in England (later the alma mater of Norzizi and academic Rohani Yousoff) then turned to directing, staging Hamlet three times in Malay. In 1989, she co-founded The Actors Studio with her husband Joe Hasham, a graduate of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art and in her view more “methodological” than she was. This was the first privately owned and operated theatre venue in Malaysia, dominating the growth of new work in the 1990s.

After the inundation in 2003 of the Actors’ Studio complex beneath Independence (Merdeka)  Square in KL, she and Hasham found the sponsorship to set up the KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPaC).  She was awarded the BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award at the country’s annual art awards for 2004.

Faridah’s career has been mostly in English language theatre, but as a producer she has facilitated Malay language productions at KLPaC like Titis Sakti. “I want to see a Malaysian Theatre and performing arts scene that we can be proud of…we can judge because we have been in the theatre for so long,” she says.

Helen Musa

From the Actors Studio Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Biography of Dato' Faridah Merican

Faridah was born in Penang and is a direct descendant to the famed Kapitan Keling. Exposure to bangsawan and Chinese Opera as a young child left a lasting impression on the woman who is known today as the First Lady of Malaysian Theatre.

Her acting career started in the late 1950s while studying at the Khota Bahru Teachers Training College. After moving to KL in 1959, she joined the circle of intellectuals and artists who formed the core of Malaysian theatre as it entered the postcolonial era. Faridah’s early acting credits include such plays as Lela Mayang, Tok Perak, Uda dan Dara, and Alang Rentak Seribu, works that defined Malaysian theatre in the 60s and 70s, and determined the direction that theatre would take in the next few decades.
In the early 60s, she joined Radio and TV Malaysia as a part-time broadcaster, programme host and national newsreader. Simultaneously, she was involved in the formative years of Malaysian Advertising, and is today, a member of the board of directors at Ogilvy & Mather. She also sits on the board of WWF and several other institutions.
In 1989, Faridah co-founded The Actors Studio with her husband Joe Hasham. As the first privately owned and operated theatre venue in Malaysia, The Actors Studio was instrumental to the growth of the performing arts in the 1990’s.
Faridah has, more than anyone else, guaranteed certain continuity in mainstream theatre by bridging the generational gap, working extensively with young people today. Her philosophy that ‘Performing Arts belong to all Malaysians’ has helped unite all practitioners and instilled a sense of community within Malaysian Performing Arts.
Her role in the arts has expanded from that of actress to director, producer and mentor. She is a tireless advocate for the arts, taking the message of a cultured Malaysia to the man on the street, corporate gurus and heads of government.
In June of 2003, floods destroyed the entire complex of The Actors Studio in Plaza Putra, Dataran Merdeka. Out of that devastation, Faridah’s ‘nothing is impossible’ attitude generated yet another ground-breaking event – the birth of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, set up by the YTL group, Penyayang and The Actors Studio.
In recognition of her multifaceted creativity, tenacity in democratising the arts and her commitment to developing new opportunities, Faridah Merican was awarded the BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004.
In July 2005 Faridah was conferred the ‘Darjah Dato’ Paduka Tuanku Ja’afar’ by the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan on the occasion of His Highness’ 83rd Birthday.
In August 2006 she received an Honorary Master of Letters at University Sains Malaysia’s 35th Convocation.