Reddo

Ever since lakhon phut ("spoken drama") came into the repertoire of Thai theatre 100 years ago, translations and adaptations of foreign dramatic works have played many roles. Not only are new stories told across cultural boundaries, but new styles of theatrical presentation are also introduced. At one end, there are literary translations that are sometimes criticised for being too literal and thus irrelevant, despite having a universal subject matter. At the other, adaptations are made with varying degrees of experimentation, with the result that they sometimes sound and look like new Thai works.

Oftentimes, play translators try to balance both source and target, taking into consideration the original playwright and the new audience. In fact, there's already a new term for this kind of practice - "tradaptation", a word taken from translation and adaptation. Usually, the plot, themes and dialogues are very much like the original but some socio-cultural contexts are altered so that the audience can better enjoy and understand it.

Thai people prefer adapting to adopting - think American fried rice, spaghetti pla khem and tom yum goong pizza - so it's not surprising that four of the most remarkable stage works in 2009 are examples of tradaptations and adaptations.

"Coming back to rehearsals, we've discovered more in the script by looking at it from another perspective. Although the overall tone of the play is quite intense, we find that we can interpret some scenes in lighter tones for stronger effect."