“A War, A Pandemic, 11 Actors — Welcome to 1918 in 2021.”

“Unity (1918)” by Kevin Kerr tells the story of a small town – Unity in Saskatchewan, Canada, as they confront the 1918 flu pandemic that killed an estimated 20-50 million people worldwide. The play earned him the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama in 2002.

This recorded performance shot over two and a half weeks in Pentas 1, klpac examines the parallels and differences of our past and present. A reminder that deaths all over the world need to be more than just a number. Have things changed from the 1918 pandemic? What lessons have we learned, forgotten, and perhaps need more reminding of?

In 2020, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns devasted the theatre community, shows were cancelled, there was no work to be found, the essence and essentialness of the arts a looming question. It’s 2021, not much has changed. But with a small window of opportunity between lockdowns, 11 actors, a small cast and crew, rehearse and shoot “Unity (1918)” in klpac. Working to tell a story that is relevant to the time, to raise funds for klpac, to create despite the world seemingly crumbling to a halt.

In conjunction with the anniversary of Malaysia’s Movement Control Order, “Unity (1918)” is now set to premiere. Directed by Tung Jit Yang and co-directed by Dawn Cheong, “Unity (1918)” serves to #saveklpac and serves to kick off The Actors Studio’s 2021 season.

Executive Producer | Dato’ Dr. Faridah Merican
Artistic Director | Joe Hasham OAM
Director | Tung Jit Yang
Co-Director | Dawn Cheong
Director of Photography & Editor | Bryan Chang
Assistant Director of Photography | Ali Motamedi
Editor | Sebastian Ng
Assistant Production & Stage Manager | Benedict Chin

Group General Manager | Ian Chow
Assistant General Manager | Lawrence Selvaraj
Assistant General Manager | Gan Eng Cheng
Senior Art Director | Joel Wong
General Manager, Marketing Communications | Ang Yue May
Senior Publicist | Maggie Ong
Publicist | Vishallini Vikram Gopal