The Lessons of Silence

In The Lessons of Silence, a young girl goes about her day with joy and ease. She attends school, walks to her English class, and plays badminton outside her home with other children from the neighbourhood. Suddenly, their game is abruptly stopped by her parents. The atmosphere shifts completely, tense and urgent. The girl begins preparing to evacuate, while her father hurriedly gathers valuables and important documents.

Set during a violent event, director Agnes Christina explores themes of race, class and the intimate dynamics between children and parents. Told without dialogue between the two actors, the work relies on naturalistic physical expression, creating emotional resonance without over-dramatisation.

Credits:
Director & playwright: Agnes Christina
Performers: Budi S Gemak, Sora Gia
Narrator: Denta Aditya
Artistic designer: Popok Tri Wahyudi
Lighting designer: Robby Ramadhan
Sound designer: Nicholas Yudifar

The artist will also be conducting a participatory script reading workshop as part of KL Festival 2026.

Workshop details coming soon!

Content Advisory: 
Themes of violence and unrest.  

💡Accessibility Note
⁠If you are a wheelchair user or a senior citizen with limited mobility, please indicate this when booking so we can make the necessary arrangements to welcome you more comfortably.

In Lessons of Silence, seorang gadis menjalani kehidupannya seperti biasa. Dia pergi ke sekolah, berjalan ke kelas tuisyen bahasa Inggeris dan bermain badminton di luar rumahnya bersama kanak-kanak lain di taman rumahnya. Tiba-tiba, ibu bapa mereka menghalang. Suasana berubah tegang. Ketika gadis itu sedang bersiap-siap untuk berpindah keluar, bapanya tergesa-gesa mengumpulkan barang berharga dan dokumen penting.

Berlatarbelakangkan suatu peristiwa berdarah, pengarah Agnes Christina meneroka tema kaum, kelas dan dinamik intim antara anak dan ibu bapa. Disampaikan tanpa dialog antara kedua-dua pelakon, karya ini bergantung pada ekspresi fizikal yang tidak dibuat-buat, sekali gus menyampaikan getaran emosi tanpa dramatisasi berlebihan.