Being Carried

Being Carried is a new interdisciplinary theatre collaboration between Malaysia and the UK, combining monologues/text, movement, soundscapes, visual and spoken languages. 

The performance will explore how we are carried and how we carry others – physically, practically, emotionally, metaphorically – from birth cradled in parental arms to being carried to resting places after death. It will consider power dynamics and hierarchies, the baseline of being human - care, intimacy, resilience. What is it to assist, to be assisted – to transport, convey, transfer, lug?  What is it to hold and to be held and what relationships exist in this act of carriage?

An intimate chamber piece, Being Carried utilises traditional and innovative storytelling to reflect the beliefs, emotions and lived experience of disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent people in Malaysia. Funny, painful, full of fire and passion, these stories are informed by our grassroots community engagement with the disabled community, revealing perspectives rarely shared. 

Until now.

From the acclaimed team of And Suddenly I Disappear, a 2017/18 Unlimited International commission,  Being Carried expands on Kaite O'Reilly's model of The ‘d’ Monologues, initiated for her 2012 Unlimited Cultural Olympiad commission (In Water I’m Weightless, NTW/Southbank) with collaborators Grace Lee-Khoo (Access Path Productions, Singapore), Wheelsmith (Malaysia/Singapore) and Ho Lee Ching (Malaysia).

About the artists: 

Kaite O’Reilly is an award-winning dramaturg, playwright and screenwriter. Awards include Ted Hughes Award, Peggy Ramsay Award, and Theatre-Wales Award. She has been a two-time finalist in the James Tait Black Prize for Innovation in Drama and was honoured in the International Eliot Hayes Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramaturgy in 2017/18 for ‘Alternative Dramaturgies Informed by a Deaf and Disability Perspective’. Her debut feature film screenplay, The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg, won the Special Jury’s Prize (‘Hitchcock’) at Dinard Film Festival. A leading figure in disability arts and culture, O’Reilly’s pioneering plays for disabled and Deaf actors are produced internationally. Her acclaimed collections, Atypical Plays for Atypical Actors and The ‘d’ Monologues are published by Bloomsbury/Oberon. She is dramaturg and associate director for Rambert’s ‘Peaky Blinders’ ballet and is co-adapting TV series It’s a Sin for Rambert with artistic director/choreographer Benoit Swan Pouffer.

Ho Lee Ching is a neurodivergent and disabled theatre maker trained in dance/movement therapy (Dance Therapy Training New Zealand). She founded Teater Untuk Semua, a disabled-led theatre collective in Malaysia dedicated to creating accessible works for both performers and audiences. She co-directed _Siapa Cacat?_,the collective’s first production, featuring a cross-disability ensemble while also integrating sign language and audio description.

Her practice centres on devised and movement-based theatre, exploring themes of girlhood, neurodiversity, mental health, disability, and the body. She was formerly Director/Actor-in-Residence at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, where she led and facilitated the Theatre for Young People (T4YP) programme for eight years. Her directorial works include _Dead Water_ (2022), _In/Out_ (2019), _OCD_ (2018), and _Still Taming_ (2016), as well as movement direction for _Kandang_ (2017, 2019), Omar Ali’s adaptation of Animal Farm. She has presented work in South Korea, Russia, and Singapore, and is committed to advancing accessible artistic practices while challenging neuronormativity and normative ideas of desirability in Malaysia. She is currently working on _Being Carried_, directed by Kaite O’Reilly and the restage of _Siapa Cacat?_.

Wheelsmith is a multidisciplinary creative operating at the intersections of sound, image, and performance. A rapper, producer, theatre performer, and street photographer, his work is rooted in presence—capturing and commanding attention in equal measure. His artistic voice moves fluidly between introspective lyricism and bold expression, often shaped by lived experience and an instinct for storytelling.

On stage, he brings a magnetic energy, blending raw authenticity with crafted delivery. Behind the lens, his photography reflects a deep sensitivity to human connection—moments of stillness, tension, and quiet beauty unfolding in public spaces. As a music producer, he builds sonic landscapes that mirror his layered identity, balancing grit with refinement. Wheelsmith’s creative practice is not confined to one medium; it’s an evolving dialogue between disciplines. Each project extends his narrative, offering audiences a perspective that is both personal and universally resonant.

Geja is a stage performer, BIM song-singer and poet on YouTube, and Information provider. Her first BIM song-singing performance was on YouTube with her team, BIMusic, from 2020 to 2025. In 2022, she participated in the BIM Poetry: Empowering Deaf Women in Malaysia programme. As an information provider, she contributed to YouTube videos such as: 'UN ESCAP Sign Language' with Dr. Anthony Chong (2023), 'Mental Health for the Deaf Community' with Dino (2024) Her other notable performances include: 'Deafhood' at KLPAC (2023), 'DeTour Musical' at Elmina Mall, Shah Alam (2025), 'Siapa Cacat' at GMBB, KL (2025), 'Haruman Yang Indah' under Indah Water Indah Water Konsortium (2026) and collaborated with Kaite O'Reilly and Grace in the production 'Being Carried' at GMBB, KL (2026).

Ammar  is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist, live-performance maker, dancer, and choreographer based in Glasgow. Born and raised in Singapore, his work is influenced by the value of multi-racial and multi-religious heritage. Specializing as a dancer/ choreographer, his practice is focused primarily on the relationship between movement and music despite being deaf. Traditional art forms have been a key source of inspiration for his development. As an actor, he aims to create a contemporary piece that challenges the audience by creating an inclusive space that showcases unity between deaf and hearing performers.

Ammar was the recipient of the 2023 NAC Arts Scholarship and also the 2022 Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund. He is continually exploring how art can serve as a platform for social change, keeping a willing-open heart, with a focus on thought-provoking subjects through experimentation — with a particular focus on site-specific physicality, the aesthetics of (re)imagination, and expressionist multimedia performance.

Calysta Tay is a Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) Interpreter with over 5 years of experience, she has worked across a wide range of settings—from national TV news broadcasts to educational environments, courts, travel assignments, and live events. Skilled in both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, she brings a strong focus on clarity, cultural nuance, and authentic human connection. Her work bridges communication gaps and supports inclusive, meaningful interactions across diverse communities and industries.

Ticket Price :

Buy Tickets 
Online Purchase: https://www.cloudjoi.com/
No phone sales and over the counter sales. E-tickets only.

Enquiry 
Email : grace@accesspathproductions.com (Grace Lee)

Social Media:
Access Path Productions
W Productions
Kaite O'Reilly

Creative & Production Team
Playwright/Director/Dramaturg: Kaite O’Reilly
Performers: Wheelsmith and Ho Lee Ching
Guest performers: Gejaletchumi Murugaya and Ammar Karim  
Creative Access Artist: Calysta Tay, Ammar Karim   
Sign Language Interpreter: Calysta Tay
Sound Design: Wheelsmith 
Lighting Design: Veeky Tan
Producers: Grace Lee-Khoo (Access Path Productions) and Seng Soo Ming (Pitapat Theatre)
Production Manager: Wyn Hee
M&P Manager: William Yap
Stage Manager: Ng Yuh Ning
Sound Engineer/ Operator: Liew Jing Ying
Caption Operator: Syada Anor
Crew: Karman Lee, Tan Yue Li