AK Theatre, a non-profit organization has been actively educating and supporting Tamil Language and the Arts in Singapore for more than 10 years. It will be presenting a variety of performances entitled #AK50 – Anandha Kondattam.
The event supported by Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee and community partners will celebrate Anandha Kannan and his accomplishments as a Singaporean Indian who brought fame to the country and in India where he became a trendsetter because of his love, passion and innovation in Tamil Language, arts and culture.
This was a non-ticketed event for family, close friends and community partners. The performances highlighted his strong belief system and values such as determination, commitment, and sense of responsibility he had for Tamil Language, the arts and the Indian community as they celebrated his 50th Birthday on 23rd March 2023, at Festive Arts Theatre, Our Tampines Hub at 7.30pm.
The event was recorded and is available on AK Theatre’s YouTube channel especially for students and all to learn about Anandha Kannan’s love and dedications to Tamil Language, arts and culture.
About AK Theatre
AK Theatre continuously works on innovative and creative ways to promote
Arts and Tamil Language to the young audience and encourage them to speak Tamil and contribute to the growth of Tamil language. They look upon arts and storytelling as a way to preserve Tamil language, history and culture in Singapore. AK Theatre will focus on preserving and promoting folkloric traditions and theatre techniques for all ages.
About #AK50
AK Theatre presents an evening of performance and memories entitled Anandha Kondaatam. It celebrates Anandha Kannan and his accomplishments as a Singaporean Indian who brought fame to the country and in India where he became a trendsetter because of his love, passion and innovation in Tamil Language, arts and culture. His contributions in many fields include theatre, as a TV host and a radio jockey and setting up AK Theatre where traditional Tamil art forms and educational programmes are made available for students and the community.
This celebration highlighted his strong belief system and values such determination, commitment, and sense of responsibility he had for the Tamil language and arts, his family, friends and the Indian community.
It highlighed key chapters in his life that included his early years as a youth theatre enthusiast; a Tamil TV presenter in the early 90s; his challenging move and entry into media industry in India; as a Trendsetter and an icon in the media industry in Chennai; his re -entry to the Singapore media industry as a TV presenter and actor; and concludes by showing his quest to make Tamil Language and Traditional arts a living language and art form through his founding company AK Theatre.
Through this narrative, the performances showcased various theatre groups / artistes, TV personalities, dance groups and AK Theatre.
About Anandha Kannan
An avid explorer of the Theatre and Fine Arts since school, Anandha Kannan has come across as a gregarious, animated and engaging artist naturally. Theatre has remained an integral part of his life since the age of five. As a child artist, he had performed in many plays and had later co-founded the Ravindran Drama Group. After completing his Advance Diploma in Film production, he underwent training in traditional theatre, Silambam & Thudumbu from Padma Shri Na Muthusamy, Founder of Koothu-P-Patarai. He also took training from Gil Alon (international Zen Master and Theatre Specialist), Edgar (Cuban Aerial artist and storyteller), John (SDEA Master class).
As an actor, he has shown his grit in many plays including Unthicholi, Vattam, Adagu (monologue), Ponniyin Selvan. He has been directed and has also been a Creative director of full-length theatre productions by Anandha Koothu Theatre (India), based on class ic Tamil works (Indrajith, Panchali, Oorvasiyin Sabam, Paramatha Guru, Chandrahari, Alli Charithiram, Kichaga Vadham). He has scripted plays including Jing Jak, Thali, Chikkumangu, Jill and ‘700’ in Singapore. He is the Founder Director of AK Theatre Limited (Singapore), Creative Director of Anandha Koothu Trust and Artistic Director of AKT Creations.
Information and photos: AK Theatre