Young Performers are eager to find their own form of expression

When ninety per cent of a nation’s performing artists perish at the hands of a brutal regime, the preservation and renewal of the country’s ancient cultural heritage becomes a matter of international concern. In less than four years, the Khmer Rouge wiped out nearly two million people, among them scores of dancers, actors, directors, writers and musicians.

As Cambodia slowly rebuilds its confidence and a sense of national identity, the performing arts are at the heart of the process. Painstaking work must be done to record the memories of dancers who survived the Pol Pot era so that ancient classical ballets are documented before they disappear forever. At the same time, young performers are eager to find their own form of expression in the creation of new works.

Since July 2003, Amrita has been helping Khmer performers do just this. Its activities so far have demonstrated that not only is there a growing market for performances in Cambodia. Overseas audiences, too, have a keen appetite for these exquisitely skilled dancers and Cambodian theatre is beginning to enjoy a prominent presence at international festivals.

But there remains a lot to do. As well as the work required to preserve the classical traditions and support the artists themselves, there is a critical need to develop local arts management expertise and fundraising skills.  All this costs money and we can only build this essential capacity with the generous financial support of others.

Even modest funding will make a real difference. While Amrita's long term goal is to have weekly performances all year round, for now we are seeking funding for two to three eight-week festivals a year in which all performance forms are represented.  Each series costs about $10,500.  Commissioning a new work or reviving a fully staged segment of lost repertory costs $7,000 - $15,000, while a circus performance requires as little as $300, or $1,650 for a six-month program.  National tours are essential as provincial audiences are starved of cultural events.  Such tours to three cities, costs about $3,500.00

At the same time, we have ongoing expenses.  Many older or damaged costumes at the Royal University of Fine Arts need replacing.  Just $2,000 would help start to bring the collection back to its full complement.  And with classrooms and theatre spaces in need of repair and a constant requirement of new musical instruments, as little as $500 goes a very long way.

Board of Directors

Fred Frumberg:      Director
Rion Dugan:           Treasurer
Mary Slawson:        Member
Barbara Bratone:    Member
Savita Apte:            Member
Mary Eddelson:       Member

Staff Profiles

Fred Frumberg - Executive Director, has lived in Cambodia since June 1997 as a consultant with UNESCO, assisting in the revival and preservation of Cambodian traditional performing arts. Recently thanks to financial assistance from the Rockefeller Foundation, Fred created his own nonprofit organization called AMRITA Performing Arts based in Phnom Penh, which will continue to develop these same efforts, while expanding to include contemporary expression in dance, theater and music.

Prior to his life in Cambodia, Fred spent many years working in numerous opera houses throughout the US and Europe. Much of that time was devoted to assisting stage directors the likes of Peter Sellars, Francesca Zambello and Deborah Warner. He was head of production for the Paris Opera from 1994 - 97 and a staff stage director for the Netherlands Opera in the late 80's. Since working in Cambodia, Fred returned to the US to be the production manager for two World Festivals of Sacred Music - Los Angeles; an unprecedented celebration of music and dance initiated originally by the Dalai Lama and was recently production coordinator and tour director for the creation of "Art of Rice Traveling Theater", both produced by Judy Mitoma of UCLA's Center for Intercultural Performance.

Suon Bun Rith - Program Coordinator, has a bachelor of arts in Khmer Literature from Royal University of Phnom Penh, and has certificates in administration and management. He has worked as a teacher, with UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Specialist, and assisted the Royal University of Fine Arts and other arts organizations with numerous projects. Bun Rith specializes in arts administration/management and capacity building, and has had the opportunity to represent Cambodian arts at overseas conferences and festivals. Rith is currently in the United States for a six month internship on theater management, funded and hosted by the Asian Cultural Council and will return to Cambodia in May 2006.

Kang Rithisal - Program Coordinator, obtained his B.Ed in English Teaching from the Royal University of Fine Arts in 2003. In his capacity as a full-time Project Coordinator, Rithisal has organized numerous workshops and productions of dance, theatre and music and has been the Company Manager and Assistant Tour Director for international tours with artists from the Royal University of Fine Arts and the National Theatre to various countries including France, the United States, Singapore and Thailand. In his spare time, he continues to volunteer as the Head of Social and Recreational Affairs for SSEAYP International Cambodia, which is followed by his participation as selected by the Ministry of Education, Youths, and Sport in the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. In 2005 he was selected by the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia to participate in the 2-week 21st Renaissance Youth Leader Program in Japan. He also works as a part-time Teacher of English and a freelance translator.

Moeun Morn, Administrative Assistant, is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Eduction in teaching English at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He was selected by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports to participate in the Sunburst Youth Camp (SYC) in Singapore in 2002 and the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) in 2003. In those youth exchange programs, he toured to various Southeast Asian countries and Japan. He joined Amrita Performing Arts as a Part-Time Office Assistant in June 2005, and he has also worked a part-time teacher of English.

Support for Amrita has come from generous individuals and:

• The Rockefeller Foundation
• ACC, Asian Cultural Council
• The Asia Foundation
• The Ford Foundation
• The Prince Claus Foundation
• The Lutz Foundation
• The Kunstadter Family Foundation
• The United States Embassy in Cambodia
• LINC Leveraging Incentives in Creativity
• The New England Foundation for the Arts
• The Joyce Theater's Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for new work
• Kasumiso Foundation Tokyo

In February 2005, HRM King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia wrote to congratulate Amrita Performing Arts and endorse the company's work in promoting Khmer culture.