Two rooms, reflecting the unspoken truths of Thai society through cracks in quiet everyday lives

There are two small rooms. In one, two women reside; in the other, two teenage boys. In both, the same pervasive sound of radio is heard, alternating between news items, traditional music, propaganda, and advertising. Casual conversations are exchanged amidst ordinary, monotonous routines, but the radio sounds echoing between the two rooms create strange tension. Alternating between news items, traditional music, propaganda, and advertising, the radio reveals cross-sections of Thai society.
<Baan Cult, Muang Cult> is an experimental play that extends beyond a simple domestic scene to explore the three absolute pillars of Thai authority: the monarchy, religion, and the state. Based on a script co-written by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and Pathipon Adsavamahapong, director Witchaya Artamat uses the stillness of everyday life to delicately—and at times boldly—reveal taboos and power.
On stage, characters speak about life and death, sexuality, memory, and religion. The women calmly talk about the possible ends of their lives, while the boys share their feelings after watching the film <Little Buddha> and talk about their turbulent adolescence. Through these ordinary yet somehow unfamiliar stories, the audience encounters moments when ‘life itself becomes political’ in a society where political expression is suppressed.
Following his 2019 work <This Song Father Used to Sing>, Witchaya Artamat once again employs subtle acting, everyday gestures, and small cinematic details to bring to the stage what cannot be expressed openly. With a poetic, humorous, and at times tender gaze, this work sheds light on the structure of the cult that simultaneously governs the home (Baan) and the nation (Muang). <Bann Cult, Muang Cult> subtly yet powerfully compels the audience to confront uncomfortable truths they’ve long ignored.