Pattaya Mail - Vol. XVIII No. 7 - Friday February 12 - February 18, 2010 Arts - Entertainment

Mark Beales
An exhibition featuring quilts made by a Pattaya artist is proving a success. The display is being held at ISB, the International School of Bangkok, until February 18. More than a dozen intricately-designed pieces are on show, all created by Karen Sengel. Karen, an American living in Pattaya, has been making quilts for 15 years but only recently began transforming them into works of art.

Karen Sengel stands next to one of her artistic works at the International School of Bangkok.

Each quilt is made up of many different pieces of fabric, all sewn together to create an image. Some quilts depict wildlife while others show life among ethnic groups.
Karen’s inspiration comes from photographs taken during trips to northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Bali. Once an idea has hatched, Karen works from a large-scale drawing of the image, working out what fabric is needed and where it should be placed.
Karen uses ethnic fabrics and commercial material and often tests out hundreds of pieces before deciding which one is right for a particular quilt. Also at ISB until February 20 is an exhibition of sculptures and abstract art by Italian artist Simone Ambrosini Benetti and Ingrid Van Der Heyden.
For more on Karen’s work, visit www.karensengel.com.

The curtain has risen on a theatre production that features all of Shakespeare’s plays. The idea of staging every one of the Bard’s 37 plays in a single performance may sound impossible. But there is method in such madness – as it is all part of a special, abridged, show.
NY/LA Productions is performing “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” at the Tuxedo Magic Theatre on North Pattaya Road.
The show will be from February 4 to March 28 from Wednesday to Sunday at 9pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are 350 baht for adults and 250 baht for children.
For American actors Kevin Barlowski and Fernando Navales and Canadian Christine de Frece it is their first time in Thailand. Their show involves quick-fire dialogue and lightning-fast costume changes as they race through the likes of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Twelfth Night.
Christine, who has previously provided backing vocals for Andrea Bocelli, said the show was great for fans of Shakespeare but would also appeal to those who did not know Shakespeare as there was plenty of humour. She said several Thais have also seen the show and loved the jokes.
Artistic director Bret Lee Decker decided to launch the shows as he wanted to bring more theatre to Pattaya, and hopes to stage more productions once this one is finished.
Bret is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts and has been involved in more than 45 productions.
The ‘Abridged’ show was written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.
Tickets are available on the door, or you can call 038 488 880 or 081 683 9322 for details.