01 / THE VISION
For creator Kaiwan Kulavadhanothai, Thai culture is a living source of invention. Manohra asks what an enduring legend might look and sound like in the twenty-first century.
The tale of Prince Suthon and Manohra has its roots in the Sudhana Jataka of the Pannasa Jataka collection. Across Thailand, generations have retold it through literature, song, dance and theatre. This production continues that history of reinvention.
The work brings Western composition and orchestration into conversation with Thai melodic language, rhythm, timbre and theatrical expression. Its guiding principle is integration without losing the roots: creating a shared musical language through an understanding of both traditions.
Manohra can fly, yet in the human world she loses her wings. Suthon must learn that love cannot mean possession. Her freedom to leave—and her choice to return—form the emotional centre of the opera.
The chorus becomes the people, nature, fear, war, memory and the inner life of the characters. Choral opera here means a drama in which the voice of the human community is itself a principal character.
Strong roots allow the branches to reach further.
Adapted from Kaiwan Kulavadhanothai’s artistic statement · August 2026