A performance by Kamron Gunatilaka, with a bubble contribution by MissBubblebliss
In June 2026, I was honoured to be invited to contribute bubbles to Lighthouse / กระโจมไฟ, a performance by and with Kamron Gunatilaka, created to celebrate his 80th birthday at Dhepsiri Creative Space in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Kamron Gunatilaka is one of the pioneering figures of contemporary Thai theatre. As the founder of Crescent Moon Theatre, he has been an important force in Thailand’s experimental and physical theatre scene since the 1970s. Over more than five decades as a performer, director, teacher and mentor, he has influenced generations of Thai performance artists and contributed to the development of contemporary theatre in Thailand.
Lighthouse tells the story of an old sailor whose life is bound to his duty at a lighthouse in the middle of the vast and silent sea. He waits for the day when his mission will finally be completed, continuing to send warning signals to those at sea. The lighthouse becomes a place of solitude, duty, waiting and endurance.
My contribution framed the performance through two very different images. The opening scene began with the Big Bang, with soap bubbles creating an ephemeral universe and the sense of a world coming into existence. In the closing scene, I returned as the Goddess of the Sea, bringing the bubbles into a very different realm of myth, water and transformation.
Between these two scenes, Kamron’s performance unfolded through storytelling, physical theatre and props, with spontaneous and improvised contributions emerging during the performance.
What captivated me was Kamron’s ability to keep the audience glued to his lips. His storytelling held the room completely, drawing us into the story and making us wait for the next word, the next image, the next turn. Storytelling as it is meant to be.
Lighthouse was presented as part of a wider celebration of Kamron Gunatilaka’s 80th birthday, alongside an exhibition on his life and artistic journey curated by Nontawit Machai/Cozomisa Performing Art Archive and a programme of performances at Dhepsiri Creative Space.
photos: Dhepsiri Creative Art Space
Photo credit: Tatiana Mocchetti