Festival to Foster Cambodian Artistic Expression
By Paul Valdebouze Cambodianess June 2, 2026
Poster of A Little Bit All Over The Place by Michael Laub and Vanthy Khen, performing on June 5 & 6 2026 at Chenla Theatre, 7:30pm. Photo by Oyen Rodriguez
PHNOM PENH – Cambodia’s first contemporary theater festival, featuring a diverse program of dance and stage performances, will run in Phnom Penh from June 4 to 14.
The GOLDEN (r) AGE Festival is being promoted as a landmark event for the performing arts and will feature 13 original productions in seven venues across the city.
The Last Stage, performance home of the Acting Art Academy, is running the event along with multiple partners and wants to see a vibrant contemporary art scene emerge in Cambodia.
Festival performers are mostly Cambodian but some are also French and from other Asian countries.
Plays will be held at The Last Stage Riverside, The Last Stage Aquation, Factory Phnom Penh, Chenla Theatre, Institut Francais du Cambodge, Friends Futures Factory F3 and SOSORO museum.
The Institut Francais du Cambodge is a major partner and producer of the festival.
Fanny Pages, deputy director of the French Institute in Cambodia and cultural attache, said, “By co-producing these plays, the Institut Francais does more than simply support performances.
“It invests in human connections and in artistic languages that are developed collaboratively between French directors and Khmer artists.
“It is this chemistry that ensures the lasting presence of the voices of Cambodia’s new scene on the international stage.”
The institute notably produced A Little Bit All Over the Place, a dancing play assembling nine dancers, created by Michael Laub and Vanthy Khen.
It combines contemporary dramatic writing with the rigor of traditional Khmer theater, featuring music by Mute Speaker and the visual aesthetic of TikTok.
The Institut Francais also assisted the creation of Finding Myself (In Mirages) by Frederic Fisbach, a renowned French theater director.
The play gathers Khmer artists from the Acting Art Academy with actress Madalina Constantin. It is played in Khmer, French and English with simultaneous subtitles.
The GOLDEN (r)AGE Performing Arts Festival is a unique opportunity to support the Cambodian contemporary arts scene and introduce it to a wider audience.
The event will show the talents of Cambodian and international artists who are bringing together modernity and tradition in an innovative way.
On the sidelines of the festival, professional meetings “Chakto II” will take place about performing arts in Cambodia, bringing together programmers, broadcasters, artists, authors and journalists from June 5 to 11.
Organized by the Institut Francais and the French Embassy, Cambodian Living Arts, and the Acting Art Academy, the meetings are set to be the first professional event entirely dedicated to contemporary live performance in Phnom Penh.
Chakto II will welcome renowned artists. The meetings will be in French, Khmer and English, as the Francophonie Summit approaches and cultural initiatives are on the rise.
https://cambodianess.com/article/festival-to-foster-cambodian-artistic-expression
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