Quotes of Life

Chariya grew up with her mother in the Jong Prek neighbourhood, north of Battambang. She has no brothers or sisters, and their living conditions are far from ideal. They live in a small house that looks more like a shed with a tin roof. However, Chariya benefits from Phare's social assistance programme, which provides her with a free lunch every day and she is paid a small fee for each performance. She is currently in her second year at Phare Public School and has been studying theatre at the Phare Ponleu Selpak School of Performing Arts for 10 years.

When Chariya was little, her mother enrolled her in kindergarten and the Phare Child Development Centre. Her mother looked for activities to keep Chariya busy while she was at work. Chariya first took traditional dance classes, but she did not like the way the lessons were organised. So she switched to theatre classes, which she found appealing because of their playful exercises. What Chariya particularly likes about this discipline is that she can project herself into the characters she plays. Chariya does research to effectively interpret her roles and accurately portray the characters' personalities. She prefers to play serious roles rather than comical ones.

Chariya performs in shows on campus and off campus for workshops or events. When she is on stage, she feels happy and enthusiastic. She takes pride in being able to put together a last-minute show under pressure.

Although she is still exploring all her options, Chariya would like to become a film director or pop star! However, she has already considered giving up theatre to help her mother, as she sometimes feels guilty about enjoying life while her mother faces real difficulties...

Loung grew up in Kab Kor Thmey, a neighbourhood in the city of Battambang. His parents are divorced and he has three siblings. Two of them live with their mother, one with their father, and Loung lives with his grandparents.

He is currently in his second year at Net Yong High School. He also studies circus arts at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Performing Arts School, where he specialises in acrobatics while learning rola bola and hip-hop. Thanks to Phare's social support programme, Loung receives a free lunch seven days a week and is also paid a small fee for each stage performance, which he uses to help his family in whatever way he can.

Loung discovered Phare while attending circus performances in the city. He joined Phare's classes in 2017 but had to take a two-year break before the pandemic to help his family in his spare time. He returned to school two years ago when it reopened. Loung thinks hip-hop is cool and a great way to stay physically active. He enjoys the opportunity to express his true personality during performances.

Loung performs in two shows, ‘Rouge’ (about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia) and ‘Never Give Up’ (about the Covid-19 period when schools were closed). At first, he feels nervous during performances, but he is able to control his emotions and correct his mistakes as the show progresses. During ‘Rouge’, he worries that the audience will not understand the messages being portrayed due to the use of bamboo sticks and the abstract nature of the show.

Loung's ambition is to travel and explore new countries. This will enable him to share his passion with audiences around the world!

Liza grew up in Battambang with her parents and brother. She is currently in grade 10 at Net Yong High School. For the past six years, she has been learning traditional music at the Performing Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak. Her favourite instruments are the roneat, a bamboo xylophone shaped like a curved boat, and the khim, a stringed instrument resembling a horizontal harp whose strings are struck with a stick.

Liza is currently taking preparatory classes in order to enrol in vocational training. She has been passionate about traditional Khmer music since she was very young and finds the sounds produced by these instruments beautiful.

She discovered traditional Khmer music through a former Phare student who inspires her. She admires the melodic quality of his music. Liza performs the soundtrack for the shows ‘Rouge’ (about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia) and ‘Holiday’ (about a group of mischievous street children).

When she is not performing in circus shows, Liza plays music to welcome visitors arriving on campus. Before going on stage, she feels a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

Liza has gained both experience and confidence through her performances on stage. With each new opportunity, her nervousness diminishes. Although she aspires to follow in her father's footsteps and become a police officer, Liza also wants to pursue her passion for music by showcasing her talent through performances and sharing her love of music with others.

Seyha grew up in Battambang City with his parents, who run a small clothing shop and also work as taxi drivers. During the pandemic, they grew vegetables in their garden to support their family. Seyha has an older sister who is already married. He is currently in his first year of vocational training at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Visual and Applied Arts School. His area of specialisation is painting, and he particularly enjoys drawing portraits to capture emotions and expressions.

Seyha has been drawing since he was young and loves watching other artists work. Phare is well known in Battambang for its art classes, and Seyha always dreamed of joining the professional classes, but he waited until he graduated from secondary school to focus on drawing and painting. After high school, he began studying marketing at Build Bright University in Siem Reap, but after a year, he decided to pursue his passion and passed the entrance exams to join the courses offered at Phare.

Seyha is not used to sharing his creations, but studying at Phare has already allowed him to exhibit his work on campus. He has discovered that he enjoys showing his work. He prefers painting classes to graphic design classes because he feels more free in the former. Even though he is still learning some basic techniques, free drawing makes him happier. The workload of assignments and the extensive feedback from his teachers have made Seyha realise that this discipline requires time and patience. He often feels exhausted.

Seyha's goal is to become famous for his artwork and share his passion, knowledge and Khmer culture with the world. Throughout his studies, he has had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with former students who have become professional artists, visit museums and travel to other parts of Cambodia on school trips.

Sarann grew up in a neighbourhood called Phnom Sampov, in southern Battambang, with her parents, three brothers, sister and grandmother. For the past four years, she has been studying dance at the Performing Arts School at Phare Ponleu Selpak. Sarann specialises in traditional dance and Lakhon Khol, which is a combination of traditional dance and theatre. She has been passionate about traditional Khmer dance since she was a child.

Sarann performs traditional dances during short performances before circus shows, at off-campus events, or during dance workshops. Her favourite dance is ‘Mekala’, which means ‘Princess of the Seas’. When she performs on stage, Sarann is nervous at first, but she feels more and more comfortable and relaxed as the performance goes on.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Sarann has faced difficulties in being accepted throughout her life. She has been subjected to inappropriate comments and even harassment at times. However, her family has supported and accepted her, although her relationship with her grandmother remains difficult today due to her traditional views. Dancing helps her relax and be herself without having to hide or feel ashamed. Most dance students at Phare learn female roles; fewer learn male roles in dances. Sarann feels happier playing female roles, but she also accepts male roles to help during performances. For example, ‘Ponleu Dong Chan’ (Moonlight) is a traditional dance with very beautiful and feminine movements. Although she does not have the opportunity to perform this dance on stage, she still learns the movements and has been able to dance it once or twice, which satisfies her.

Sarann has a very specific plan for her future. She wants to become a professional dancer before the age of 30, then pass on her passion and knowledge to the community by becoming a dance teacher herself.