20th Boh Cameronian Arts Awards - What’s Next?

Two decades of excellence and now a call to create, grow and envision the next century of Malaysian performing arts.

On the evening of 4 May 2025, Malaysia’s performing arts community gathered at Stage 1 Theatre, PJPAC, to celebrate a milestone two decades in the making: the 20th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (20BCAA). Amidst the glittering lights, heartfelt speeches and roaring applause, the occasion was more than a celebration. It was a reaffirmation of what the Malaysian arts scene has achieved and what still lies ahead.

Now, the BCAA has evolved beyond a recognition platform. It has become a symbol of aspiration, a collective memory bank and a cultural pulse check. But even as we honour the excellence that has brought us this far, a question lingers in the air: What’s next? How do we build upon this momentum, and what kind of future are we collectively imagining for the next 20 or even 200 years of Malaysian performing arts?

Looking Back: 20 Years of Legacy

Since its inception in 2002, the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards have stood as Malaysia’s most prestigious platform for honouring live performing arts in theatre, dance, music and musical theatre. Organised by Kakiseni and supported by key cultural partners, the awards have chronicled two decades of creative evolution from experimental black-box performances to grand productions that have filled national stages and sparked national conversations.

Over the years, the Cammies (as the awards are affectionately known) have not only recognised technical and artistic brilliance, but also catalysed a deeper appreciation for local voices, narratives and innovations. Many now-prominent practitioners were once first-time nominees. Small independent productions once seen as niche have since gone on to win accolades and secure institutional support. The awards, in many ways, have documented the growing maturity and resilience of the performing arts scene in Malaysia.

In her address, Low Ngai Yuen, President of Kakiseni, reflected: “With every name announced, we honour not just excellence, but what the Malaysian arts scene is today and the possibility of what it can become.” This encapsulates what the 20BCAA stands for: a celebration of progress and a challenge to envision the future.

2025 Highlights: Excellence in a Landmark Year

This year’s awards, themed 20 Years of Legacy: Igniting Inspiration for Tomorrow, paid tribute to both pioneers and emerging voices in the performing arts. Leading the Theatre category was Randai “MacBeth” by Pusat Seni Pentas Tradisional (PuTRA), ASWARA, which took home an impressive seven awards and Best of 2024 honours, a powerful fusion of traditional form and classic text that exemplified innovation rooted in heritage.

In Dance, the evening belonged to Geetha Shankaran-Lam, whose win for Best Featured / Lead Performer in Samskara: Past Reflections, Present Expressions (by GSD Performing Studio) was nothing short of inspiring. At age 56, her recognition stood as a testament to longevity, discipline and the lifelong nature of artistic practice.

The Music category celebrated two figures who bridge performance and academia: Dr. Bernard Tan (Best Musical Direction) and Dr. Poom Prommachart (Best Solo Performance – Instrumental), both of whom continue to shape the sonic landscape of the country.

Musical theatre saw Teater Muzikal Sakti Merong Mahawangsa winning four awards, celebrated for its imaginative storytelling and production value. The night also honoured Spice, Magic and Mystique by The Young KL Singers and Teater Persiapan Seorang Aktor by Studio Sedar Ruang with Best of 2024 titles, each production pushing boundaries in its own distinct way.

And, in perhaps the most grand moment of the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Professor Dr. Tan Sooi Beng of Universiti Sains Malaysia. A pioneer in ethnomusicology, her impact across generations of artists and scholars served as a reminder of the critical role of educators and cultural researchers in sustaining the arts.

Twenty Years In: More Than a Milestone

The 20th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards marks more than a prestigious milestone, it is a reminder of a movement that was born out of a dream, determination and the daring of a few key believers. As Tan Sri Hajah Norliza Rofli, Chair of the Majlis Kebudayaan Negara (MAKEN), recalled in her speech, the very first “Cammies” in 2002 emerged from a confluence of three essential forces: a tenacious, visionary team at Kakiseni; a bold partner in BOH Plantations led by Caroline Russell; and, crucially, a generation of Malaysian artists in the early 2000s whose productions were "spellbinding" and demanded recognition.

Back then, there was only one arts award, the Anugerah Seni Negara which focused on specific categories. The Cammies filled a necessary void, opening a space for wider recognition of performing arts in Malaysia. It wasn't just about honouring individuals; it was about building a structure for community celebration, year after year.

This legacy, built over two decades, has not just endured, it has inspired. As Low Ngai Yuen, President of Kakiseni, pointed out, the more meaningful question is not how we got here, but what will we do for the next 20 years? Because the future of this ecosystem depends not on applause, but on action. Each practitioner, administrator, funder and policymaker in the room is now part of defining what that future will look like.

Defining the Next 20 Years: A Shared Responsibility

The Cammies are a mirror to the performing arts scene, but they are also a compass. And this year, both Tan Sri Norliza and the Kakiseni team made one thing very clear: the time for passive celebration is over. The time to make an impact for our future generation’s wellbeing is now.

Tan Sri Norliza emphasized that while national frameworks like DAKEN (Dasar Kebudayaan Negara) provide policy direction, policies mean little without practitioners' input. Through MAKEN, formed in late 2024, the government is calling on artists and cultural workers not just to perform, but to advise and to shape the very mechanisms that govern the arts. “Please help us to help you,” she said, encouraging the community to share both their challenges and ideas directly with the advisory council. “We need to know what the real problems are. But I don’t want to hear only problems, I want to hear foresights.”

Echoing this, Yuen reminded the audience that Kakiseni is not the hero of this story. “We are just documenting what you’re doing,” she said. The true power lies in the community, in the choices artists make, the stories they tell and the ways they respond to disruption, whether technological, institutional or social.

The challenge, then, is clear: to not let the arts in Malaysia be swept along by external forces, but to shape a future with intent, courage and collective vision.

Laying the Groundwork for an Enriched Future

The future of Malaysian performing arts is already in motion and it begins with audiences. In one of the most forward-looking parts of the evening, Lylatul Qadrina, Vice President of Kakiseni, shared that under the Kelab YSD-Kakiseni Junior initiative, artists will be embedded in 45 schools nationwide by July 2025 through a new Resident Artist in School programme. The effort is not just about access but about belonging, making the arts part of young people’s daily lives and allowing new audiences to grow organically.

And while recognition is important, so is imagination and risk. As Lylatul reminded the crowd, we need to commit to storytelling that dares, that questions, that stretches what is possible. Yuen added that the arts are not under threat from AI or technology unless we let them be. As she put it, “AI can generate a cat riding a bicycle reciting Shakespeare, but it can’t explain why the cat is doing it.” That “why” is the artist’s domain. The arts endure not because of tools, but because of meaning.

This is why efforts like the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, policy initiatives like DAKEN, and grassroots school programmes are not separate and should not be seen as separate entities. They are all parts of the same story: to ensure the arts not only survive, but flourish.

And if that future feels uncertain, Tan Sri Norliza left the room with a powerful message: “Never, never, never, never give up. Continue to ignite inspiration for tomorrow.”

Onward to the Next 20 Years

The 20th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards was more than just a celebration of past excellence; it was a powerful call to shape the future. Tan Sri Hajah Norliza Rofli reminded us that the Cammies were born out of vision, bravery and collective energy: a collaboration between artists, a bold sponsor and an audience ready to be enchanted. Her speech outlined not only the historical context but also the urgency of policy, participation and grassroots feedback in charting the next chapter of Malaysia’s performing arts. Through MAKEN and the DAKEN policy, there is now a more structured mechanism for the arts to be heard at the policymaking table but it’s up to the community to speak out and take action.

From the heart of Kakiseni, President Low Ngai Yuen and Vice President Lylatul Qadrina made it clear: the awards, the platform, the documentation, all of it exists because of the artists. Their reflections were charged with a forward-looking spirit. "What are you going to do for the next 20 years?" Yuen asked, grounding the celebration not in nostalgia, but in responsibility. With over 3,000 nominations since its inception and a future-facing move into schools nationwide through the Kelab YSD-Kakiseni Junior program, the organisation is putting action behind its rhetoric. The arts, as both Yuen and Lylatul stressed, will only fade if we allow them to.

As the curtains closed on this milestone event, one message rang clear: the legacy of the arts is not etched in awards or applause alone. It is etched in action. In the risks we take, in the courage we uphold and in the audiences we build for tomorrow. Here’s to the next 20 years and beyond.