69 Aksara Merdeka Turned A Library Into An Interactive Theatre Experience

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What happens when a Merdeka celebration turns into a hostage situation, and the only way out is for an entire room of people to search a library for 69 hidden letters?

That is essentially the premise of Teater 69 Aksara Merdeka, a theatre production by Jingga Purnama Production, staged on 19 August as part of Bursa Malaysia’s Merdeka Series.

Instead of sitting in rows and watching a stage, the audience is dropped into Knowledge Centre @ Bursa, Bursa Malaysia’s library and knowledge hub. For about an hour, the library becomes part of the action.

So, What Exactly Is 69 Aksara Merdeka?

The story starts with Azizah (Adeeba Mukhtar), hosting a Merdeka celebration at the library, while Zaki (Syamim Muhaimin), is there to perform his poetry. Things take a sharp turn when Mat Osman (Syahin), and his accomplices arrive to rob the library and take everyone inside hostage.

Mat Osman wastes little time turning the audience into unwilling participants. He addresses the crowd directly, asks questions, gets people to Google things and even throws calculations into the mix. At one point, Zaki manages to grab the pistol from one of Mat Osman’s men, making it seem like the situation might finally be under control.

Except it isn’t. Mat Osman has already hacked the library’s system. The alarm goes off, the doors are locked and suddenly everyone has a new task: find 69 hidden letters scattered throughout the library and piece them together to unlock the system. The audience moves between the shelves together, with the actors helping guide the search. It is part theatre, part treasure hunt, with a little escape-room energy thrown in.

So Much For Sitting And Watching

Underneath the playful hostage scenario is where 69 Aksara Merdeka finds its Merdeka metaphor.

The audience is essentially a group of Malaysians trapped inside a space that can be read as a stand-in for the country. Something has taken control, and everyone has to work together to find a way out. The heist and captivity become a playful representation of being conquered or controlled, while the eventual escape becomes a loose metaphor for independence.

The production also doesn’t spend much time looking backwards at 1957. Instead, it brings in things that feel much closer to everyday Malaysian life now, including artificial intelligence, public transportation and train services. It turns the frustrations we complain about, debate and joke about into part of its Merdeka story, asking a more contemporary question: after all these years of independence, what does progress actually look like?

A Different Take On Merdeka

I enjoyed 69 Aksara Merdeka, especially the way it brings a fresh take on Merdeka and connects it to everyday Malaysian life. But as someone who usually expects a little more from theatre, I found the performance itself quite light, with the audience interaction doing much of the heavy lifting.

For me, that made the experience feel younger than the kind of theatre I usually gravitate towards. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if that might actually be where the production works best.

I can imagine 69 Aksara Merdeka working especially well for children. Put a group of kids in that library and tell them they have been taken hostage and need to find 69 hidden letters to escape. They would have to move, think and work together, making them part of the story rather than just watching it. Research in Malaysia also shows that interactive theatre can get children more involved while encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

Meet The People Behind The Heist

Behind 69 Aksara Merdeka is Jingga Purnama Production, a theatre collective established in 2019 by young professionals who maintain careers outside theatre while continuing to create original work.

The group has participated in festivals including Malaysia Short+Sweet, ASWARA Pesta Teater Runcit and Lantai Teater Selangor, picking up recognition along the way. Its 2024 production Bahasa Keempat was shortlisted for Short+Sweet Malaysia, where Adeeba Mukhtar won Best Actor (Female).

The production is written and directed by Zuhairah Zamri, who also serves as Jingga Purnama’s production manager and principal scriptwriter. She comes from an accounting background and works professionally in the field while continuing to write poetry, lyrics and theatre.

The cast similarly brings together people with careers outside the stage. Syahin, who plays Mat Osman, works in data management, while Adeeba Mukhtar, who plays Azizah, works in internal auditing. Syamim Muhaimin, who plays Zaki, is a lawyer who also writes and performs poetry.

Teater 69 Aksara Merdeka has concluded its Merdeka Series performance, but if you’re curious about what Jingga Purnama does next, follow the collective on Instagram for future productions and performances.

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