Since its establishment in 2013, Orang Orang Drum Theatre’s (OODT) core members Boyz Chew, Zyee Leow, and Damien Leow have been exploring music, dance, and theatre to develop a platform of expression for drum theatre. The word ‘orang’ means people, and the idea at the heart of OODT is to bring the arts to the people. They have also ventured into different communities, sharing performing arts across Malaysia through small performances, workshops, talks, and other activities. These include Kuala Sepetang in Perak, Kampung Bahru Rawang Lin Dan, Sarawak Cultural Village, Borneo Arts Lab in Kuching, schools and organizations in Sandakan in Sabah.

Through interactions with traditional cultures, they explore the space between tradition and modernity, using 24 Festive Drums as a foundation to create a unique form of performing arts. They have participated in international music festivals such as Rainforest World Music Festival 2023, Sziget Festival 2019, WOMADELAIDE 2020, Venice Theatre Arts Festival, Venice Open Stage, and the Danse en Ville Dance Festival in Belgium and Germany. In recent years, they have brought their troupe to tour many cultural and dance arts festivals in Europe, such as in France, Hungary, Serbia, and have also shared their works in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and China.

Throughout this ten-year journey, the act of drumming has somehow led them to consider the connection between surviving and living. So, in 2021, OODT embarked on the Shan-Ka-La project—the simple, unpretentious orchard life served to refresh the heavy palate of the city’s constant symphony, allowing the drummers to sample the “natural flavours” of life. In the meantime, they continued to reflect on what it means to “drum”, and explore further possibilities contained within “drumming and living”. In 2024， they produced <Kaka Lala>, a work that reflects the city’s urban life and its relationship with nature. In 2025 marks the first time Orang Orang Drum Theatre hands over the creative baton to seven groups of emerging members, who will create seven distinct works.