Juniper
The Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre (JCPAC) was unveiled yesterday, marking the culmination of a long-term vision to establish Sunway City Kuala Lumpur as a regional hub for the performing arts. Sunway Group executive deputy chair Datin Paduka Sarena Cheah said the new venue reflects a long-held conviction about what makes a township whole.
“As our founder and chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah has always believed, a flourishing city is not just about buildings and hardware. It is also about the soul. The Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre represents the beating heart of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, helping to define the character of our township alongside our commercial developments. It is our hope that this performing arts centre will stand as one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic landmarks where people from all walks of life can come together, be inspired, and experience the arts as part of everyday life. This venue adds a vital cultural dimension to the vibrant ecosystem we have built here over the decades,” said Cheah.
JCPAC adds a cultural anchor to a township that has been transformed from abandoned tin-mining land into Malaysia’s first fully integrated green township, serving a community of more than 200,000 people who live, learn, work and play here today.
The venue sits within Sunway Square, an integrated development that also houses twin corporate office towers, Sunway Square Mall and an expanded Sunway University campus comprising the Sunway Business School and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. JCPAC opens in August 2026 with an inaugural season running through January 2027, anchored by two productions. Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical, widely regarded as Malaysia’s first major musical and one of the country’s most celebrated stage epics, opens the season in its first staging in nearly two decades. It will be followed by Dama Asia’s Butterfly Lovers The Musical, a twentieth-anniversary revival. Two international productions will make their debut and will be announced at a later date. JCPAC producing artistic director, Melissa Teoh, said the inaugural season was curated to reflect both the venue’s identity and its ambition.
“We wanted the opening season to reflect who we are and who we aspire to be, a home for Malaysian artists and a gateway to the best of global performance. Our programme reflects this dual commitment, bringing together works rooted in our cultural landscape alongside international productions that broaden perspectives and set new benchmarks for excellence.
We believe a performing arts centre should reflect the richness of the community it serves. Our work spans theatre, music, dance, film, comedy, and new forms, creating space for diverse voices and audiences. Education and audience development are central to what we do, with programmes for young people, families, and emerging artists that nurture curiosity and build future audiences. The performing arts centre is conceived as more than a stage. It is a place to discover, gather, and connect through the stories we share,” said Teoh.
JCPAC comprises a 1,200-seat Proscenium Theatre and a 150-seat Experimental Theatre. The Proscenium Theatre will feature Malaysia’s first Active Acoustic system, which electronically tunes the hall’s acoustic response to suit different performance types, and a full-sized fly tower to support complex scenic changes.
The venue is designed to host musical theatre, orchestral concerts, drama and corporate events, supporting both local and international performances, and will be connected to the wider township via the Canopy Walk and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Sunway Line. Beyond the two anchor productions, the inaugural season includes a stand-up season from Kuah Jenhan, a concert by the Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra, a curated film series presented with Goggler, HANDS Percussion’s Kaleidoscope 8 drumming festival, a new dance work by Kenny Shim inspired by Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet and a programme of
workshops and community initiatives.
JCPAC’s founding vision is to be a world-class performing arts centre that brings global culture to Malaysia’s doorstep while providing a platform to elevate local talent to the world stage, enriching the township through the arts and humanities, and championing education as a foundation for a more vibrant, thoughtful and inspired society.
