Because Myanmar's poverty and isolation somewhat protect its traditional performing arts from the competition of global influences, many of them flourish. The repressive military regime has appropriated the former court patronage of music and dance to assert its legitimacy. However, verbal arts such as literature, satire, spoken drama, and film are severely hampered by government censorship and lack of funding. Despite these obstacles, Burmese performers and their audiences demonstrate an amazing resilience: banned and formerly imprisoned performers continue to take to the stage, and audiences flock to see them.

The politically and artistically engaged theatres of Malaysia probe contradictory aspects of this predominantly Islamic Asian nation. While some works in Malay contribute toward constructing a national culture, other works, often in English, deconstruct the monocultural motif of official culture.