Wayang diSINKEH, a series of locally themed, locally directed and locally performed theatre pieces, is the brainchild of Chee Sek Thim, theatre director, actor and manager of SINKEH Guesthouse in George Town. He has been involved in the performing arts in Malaysia since 1991, and is at the vanguard of attempts to build a sustainable theatre infrastructure that includes a venue, talent and programming to help create a vibrant theatre scene in Penang.
“Taking into account issues of limited funding, human resource and audience, we have developed a model that we hope can address these limitations and enable us to do what we love to do.” he explains.
The 2017 season of Wayang diSINKEH will feature performances every Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights over 3 months with the opening performance on 7th July, 2017. The programming comprises three monologues and one duologue, based on local stories and themes.
“A Complete Woman” is written and performed by Suzanne Teoh, who has been active in the George Town Chinese language theatre community since 2008, and is directed by Chee Sek Thim. The story is about a mother writing to her daughter on the eve of her marriage, offering timely advice and sharing her own experiences of marriage and childbirth. The monologue uses a range of Chinese dialects to anim
ate the characters that inhabit the mother’s universe as she manoeuvres the complex network of opinions, tradition and conscience while making some important choices in life. It plays in Mandarin, Cantonese and Teochew with English subtitles.
“The Storyteller” was written by Lim Chung Wei and Wong Lay Chin, is performed by Chung Wei, who is a graduate of USM’s Batchelors in Performing Arts, majoring in Theatre and Drama who now works at George Town World Heritage Inc, and is directed by Lay Chin, who specialises in experiments with different languages and dialogues within a single piece, and in making theatre relevant to younger audiences. The story follows one man’s journey as he confronts the unspoken truth that had shaped the lives of his family. As the monologue unfolds, we learn through the lens of each one of the family members, of the kind of power that the trauma has had over their emotional and psychological wellbeing. It plays in Hokkien and English, with English subtitles.
“Fragrance” was written and is directed by Noor Rizuwan, a USM Drama & Theatre graduate, active in Malay language theatre, and is performed by Darynn Wee, a 3rd year student of Drama & Theatre at USM. Inspired by the purported hauntings along the Vale of Tempe in Penang, this monologue tells the story of Salbiah – a 26 year-old factory worker – and her relationship with her policeman-boyfriend. Through a heady mix of news reports, popular anecdotes and imagined scenarios, this conflation of fact and myth slowly unveils and offers an explanation of what could have been behind this popular urban legend. It plays in Malay and English, with English subtitles.
“Lina & Lijah” is performed by Muhanniz Mesri, a USM drama graduate who has performed internationally, and Nadhilah Suhaimi, who was awarded Best Actress, and Best Director for her production, “The Maids” in the Penang Theatre Festival 2015. It is directed by Hilyati Ramli, lecturer in theatre at the School of the Arts at USM, who has performed widely in Malaysia and abroad. In this piece, home becomes a battlefield as a Malay woman and her Chinese daughter- in-law work through their differences in religion, culture and generation. What kinds of compromises will emerge? Or are the chasms too wide to bridge? It plays in Malay with English subtitles.
Programme dates are as follows:
JULY 2017 |
|
7, 8 & 9 |
A Complete Woman |
14, 15 & 16 |
Fragrance |
21, 22 & 23 |
Lina & Lijah |
28, 29 & 30 |
Lina & Lijah |
AUGUST 2017 |
|
4, 5 & 6 |
Lina & Lijah |
11, 12 & 13 |
The Storyteller |
18, 19 & 20 |
Fragrance |
25, 26 & 27 |
Fragrance |
SEPTEMBER 2017 |
|
1, 2 & 3 |
A Complete Woman |
8, 9 & 10 |
A Complete Woman |
15, 16 & 17 |
The Storyteller |
22, 23 & 24 |
The Storyteller |
All performances will be held at the dedicated studio for the arts within SINKEH Guesthouse, 105 Lebuh Melayu, George Town. The studio is supported by revenue from the guesthouse, providing it with a sustained income stream for arts programming, human resource training, management and maintenance. Tickets can be purchased at SINKEH, between 9am and 5pm daily. No reservations will be taken.
Enquiries can be addressed to art@sinkeh.com or by calling 04-2613966. Tickets are priced at RM35 each, with an early-bird promotion of RM30 per ticket before 30 June 2017. Season tickets are RM100 for 4 tickets, for 4 different performances.
Contact: Chee Sek Thim 018 2614478