In another year severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the theatre and performing arts scene in Malaysia barely had six months to work on any meaningful recovery programmes, let alone plan ahead for major shows. The various lockdowns meant the performing arts calendar was yet again disrupted, with venues left in the dark while issues such as appealing for SOP-compliant filming/recording theatre show permits dragged on with the authorities for months.
Yet again, online shows – when available – were mostly relied upon to keep theatre activities going.
Here are some of the bright spots in this year's Malaysian performing arts.
Funding and grants
In reality, financial help is not too far away if you are extremely patient and can deal with government agency bureaucracy.
The Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana) was given RM15mil under Budget 2021, which was meant to aid over 5,000 artists and cultural workers this year. Cendana's funding programmes included the Create Now, Performing Arts Presentation, and Arts Venue Recovery platforms.
Aside from Cendana, the Krishen Jit Fund, the Boh Relief Fund, and Yayasan Hasanah also provided financial assistance this year, to name a few.
"There is a clear correlation between nations that receive generous arts funding from the government and the extent it thrives, from small independent projects to international cross-cultural collaborations. Funding doesn't just enable artists – it creates vibrant audiences and empowers communities,” offers Kelvin Wong, Theatresauce founder.
“Having money alone, though, isn't enough – application and disbursement must be clear, consistent, efficient, and equitable. We've witnessed many events and performances pick up where they left off this year with help from Cendana, and we hope for this support annually," he adds.
Under Budget 2022, a grant allocation of RM50mil for the arts and culture industry was announced.
Arts and mental health
Managing the pandemic and one's mental health can take a toll on anyone.
The arrival of Commune For Arts, a free virtual series organised by actor/director Ho Lee Ching, this year bodes well for the arts in taking a pro-active role with mental health issues. This three-month initiative was conducted in collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) and the Malaysian Mental Health Association.
It offered three distinct forms of creative therapy and therapeutic art-making through dance, art and writing.
“Mental health issues have been further exacerbated by the current pandemic. It has made a lot of us aware how important mental health care is. Participating in arts programmes like Commune for Arts promotes a positive health and well-being message at personal and societal level,” says Ching.
“We definitely plan to continue this next year and hopefully more of such initiatives will arise. The arts is surely an extremely powerful tool that we can use to improve our well being and mental health. It is both healing, and pleasurable,” she adds.
Audience confidence
One of the challenges confronting performing arts venues – with reduced seating capacities – this year was reestablishing audience confidence.
Music and comedy live events made early inroads with reopening shows in this last quarter. At PJPac, indie band Hujan's four-night gig series sold out as it drew 350 concertgoers each night. KLPac, despite incurring financial losses of nearly RM3mil this year, has also made the most its live programming during this recovery period. Over 800 people watched its reopening show series Bollywood Dreams in March before MCO 3.0 shut down the theatre scene yet again.
“We only reopened for live audiences for two short stints this year, from March to May and then October to December. KLPac and The Actors Studio presented about 20 (live) productions which drew almost 5,000 while our online show series had a viewership of 10,000,” says Ang Yue May, KLPac's head of marketing communications.
“Though we are all glad to be back in the theatre, it has not been without its challenges including unclear policies and processes, handling additional SOPs, weaker demand, talent drain as well as the recent flooding. It will be a long road to recovery and we are gearing up to a packed 2022 with 30 confirmed productions and more in the pipeline,” she adds.
Theatre branches out
This year demonstrated theatremakers' ability to adapt to the film medium when live performances were not permitted. When you have a pool of talent and a compelling story to tell, all you need is a decent camera and a microphone.
Mentega Terbang, a pandemic-era film project by Anomalist Productions, and Menjadi Laila Dan Sairah, a film by Moka Mocha Ink, were screened at the 16th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival.
Mentega Terbang is also gaining traction in Malaysia after a series of successful private screenings.
Moka Mocha Ink also collaborated on several short films that were streamed virtually earlier this year.
This is an encouraging development for the theatre community, with more participation in film projects expected in 2022.
Time to experiment
At a time when staging shows seemed impossible, Seni Tiga Lab, a laboratory adaptation of Kongsi Petak's multidisciplinary show Seni Tiga in KL, demonstrated that sometimes the process is just as important than the outcome.
A mentor, three stage members, and backbone members comprised the "lab" series.
“When Seni Tiga was initiated in 2019, it was never just about physical presentations, but the mutual exchange and artistic development of participants. In 2021, our focus shifted even more towards the process than the outcome as we are curious about what is in the mind of artists at this time and hope to participate in the search for new ways to create, present and consume arts,” says Mah Jun Yi, Seni Tiga’s assistant producer.
"As a laboratory, Seni Tiga Lab is a process-driven programme with artists were given the freedom to explore and express without the pressure of presenting something perfect or tangible at the end,” she adds.
More of such platforms can only reignite fresh creativity in the arts scene.
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