The Penang Players’ upcoming production 'Funny About Love', runs at Auditorium C in Komtar, George Town from Sept 12–14. Directed by Jayaram, the play features actors (from left): Arunen, Baum, Garu and Tan. Photo: Penang Players Music and Drama Society
In the early 1950s, George Town, Penang, was a bustling entrepot. Trade moved along the wooden Clan Jetties, while Beach Street served as the financial centre, anchored by Whiteaways, the state’s first department store.
As Malaya neared independence, European bankers and traders filled the main roads, and Chinese and Indian workers populated the alleys. It was in this setting that the Penang Players Music and Drama Society was founded.
Formed under the auspices of the Arts Council of Penang, the troupe’s mission was clear: to stage “good plays” – well-written and competently produced.
More than seven decades later, the show goes on.
Pantomimes, comedies, thrillers
Chairperson Joelle Saint-Arnoult notes that scripts rooted in the British tradition dominated the repertoire: Shakespeare, pantomimes and light comedies.
“Penang Players Music and Drama Society was founded in the early 1950s by a group of expatriates living in Penang. By the late 1960s, as expatriates gradually left, membership became largely Malaysian, and a different type of theatre emerged,” she says.
Among these works were The Need To Be, an original script by Patrick Yeoh that won the Malaysian Arts Theatre Group Playwriting Contest in 1969, and Sri Kebayan, an Indonesian-language production staged during the 1972 Pesta Pulau Pinang carnival.
Academics such as university lecturers Harry Aveling and Roger Long helmed the troupe during this period. But by the early 1970s, the society entered a dormant phase.
Saint-Arnoult, who still works hands-on behind the scenes, says the theatre group aims to stage one major production each year. Photo: Penang Players Music and Drama Society
“It was revived only in 1976 when Universiti Sains Malaysia students joined the society. These new members staged Narukami, an adapted kabuki play directed by Kee Thuan Chye. Three more shows followed in 1977, including Jean Anouilh’s Antigone and Battles Of Coxinga, adapted from bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre),” says Saint-Arnoult.
Momentum ebbed again in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“The present revival began in 1992 through Angela Clarke’s initiative and encouragement from then state executive councillor Datuk Kee Phaik Chin. Since its ‘reawakening’, the troupe has organised workshops, literature recitals, and successful plays,” she says.
One popular strategy was dinner shows, where patrons enjoyed food and drink alongside a stage performance.
“These shows were usually held at hotels and proved very popular with the expatriate community,” says Jayaram Menon, Penang Players Music and Drama Society vice-chairman.
“Expatriates have a history of supporting community theatre. They loved the idea of dinner, drinks, and a funny play – that combo was super. But over time, with food prices rising, hotel dinners became too expensive. We can’t charge RM200 a ticket, so now we do without dinner,” he adds with a rueful smile.
A love for language
It was at the turn of the century that Jayaram, an electrical engineer and former chairman of the Malaysian Mensa Society, began seriously venturing into theatre.
Having turned 50 and easing into retirement, he finally had time for pursuits beyond family and work. With his love for riddles and wordplay, he even launched his own company, RoadRunners MS, which organises treasure hunts and team-building events.
“In school, I had no interest in the arts. But my father taught English and Literature in a public school in Kota Baru, so we always had books in the house. I think I picked up a love for language there, and a general liking for reading, stories and good books,” he recalls.
‘At every audition, we get new faces because word spreads. Talent is everywhere – but in Penang, we also have the grit to finish the job,’ says Jayaram. Photo: Penang Players Music and Drama Society
Born in India, Jayaram arrived in Malaya by boat in the early 1950s when he was just a year old. He later studied at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
“Even though it was a technical institution, IIT encouraged students to choose electives completely unrelated to engineering. The halls of residence also competed in full stage productions for the annual Spring Festival. We staged plays like Julius Caesar – heavy stuff! We even won, and I gained confidence from that,” he says, noting he often ended up in the less-desired director’s chair.
Two decades later, his friend, journalist Himanshu Bhatt, roped him into acting.
Jayaram debuted as innkeeper Giuseppe Grandi in Bernard Shaw’s The Man Of Destiny. Since then, he has acted in five plays and directed about 15 more.
“Nobody likes to volunteer as director – it’s so time-consuming. And we do a lot of rehearsals in my living room!” he says with a laugh.
In 2019, Jayaram began writing his own plays, two of which became Penang Players’ annual productions.
Memes: A Love Story (2019) told the tale of an unlikely couple brought together by friends, while A Plague Upon Your House (2022) looked at Shakespeare under lockdown during the bubonic plague.
“In his time, Shakespeare was in lockdown for 52 months – not continuously, but long enough to break anyone. Yet he kept on writing, kept on touring with his troupe. I wanted to remind people of that,” says Jayaram.
And just like Shakespeare, the Penang Players kept at it. Recent productions include A Couple Of Secrets (2022), The Murder Game (2023) and Nobody’s Perfect (2024).
One step at a time
Penang has long been a hub for arts and culture, but keeping live theatre alive is no easy task. Productions are costly and draw smaller audiences compared to other entertainment.
Saint-Arnoult says the theatre group aims for one major production a year.
'Memes, A Love Story' is a musical drama that was staged at Dewan Budaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, in June 2019. Photo: Penang Players Music and Drama Society
“Projects usually take about four months to prepare. Suggestions for plays come from both within the committee and outside. After a reading session, we decide if the play fits the budget and is marketable,” she explains.
The seven-person Penang Players Music and Drama Society committee has remained largely unchanged for two decades, running “like a well-oiled machine.”
But financing remains a challenge.
“For a long time, we financed projects from our own reserves. Budgeting has always been a concern. Beyond honorariums for cast and crew, we have to cover stage design, props, publicity, costumes and makeup. Venue rental takes up a huge chunk,” she says.
Venues have become scarcer too, with The Actors Studio @ Greenhall closing in 2009 and PenangPAC shutting down in 2022.
The group has received occasional grants – from the Tourism Ministry in 2019 and Cendana in 2022 – which enabled larger productions.
To save costs, rehearsals are often held in members’ homes, usually two or three times a week for three months. Performances typically run for three nights.
Over time, comedies have proven to be the best draw.
“Our next production is Funny About Love. It’s a light-hearted comedy about two couples in bittersweet situations.
“Old relationships are tested, and they realise how much they’ve changed – or haven’t,” says Jayaram, who will direct it.
Funny About Love, a comedy by Terence Frisby, plays at Auditorium C, Level 5, Komtar from Sept 12-14.
The play features three experienced Penang actors – Prada Tan, Arunen and Garu Rumon – and introduces Darielle Baum, who is making her first appearance in a large-scale production.
Despite the odds, Jayaram believes Penang’s theatre scene endures because of two things: friends and tenacity.
“None of the arts groups here have coordinated, sustained state support. We know we must get things done ourselves, find the money, and not waste it.
“Audiences here won’t accept inflated ticket prices – disposable income is used very carefully. That keeps us grounded,” he says.
But when needed, the community rallies.
“Penangites have a long- standing tradition of supporting their friends in the arts. There are over 50 arts groups here, and traditional Chinese and Malay theatre are still strongly supported. At every audition, we get new faces because word spreads.
“Talent is everywhere – but in Penang, we also have the grit to finish the job. We look at the hill others won’t climb and say, we’ll do it,” concludes Jayaram.
