HAVING been part of a traditional Teochew puppet group in Penang for more than three decades, Goh Hui Ling feels like her wings have been clipped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have been with the Teochew Opera for 31 years, since I was a little girl.
“Not being able to perform on stage has been weird but it has been harder on my pocket. Not just for me but the others in my group as well.
“Our group of 10 consists of my brother, mother, some relatives and family friends.
“Many rely solely on the income from our performances.
“Now some of them have taken up jobs as waiters and insurance agents.
“I run a Teochew puppet and Chinese opera house but we no longer have visitors or students coming to learn the art.
“Trying to keep my head high and be positive about the pandemic, I now offer free online classes just to keep the art alive.
“It is difficult to teach students as some moves need to be taught in person but I want to share my expertise and this seems to be the only way right now, ” she said when met at the Teochew Puppet and Opera House in Armenian Street, George Town.
Goh, 39, learned the art form from her mother, who has been performing for over 50 years.
“Our group comprises people as young as 15 and as old as 78 and it has been our only source of income for decades.
“Most of us are housewives, but the others need an income to sustain themselves and now have resorted to random jobs.
“Everyone must do what they need to do to make a living. We never foresaw having to deal with a pandemic.
“We hold around 180 shows a year, at temples for celebrations and festivals or local events and even shows in Kuala Lumpur.
“We charged between RM1,200 and RM1,800, depending on the time of year as we are busier during festive seasons, ” she said.
Goh said she did not expect things to go back to normal anytime soon and does have plans to work with her group in a smaller way.
“We had two or three shows at temples this year but just privately for the gods and our performances were cut short.
“We usually perform for four hours but they only wanted it to last an hour.
“When we suggested performing via video for temples, they told us they could just use old recorded videos instead, ” she said.
Goh said she is now considering turning her Teochew Puppet and Opera house into a cafe with a stage so her group can perform for patrons while following standard operating procedures.
“We have not finalised the plans but it is in the pipeline as I foresee us not being able to get much work in the coming two to three years due to the pandemic.
“Running a cafe will help all of us with our income while still doing what we love, ” she said.
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