Teochew opera workshops for young people

Visitors enjoying a Teochew opera performance in Lebuh Chulia, Penang, before the pandemic. — Filepic

TO preserve the art of Teochew opera, two workshops on make-up and body movement will be held virtually by Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC).

The Teochew opera make-up workshop will be held on Aug 15 while the body movement workshop will be held on Aug 21, both in collaboration with Teochew Puppet and Opera House.

Both workshops will be conducted via the Zoom platform from 9am to noon.

According to PYDC, both programmes are part of its initiative to build a better understanding of traditional art forms among the youths of today.

“With more young people drawn to modern-day music and dances, the public is slowly abandoning the traditional performing arts.

“The movement control order was another blow, prohibiting singing and dancing performances including Teochew opera shows.

“We hope to rejuvenate traditional culture and integrate it into the modern lifestyle,” the corporation said in a statement.

The make-up workshop will be themed after the mythical character Monkey King while the body movement workshop will expose participants to backgrounds and stories of each movement.

Each workshop is priced at RM20 per person and is open to all Penang youths aged 15 to 35.

Registration for the make-up workshop will be closed on Aug 10, while the deadline to sign up for the body movement workshop will be Aug 15.

Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, call 012-401 0186.