Teochew opera legend takes a bow

Heritage on stage: Toh showing off her Penang State Arts and Culture Figure Award which recognises her years of performing and preserving the art of Teochew opera and puppeteering. — KT GOH/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Growing up in the 1950s, an era when girls were mostly not educated, Toh Ai Hwa taught herself the lines for every role and the drum parts of nearly a hundred Teochew operas over the years.

“My mother said girls did not go to school back then, so I had no formal education and still cannot read, but I memorised the lines and tunes through years of ­listening.