This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 28, 2016.
When we hear the word “wayang”, the image that often comes to mind is puppetry such as wayang kulit, or perhaps shadow play using hands. But in 2011, when veteran theatre actress and founder of Masakini Theatre Company Sabera Shaik decided to tell a story using shadow play, she had in mind a full-bodied performance using the human form.
This weekend, the fourth instalment of Masakini’s Wayang series will be staged. Featuring their largest ensemble yet with a cast of 16 actors, Wayang: Malaysia Kita continues the series’ theme of stories focusing on the “country and its cities we call home, with all its idiosyncrasies and nuances”.
Historically, shadow theatre is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, with strong roots in the Southeast Asian culture as a form of traditional entertainment. Masakini adapts the storytelling element in its modern version — a large-scale staging that makes it a first-of-its-kind theatrical performance in the country.
Wayang: Malaysia Kita takes the audience on a journey around all the 14 states of Malaysia, presented in a “travelogue” style with two people on a road trip. Sabera hints at a few surprises along the way in the hour-long show, where the audience might have to pay close attention. Stating that most Malaysians may not have gone to many of our own cities and towns, they hope the show will help Malaysians know the country better. “What is nice is Selangor? Or Perlis?” asks Chi, as both directors smile knowingly, before pointing out that the fun is for people to guess the landmarks they’ve handpicked.
Promising a mix of the familiar with the unexpected, Sabera adds, “We’re also taking the mickey out of things a bit. You’ll see us playing with personalities and situations that might make you think, ‘Ah, typical Malaysians’.”
Combining dance, mime and acting, the physically demanding form is no child’s play. “It’s bloody hard work!” stresses Sabera. “It’s a different kind of expression altogether. We spend a lot of time working on the actor’s bodies in the beginning, and when the actor finishes with Wayang, he or she will find that he is much more able to do physical acting, because they would know their bodies.”
Co-director Chi Azim would testify to that personal transformation. The trained engineer turned theatre practitioner took part in the first performance of the Wayang series and have been involved in each one ever since. “I’ve discovered muscles that didn’t exist,” she laughs recalling all the contorting and impossible positions the actors have to achieve to create the right image.
She highlights that the creativity needed to envision a movement or scene is a great challenge. Sabera concurs, “If you go behind the screen, you see people in funny positions, yet, they look totally different out there.” Chi adds, “At the end, they step back and go ‘wow!’ when they see the work.”
Drawing an example from Malaysia Kita, Sabera says each landmark has its iconic shapes. “The Mulu Cave has its own distinct shape at the entrance, so does Gunung Kinabalu. We will be doing it as detailed as possible.”
Collaborating once more with Dua Space Dance Theatre’s founders and choreographers Anthony Meh and Aman Yap, seven dancers from the company will also be performing together with the nine actors who independently auditioned. “They’re a very tight team, and I think they’re the best,” says Sabera. The contemporary dance choreographers also add their own unique touch to the movements of the entire work, helping the scenes meld into one another.
Featuring a larger screen than before, Malaysia Kita will be a bolder attempt in creating a purer experience, with no narration or words on screen except for the name of each city. Nevertheless, it will not be a silent experience, with a selection of popular and familiar Malaysian songs, as well as the actors’ vocal projections accompanying each scene.
Sabera says that shadow theatre is something that can be explored more, citing its visual driven form as a great way for telling stories. She believes that Malaysia has no lack of stories to tell. “In the first, I did the story of Malaya, its growth from the fifties till after the millennium. Then it was the story of Kuala Lumpur, and in last year’s Malaysian stories, we told legends and folk tales we’ve all grown up with.
“It’s what I know best. I know it better than say Shakespeare. Also, I think we should be telling our stories,” says Sabera, though she denies she’s particularly patriotic. “It’s not even purposeful, it’s just how I feel,” she shrugs.
Somewhere down the pipeline, she hopes to take her modern Wayang to the kampungs and small towns. “I would love to — to just go to a place, pacak and just play.”
Wayang: Malaysia Kita will be on at the Auditorium Bandaraya from March 30 to April 3. Tickets are priced at RM52 and RM82. For more information, visit www.masakinitheatre.com.my.