26/04/2026

theSunday Special XII ON SUNDAY APR 26, 2026

Rooted, not replicated: A festival shaped by Penang’s own

Built from the ground up by artists themselves, the event brings theatre, music and movement into a shared space where heritage is lived, not performed

BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

A NEW arts festival in Penang is being built not in boardrooms or by event agencies but by the very people who will step onto its stages – artists who believe that cultural work is strongest when it is shaped from within, not outsourced. When Jayaram Menon, Aida Redza and Jerome Quah decided to organise a festival, they did not call an event management company. They built it themselves. “We are all performers. We are practitioners. Everything is done by us from the ground up,” said Jayaram, playwright and vice-chairman of The Penang Players Music and Drama Society. The Penang Heritage Arts Festival (PHAF), opening on May 1 at Bangunan UAB on Gat Lebuh China in George Town, brings theatre, music and dance together under one roof, anchored on a simple but deliberate idea – that original work grows through collaboration. From experiment to idea The roots of the festival trace back to 2019, when Penang Players staged Memes: A Love Story , written by Jayaram. Wanting to move beyond theatre alone, he brought in choreographer Aida, founder of WindRiver Productions, known for cross-cultural movement work tied to social and environmental themes. Quah, chairman of the Penang Jazz Society, added live music while movement artist Luvenia Kalia also joined the production team. It was their first multi-genre collaboration, one that exposed both creative tension and unexpected synergy. “We could genuinely learn from one another,” Jayaram said. That experience planted the idea of a dedicated platform for local artists working across disciplines. Interrupted, then reimagined Initial discussions with the state government began in late 2019 but Covid-19 halted progress and shelved initial plans.

When restrictions eased, the trio revisited the concept – smaller, leaner but more intentional. They applied to Yayasan Hasanah, the same foundation that supported Penang Players’ post-pandemic production A Plague Upon Your House . This time, the application was jointly submitted by Penang Players, Studio Pentas and the Penang Jazz Society, reflecting a broader practitioner-led collaboration. The grant was approved, although at less than half the requested amount. “We knew we had to go through with it even though it was not ideal,” said Jayaram, adding that the festival was condensed into two weekends.

tourism-driven priorities. “PHAF was conceived as neither. It is a practitioners’ platform, shaped by artists for artists, with heritage as the organising theme rather than a marketing label. “We do not want to fit into any particular category except that which is defined by the title ‘heritage arts’,” he said. For Jayaram, heritage is not nostalgia but structure – a way to ground new work in shared histories, migrations and cultural layering while allowing experimentation. Stories on stage This year’s programme reflects that approach. Among the highlights is The Legend of Rani Dhobi , an original play set in Penang in 1800, alongside a choral presentation by Pulse and Voices of Penang featuring Song of Pulau Pinang . Also featured is Beyond the Sea , a dramatic recital by theater artiste Himanshu Bhatt of Cape Poetics Circle, adapted from a 1950 novel, and accompanied by photographic slides and a post-show discussion on early Penang. Adding a lighter counterpoint is Light Bites , a one-hour sketch and stand-up comedy set for May 2 at 9pm. It blends satire and cultural reflection through a fictional meeting between colonial history and modern-day Penang. Sir Francis Light, played by Garu Rumon, finds himself in present-day Penang, encountering a motley crew of characters – a nasi lemak vendor (Shamirul Nazrin), a nasi kandar seller (Raqib Karim), a char kway teow chef (Lun Kor), and a roti canai cook played by Arunen Thiruvavul — each reflecting the island’s layered communities. They are joined by Emma McG, a British woman immersed in Penang’s languages and food culture. Apart from Francis Light, performers use their own names, reinforcing the show’s

Set in 1800s Penang, The Legend of Rani Dhobi is among the highlights of the Penang Heritage Arts Festival, blending theatre, movement and history. humour and familiarity. Arunen Thiruvavul, a USM acting student, made his stage debut with Penang Players in The Murder Game , marking his early step into theatre through this collaborative ecosystem. Music, movement and exchange The music programme on May 2 features Quah and the Penang Jazz Society in A Celebration of Classical and Malaysian Music . The evening includes Cintra Simfoni , featuring Banana Brass and Papaya Winds performing classical, pop, jazz and Malaysian repertoire, as well as the USM Music Department Ensemble Project, in which students reinterpret Malaysian and evergreen works. The segment concludes with Malaysian Music Reimagined , featuring the Mini Big Band of Penang with vocalist Mable Ooi. On May 9, Rentak Jazz brings together Northern Jazz Unit and the Big Band of Penang alongside Kuala Lumpur acts Jo Lixian and the WVC Trio. The dance programme, led by Aida and collaborators, extends the festival’s multidisciplinary vision through Sasanakala and Nartana . Sasanakala , staged on May 9 and 10, features dancers including Luvenia, Afif Anor, Jerry Yacob and Kausalya Sugumarin in a work shaped by memory, heritage and movement. Nartana functions as both workshop and exchange, featuring artists such as Lau Beh Chin, Lim Lenzo, Luvenia, Kausalya Sugumarin and Devamayi Somasundaram, alongside explorations of Kaavadi dance, Baba Nyonya beadwork and everyday movement traditions. Building the next layer Behind the scenes, student volunteers from INTI College will be handling social media, documentation and rehearsal coverage after the college principal recognised the festival’s community-driven approach. “We want Penang to get a thriving theatrical, dramatic, musical, dance filled capability so that George Town is recognised as one of the key towns of culture in Malaysia,” said Jayaram. The festival will be officiated by Penang state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai. Tickets are available at cloudjoi.com.

arts’.” “

We do not want to fit into any particular category except that which is defined by the title ‘heritage

One space, many worlds The decision to anchor PHAF at Bangunan UAB was deliberate. An earlier plan to spread performances across George Town including Komtar and the Blue Mansion was dropped in favour of a single, contained venue. The building’s three halls now host the full programme, transformed with temporary staging, lighting and sound systems. “We decided to have everything in Jayaram said what distinguishes PHAF is not only its programming but its authorship. He added that the George Town Festival has increasingly become a platform for international acts, while local productions often compete for attention and funding within one place,” Jayaram said. By artists, for artists

Maitheli Moganasundaram (left) and Muhammad Haizam Mohd Azman will be performing in Nartana . – PICS COURTESY OF PHAF