GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s first performing arts centre, PenangPAC, is now open to the public.According to The Actors Studio (TAS) co-founder Joe Hasham, the centre – situated within Tanjung Tokong’s Straits Quay – would serve as a performing arts nexus for Malaysia’s north.
“PenangPAC will do what KLPac (Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre) has done… It will provide a focal point and meeting place for people who are interested in the performing arts.
“It is almost a scaled-down version of KLPac,” he told reporters at the centre.
Hasham said that local developer Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) first approached him and fellow TAS co-founder Faridah Merican 18 months ago.
“They told us that they were building this wonderful establishment, and asked us if they were interested in having a theatre centre.”
“We said definitely. Absolutely,” he laughed.
Agreeing to the idea on the spot, both E&O and TAS set about to designing and building the centre.
The former agreed to fund the bulk of PenangPAC’s start-up costs, while TAS would handle the centre’s creative and production decisions.
It was recently opened to the public on Nov 11 and officiated by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on the same day.
Arts history
Housed in the newly-built Straits Quay retail marina in Tanjong Tokong, PenangPAC consists of two stages – a 303-seat proscenium theatre and a 150-seat experimental space.
At 22,000 sq ft in size, the centre also boasts three rehearsal studios and two public galleries.
Hasham also said that PenangPAC was part of a move to spread theatre and the performing arts across the country.
“What we’re doing is decentralising theatre. Faridah’s vision has always been to not only have theatre, because when you talk about theatre in Malaysia, you always think of KL,” he said.
Faridah agreed with this, adding that most acts were usually only performed in the capital city.
“What will happen is that people in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia would be able to see the same shows that once upon a time they would only be hearing about because (those shows) are only performed in KL,” she said.
A Penang-born native herself, Faridah admitted that the northern state’s performing arts scene was at one point close to coming to a fold.
“Penang has had its own performing arts history… but it was allowed to almost die off… It (events) was scattered, and it did not provide theatre on an ongoing basis,” she said.
The lack of support, she admitted, was also a factor in the state’s dearth of theatre.
Theatre practitioners were not the only people expected to benefit from the centre.
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