GEORGE TOWN – After months of uncertainty on whether the Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac) will be able to pull through the economic downturn and survive the multiple lockdowns, it seems that it is the last curtain call for the theatre.
Despite the assistance and backing it has received from multiple quarters, the centre will officially take its final bow on its last day of operation at Straits Quay Marina Mall here on January 15.
It released a statement expressing great sadness that The Actors Studio and Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Bhd have mutually agreed to shutter penangpac as it is no longer financially sustainable.
The decision is partly due to the devastating two years the centre has had, brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic, its after-effects and the poor immediate economic outlook and recovery.
Founders Datuk Faridah Merican and Joe Hasham explained that it was not a decision they took lightly. However, they had to face the fact that it is no longer sustainable.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to Eastern & Oriental Bhd for partnering with The Actors Studio to set up penangpac 10 years ago and housing us in Straits Quay, where we have enjoyed 10 extraordinary years.
During this time, we had the privilege of witnessing many performing arts groups and artists blossom, playing host to many international groups and creating what we hope was a warm home for the performing arts community in the north.
“We have also been on the receiving end of much warmth, care and generosity from our patrons, students, sponsors, partners, staff, ex-staff and interns – for that, we thank you.
“May the dream and hope to further the arts in Penang and the northern region continue to live on in all of us art makers. One day, not too far off we hope, The Actors Studio may return to Penang,” they said.
With this, the wind-up process of penangpac will be initiated.
The premise will be closed and the space will be returned to E&O Trading on the same day.
Meanwhile, music producer and guitarist Kelvyn Yeang, who has had a working relationship with penangpac for the past seven years, told The Vibes that it is disappointing the centre it has to go.
“This period is not going to be an easy season for the arts. Limited seating capacities and the looming fear of evolving pathogens only serve to limit what you can do,” said Yeang, who had been actively performing and hosting shows and festivals there.
“In the end, unless we can have a fully subsidised government space, this scenario, where we have a space, then lose a space and gain another only to lose it again, will be doomed to repeat itself.
Let’s face it; the issues faced by performance venues and the cultivation of the arts isn’t a new thing. When I was young, my predecessors talked about the same thing. Over two decades later, we are still talking about the same thing.
“It is a roller-coaster scene where the arts never really reach a stable point of consistent growth,” he said.
Meanwhile, company manager Alexander Ooi described it as a loss of “one of the best performing arts facilities in the state”.
He said that Penang has lost an organisation that can work with the government and performing arts societies to promote and nurture the industry here.
“My good memories working at penangpac were when we were contributing to our local performing arts scene. Whenever we collaborated with our local talents, it was always good to see a show’s success, happy faces on the performers and production team, and the audience.”
Launched on November 11, 2011, the centre was made possible with a partnership with The Actors Studio and E&O Bhd.
The partnership included a rent-free arrangement. It had a 300-seat theatre and a Black Box that can seat 160 pax and three studios.
The centre has entertained over 250,000 audience members at almost 1,000 events and performances.
In its lifetime, it had also provided approximately 3,000 students with their first exposure to the arts with free introductory workshops.
With the expiry of this partnership, penangpac was expected to pay rent, maintenance and utilities costs to Straits Quay at RM125,000 each month.
Furthermore, it would have needed to raise an additional RM1.5 million per year to survive.
E&O Bhd decided to withdraw from the partnership a few months ago and efforts made by The Actors Studio to get them to rethink their decision proved futile.
After the announcement, the state government, under Penang tourism and creative economy exco Yeoh Soon Hin, tried to prevent its closure by trying to source aid.
Yeoh believes the centre is an asset for Penang.
However, according to the staff, the founders were not willing to strive for its revival.
Penangpac celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 11 last year with a variety show titled “A Decade with penangpac”.
It was sponsored by the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, social development exco Chong Eng, and Tg Bungah assemblyman Zairil Khir Johari. – The Vibes, January 6, 2022
