“Clean up, clean up! For our kids, for our kids!” – a man pointing at the beach says, asking a group of people to clean up the beach near Coloane village before his daughter pays a visit to Macau – this is a scene from a local puppet street theatre production – Granny Pirate. Then, with the help of the audience, the beach becomes nice and clean.
Earlier this year, during the warm summer months, the unique local theatre group, Rolling Puppets, founded by Teng Teng Lam and Kevin Chio, in collaboration with a group of artists from Mexico – Colectivo Cuerda Floja (CF Theatre), showcased a compelling and heartwarming alternative theatre performance – Granny Pirate – leading the audience to explore the history and social reality of both old and contemporary Macau, unveiling the story as they walked around the streets and alleyways of Coloane village.
With the use of various puppets and masks, Granny Pirate presents the story of an old granny in Coloane going on a treasure hunt adventure to entertain her grandson. Along the way, she encounters a father and daughter from Southeast Asia who later also join the hunt for the treasure. This adventure of Granny Pirate awakens the memories of her childhood and brightens up her lonely life.
Granny Pirate is based on a old folk tale told by their neighbors in the village, and inspired by a book entitled Invisible Macau: The Ignored City and Culture by Macau cultural critic, Chin Pang Lei.
“The story is exactly based on what we’ve seen in Coloane village since we moved here,” explains Teng Teng. “We have noticed the conflicts between the changing populations such as the forgotten community groups in the village – more elderly people, foreign workers and stray animals in recent years.”
For the modern version of the tale, Teng Teng and Kevin changed the storyline into a granny’s treasure hunt, giving the audience a glimpse of warm human magic in the village.
“We wanted to keep the ending true to reality, as the problems and conflicts still exist, but more understanding comes into play,” Teng Teng says.
“Since I moved to here to Coloane village, it has led to my realization that art is barely anything compared to people’s daily livelihoods,” reflects Teng Teng.
“Rather than thinking of ourselves as making a contribution to the village with our artwork, the fact is, we’ve learnt so much from the local residents here, and they have empowered us so much more than we ever expected, so we wanted to give something back to them through the medium of art, after being empowered by them, and (I think) eventually they will feel it. This is a whole process of learning,” she says with appreciation.
But doing community theatre in Macau hasn’t been easy for the couple. Teng Teng admits that Granny Pirate is actually the most difficult theatre production they have ever done, given the challenge of the remote location of Coloane village and communication with the residents, as well as language barriers with their Mexican collaborators from Colectivo Cuerda Floja (CF Theatre) in the beginning.
“Communication and mutual understanding are critical as we are doing community theatre. It is important to put ourselves in their shoes. Some residents thought we worked for the government and did not understand why we had moved to this hidden spot to make artwork,” Teng Teng notes. “But once you establish communication, they are actually very loving and friendly.”
For example, people at a nearby restaurant helped them set up some sheds during a rainy day, and a vendor near Teng Teng’s studio untiringly delivered free soup and vegetables to them. This warmth was also shared with the visiting Mexican artists who provided assistance in the production and scenography in Granny Pirate.
“In the beginning we spent two days just walking around the village with them (CF Theatre) to design the routes and scenes, we walked from the cemetery to the hillside forest,” Teng Teng says.
“Despite the language barrier, they have been very welcomed by the residents. I often saw them interacting with local people, like the other day they were having beers with a group of Filipino workers who live here,” she adds.
When asked about their inspiration to integrate local elements into the theatre production, Teng Teng says that over the years of making artworks to explore their self-identity, their time spent in Coloane village with the company of the local residents, prompted them to finally take a step forward to recognize the value of the city, and likewise, to get the audience to join the treasure hunt with Granny Pirate.
“I love living in Macau, but I don’t love this city. This might largely reflect a feeling about Macau that many locals have,” Teng Teng comments. “Our group has been exploring this sense of self-identity as a person growing up in Macau. A lot of our works speak about our questions about this place, and also raises many doubts about the local culture.”
Teng Teng emphasizes that at the end of Granny Pirate, the root problems are not resolved, just like in real life. But it gives a new perspective to the audience to have a closer look at the village.
“I think now is the time to really have a deep conversation with the city,” Teng Teng says.