Monday May 13, 2013

Drama on The Nyonya, a love story with a twist, on May 24 and 25

KUCHING: In 1962, John M. Chin, who was then secretary of the Kuching Rural District Council, decided to try his hand at writing a novel for a competition.

As it turned out, his novel entitled The Nyonya won the competition organised by the Borneo Literature Bureau, the precursor to the state Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).

It’s a tale of a young girl named Kim Lan who came to Sarawak from the fictional village of Put Ann in China in the early 1900s and her subsequent life here, including how she rose from being a maid-servant to attain “nyonya” status.

The 62-page book has long been out of print and few copies survive.

But now, 51 years after its publication, it will be brought back to life through a drama adaptation by the author’s son, also named John Chin.

A reprint of the book is also in the works.

“I’m doing this to honour my parents, especially my father, who will turn 93 later this month. He has written three books, including a serious volume about the history of the Sarawak Chinese which was published by the Oxford University Press.

“The Nyonya was his first book, which was written for the competition launched by the Borneo Literature Bureau. Dad had a go at it and he won. The book was published in three languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese.

“He followed this with another novel – The Santubong Affair – which was a who-dun-it. He’s also written many short stories which are unpublished,” Chin said.

He decided to dramatise The Nyonya and stage it with a cast and crew of amateurs as a birthday present for his father and also to promote the performing arts in this city.

“I took a few months to adapt the book into a script. But it is a collaborative effort because along the way we made changes during rehearsal,” he said, adding that the 25-strong cast had been rehearsing for the past four months.

The drama will be one-and-a-half hours long, with three acts and 11 scenes. The final scene will be shown in a black-and-white video.

It will narrate Kim Lan’s journey from China to Kuching, her life as a servant in the household of Towkay Lim, her eventual escape and marriage to a Scottish engineer working in the Bau goldmine, and her reunion with her childhood sweetheart.

“It’s essentially a love story with a twist. In fact, for the 1960s it was probably quite scandalous. But it’s also a heartwarming and uplifting tale,” Chin said.

He also said the drama was also a platform for amateur actors to get involved in a stage production.

“In this digital age, I think people should have the opportunity to enjoy something live as opposed to on the screen,” he added.

The drama will be staged at Koperasi Hijau Bhd at Taman Stutong Indah on May 24 and 25.

Tickets are priced at RM20. The proceeds will go towards starting a seed fund to encourage local talent in literature and the performing arts.

For more information and to buy tickets, call 082-502 008 or email thenyonya@gmail.com.

News

Monday May 13, 2013

Drama on The Nyonya, a love story with a twist, on May 24 and 25