Early exposure: (Front row) Sirhajwan (far left), Lim (far right) and other KLSP members posing with KVC students and preschoolers at the KVC campus.
LIFE with an abusive stepmother was tough for a young lady.
However, her life took a dramatic turn after discovering a Serimpak - a traditional headdress worn by Bajau women - that seemed to possess magical qualities.
That is the premise of a Bajau-Sama folktale that had been shared with about 15,000 primary schoolchildren from over 250 schools nationwide. Titled Kanang and the Serimpak, the unpublished tale was brought to life through 135 live performances staged across all 13 states, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, during a two-year national tour that concluded recently.
The production was spearheaded by KL Shakespeare Players (KLSP), a full-time theatre-in-education travelling troupe, with the support of Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) under its “Storytelling in English: Crossing Borders” initiative, approved by the Education Ministry.
The tour featured a unique storytelling format where performers acted out the story while engaging the audience through singing, movement, dancing and interactive question-and-answer segments. Illustrations with animation were projected onto a screen behind the actors, creating a storybook effect.
KLSP executive director Lim Soon Heng said the troupe’s goal during the tour was to create an immersive English language experience for young Malaysian pupils, while bringing joy through the performances.
“Engaging and fun performances help the learning process. During our performances, the pupils were not passively listening but actively participating,” he told StarEdu.
He added that in rural schools where pupils have lower English language competence, the actors would often translate keywords and expressions into the local language.
“Teachers have told us that pupils learnt certain expressions from our online performances and remembered them for future use.
“For each production, we developed a corresponding study guide and list of activities that teachers could use in their classrooms after we left. We hope they use them,” he said.
Keningau Vocational College (KVC), Sabah, English language teacher Dr Sirhajwan Idek, an indigenous Bajau who shared the folktale with the production team, said children learn more effectively through animated and engaging storytelling.
“This approach helps boost their interest in and attitude towards learning the English language,” he said.
He added that exposing children to the performing arts and local folklore can boost their imagination and creativity.
“This is vital for them to develop their ability to write and present their own literary works,” he said.
Looking ahead, Lim said KLSP plans to turn another indigenous folktale into a performance.
“We hope not only to execute a national tour like we did with Kanang and the Serimpak, but also to meet with local communities during our tour to collect tales that remain largely unheard. We will do what we can to help these indigenous stories gain more visibility and life,” he said.
He emphasised that Malaysians need to know local folktales, such as the Sang Kancil tales, Puteri Gunung Ledang, the Legend of Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang, and the Legend of Mahsuri.
“Folktales highlight important traditions and provide an understanding of how things began.
“KLSP isn’t doing anything new by seeking out unpublished and lesser-known local folktales. The problem is that not enough of us are doing it. Eventually, some of these tales will fade away, leaving us knowing only Marvel and DC heroes,” he said.
Agreeing, Sirhajwan said projects such as Kanang and the Serimpak can help unearth some of Malaysia’s diverse folktales, traditions and customs, making them accessible to the public.
With the success of the two-year tour, which began in Perlis on Aug 8 last year and ended in Sabah on Oct 17 this year, Lim expressed hope that their efforts will inspire educators, corporate leaders, foundations and government agencies to support their theatre-in-education mission.
“Without a doubt, we accomplished what we set out to do. But that doesn’t mean it’s enough. It’s something that must be continued.
“We have started the ball rolling, and we need assistance to keep the momentum going,” he said.
Prior to the tour, in 2021, with funding from Yayasan Hasanah Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS) programme, KLSP and Sirhajwan, along with representatives from the Sabah community, developed the tale Kanang and the Serimpak into an online production.KLSP, established in 2011 by a group of passionate theatre lovers, initially focused on performing Shakespeare’s works but has since expanded its repertoire to include ethnic tales.
Daniel, 21, a student in Perak, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
