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Granny Pirate: First alternative puppets theatre

"Granny Pirate" is an alternative community theatre created by "Rolling Puppets Alternative Theatre", an unprecedented theatre group in Macao that promotes the art form of Puppetry and Alternative Theatre. Local artist Teresa Lam and her partner, Kevin Chio founded the Rolling Puppets in 2014 after studying arts in Prague. Currently, they are full-time professional artists producing theatrical performances and providing art education to the public.

This summer, the group received favorable and encouraging responses from the public after showcasing a compelling and heartwarming theatre around the streets and alleyways of Coloane Village in collaboration with a group of artists from Mexico - Colectivo Cuerda Floja. With the use of various puppets and masks, "Granny Pirate" presents a story about an old granny in Coloane taking an adventure of a treasure hunt to please his grandson. On her way, visitors from Southeast Asia, a father and his daughter, join the fight for treasure. This adventure helps Granny Pirate recall the memory of her childhood and eventually brighten up her life as a loner.

As the director of the theatre, Lam wants to inform the audience about the history of old Macao and convey the warm human magic in the hidden spot of Macao, Coloane Village, through crossing alleyways of Coloane village with the characters.

"Granny Pirate is based on an oral history told by our neighbors in the village and inspired by "Invisible Macau: The Ignored City and Culture", a book by Macao cultural critic Lei Chin Pang," Lam said. "The story is exactly based on what we've seen in Coloane Village since we moved here last year. We have noticed the conflicts between the changing populations - more elderly, street animals and foreign laborers in recent years."

The idea of "Pirate" was inspired by an oral history when Macao was under the Portuguese administration, a time when the corruption and bribery were commonplace among colonial officials. The locals were seen as pirates as they allegedly kidnapped officials in the midnight in order to make a living. But for "Granny Pirate", Lam and Chio changed the storyline to an old granny's treasure hunt featuring the themes of love and family that are often overlooked by people living in a bustling city.

"We wanted to keep the ending true to the reality as problems and conflicts still remained, but more understandings came into play," Lam said.

Staying in the Coloane village for more than a year, the couple said they have been empowered and inspired by the residents. Lam referred this empowerment as "a sense of humanity".

"This period has led to my realization that art is not as great when compared to daily livelihood. Regarding our contribution to the village with art, the fact is - we have learned so much from them and they have empowered us so much more, so we want to give back something to them through the medium of art and we think eventually they will receive it. I guess this is a whole process of learning," she said with thankfulness.

But this performance was no easy task. Lam revealed this is the most difficult performance they have ever done due to the challenge of the remote location and communication with village residents.

"Communication and mutual understanding are critical as we are doing a community theatre. It is important to put ourselves into their shoes. Some residents thought we worked for the government and did not understand why we moved to this hidden spot to make artworks," Lam said. "It definitely took a lot of explanation but once you established the two-way communication, they were actually very loving and friendly, for example, people at a restaurant helped us set up sheds during a rainy day." And a South Asian vendor near Lam's studio often sent them free soup and fruits.

Such love is also well shared with the Mexican artists. "Despite of a language barrier, they are very welcomed by the village residents," Lam said. "I often saw them interacting with each other, like the other day they were having beer with a group of Pilipino workers who live here."

Self-identity and Macao

"I love living in Macao, but I don't love this city. This might largely speak for a feeling about Macao of many people living here," Lam said. "Our group has been exploring this sense of self-identity as a person growing up in Macao. A lot of our works deal with our questions to this place, also raise many doubts toward the local culture."

One of the performances the couple first made in the Czech Republic was "Made in Macao" which dived very much in-depth of this layer. The story describes her personal experience growing up in Macao during colonial times (the 1960s -70s) to reflect the history and culture, in comparison to today's Macao.

"When you leave a place, you will find yourself very different," she joked, reflecting on her experience in the Czech Republic where people barely knew the existence of Macao, or only a few knew it for its gaming industry or the Grand Prix. She said that studying abroad enabled them to see the city with different perspectives and explore what is lacking in the city.

Professional artists' struggle

Even the group attracted a wide range of audience with their meaningful works, the couple revealed that it has been a difficult journey to do this particular art in Macao considering a lack of special measures in terms of amateurs and professional groups and the culture.

"The government has invested a substantial sum in local art events like Art Macao. However, most of them are only instrumental in promoting tourism rather than the local art business," Lam said, adding that the inflexible funding programs have created a hardship for professional groups to accomplish innovative and larger-scale projects.

"They work well for art amateurs but not professional art groups like Rolling Puppets, and the latter require a very different scheme with more financial support," she said.

However, Lam kept her cheerful spirit. "But when we see positive feedbacks from the public, many families taking their children out to the village and engaging in a closer contact with the place they were born, we are very touched."

"I think now is the time to really have a deep conversation with the city," Lam said at the end of the interview.