George town Festival 2024
ISLE TO ISLE
Isle to Isle is an initiative that celebrates the friendship between the islands of Penang and Taiwan. First launching in 2018, it has been part of George Town Festival’s official programme ever since. Through collaborative efforts with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO), Isle to Isle brings outstanding artists and their works to GTF, with the aim of promoting dialogue and exchange with the people of Penang and beyond.
Ushering in the sixth edition of Isle to Isle, audiences will be treated to a feast of staged drama in Double Bill of Jingju Magic by the highly acclaimed GuoGuang Opera Company. A mini version of Close to You Festival will string together multiple short and up-close puppetry shows by Flying Group Theatre. Through these works, audiences will be able to experience Taiwan’s theatre that is both old and new, traditional and contemporary, grand and sophisticated.
Additionally, Southeast Asian Choreolab, a choreographic laboratory co-organised by MyDance Alliance and TECO, will see 14 emerging choreographers from eight Southeast Asian countries coming to Penang to live, work and explore together. They will be under the guidance of Taiwanese dance artist Ho Hsiao-Mei.
Programme
Double Bill of Jingju Magic
魔幻雙齣
Feature | Chinese Opera | Live Music
By GuoGuang Opera Company (Taiwan)
Date & Time
20-21 July 2024: 2:30pm
20 July – post-show photo session
21 July – post-show Q&A session (30 minutes max)
Duration: 90 minutes without interval
Venue
Dewan Budaya USM
Indoor
Jingju actors create a captivating fantasy with their stylised actions, bringing all things in the universe to life—be they mountains and rivers, grand palaces and small temples, realistic forms of living creatures or ethereal gods and ghosts.
Close to You Festival @ GTF
超親密小戲節：檳城篇
Puppetry
By Flying Group Theatre & Puppet on the Workbench (Taiwan)
Date & Time
20-21 July, 11:00am, 8:00pm
22 & 24 July,3:00pm,8:00pm
23 July,3:00pm
Total 3 post-show talks, each 15-20 minutes
22 July @ 3.30pm-5pm
23 July @ 3.30pm-5pm
24 July @ 3.30pm-5pm
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
Venue
Le Petit Four Pâtisserie & Han Jiang Ancestral Temple 韓江家廟
Indoor
Close to You Festival arrives in Penang for its first international outing, allowing participants to choose between two starting points to tour the city and experience two intimate puppetry performances.
Hiss and Arf: Extended Family Edition
《嘶嘶嗷嗷：親子特別版》
Puppetry | Family Fun
By Puppet on the Workbench (Taiwan)
Date & Time
27 July 2024: 11.00am, 4.00pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Venue
Han Jiang Ancestral Temple 韓江家廟
Indoor
Dogs versus cats. A rivalry as old as time. Are you a dog’s best friend or a cat’s loyal servant?
Southeast Asian Choreolab
Outdoor | Dance | Free
By MyDance Alliance
Date & Time
27 July 11.00am & 3.00pm
Duration: 90 minutes
Venue
COEX @ Kilang Besi
Indoor
At the heart of Southeast Asia’s rhythmic pulse, cultures collide and moving bodies intertwine.
15 contemporary dance choreographers take part in a laboratory at Hin Bus Depot to enrich their choreographic craft
An Extraordinary Journey in Everyday Spaces: A Close to You Festival Sharing Session
日常空間的非常旅行-超親密小戲節分享講座
By Shih Pei-Yu (Flying Group Theatre) (Taiwan)
Date & Time
26 July 2024: 3pm-5pm
Venue
Mano Plus Mini Cube
Indoor
With the harmonious fusion of their voices, these models will win the hearts and souls of the audience, captivating both eyes and ears with their allure.