Professional Chinese Opera Troupes and Street Opera Performance in Singapore

Abstract

and amateur opera troupes. These groups differ in terms of their history, ideology, structure, and performance practice, and more importantly, in their status within the contemporary social matrix in Singapore. Professional troupes perform street opera, or jiexi, exclusively in religious contexts, while amateur troupes perform mainly in indoor theaters, and occasionally in the street opera style, in the context of cultural tourism for local Singaporeans and foreign visitors. Street opera essentially refers to Chinese opera performed on temporary stages located in open spaces, and there are significant differences in its performance function and meanings as practiced by the professional and amateur troupes. In Singapore today, street opera performance by professional opera troupes is generally considered apathetic, and their performers are perceived to be dispassionate about Chinese opera, performing only to make a living out of it. On the other hand, amateur opera troupes enjoy the privilege of sponsorships from private, as well as national art and cultural institutions, and their members are credited for their enthusiastic efforts in promoting Chinese opera in Singapore. This essay is an ethnographic description of the performance practice of professional opera troupes, based on my fieldwork with the Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Wayang (Lao Sai Tao Yuan Chaozhou Opera Troupe) and Sin Sai Hong Hokkien Wayang (Sin Sai Hong Fujian Opera Troupe).2 I describe their organizational and performance characteristics to provide a glimpse into the processes involved in preparing and performing Chinese street opera. In addition, I explore the role of the audience in the performative process of Chinese street opera, and examine the religious contexts that frame street opera performance. Specifically, I consider the social dynamics enacted in, and through this tradition in terms of its performance and administrative processes. Finally, I outline the sentiments of professional performers toward their profession, and examine the changing social value of this performance tradition in contemporary Singapore.3