Performing arts institution gets back on its feet
February 7 - 13, 2011
Members of Htwe Oo Myanmar perform at Karaweik Palace last week. Pic: Kaung Htet
AFTER two-and-a-half years laden with setbacks, Yangon-based marionette troupe Htwe Oo Myanmar has resumed regular daily shows. Founder U Khin Maung Htwe said last week performances are being held from 6pm to 9pm at Karaweik Palace in Mingalar Taung Nyunt’s Kandawgyi Gardens and will run until at least April.
He said the troupe is keeping shows relatively short – about 45 minutes each – and from January 29 will expand to six shows a day, from 1pm to 9pm.
U Khin Maung Htwe said the 16 members of Htwe Oo Myanmar were relieved to be performing regularly again, as they had struggled to find a venue since Cyclone Nargis, which also destroyed many of their marionettes.
“I’m happy to perform in front of an audience at Karaweik again, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for quite a while,” U Khin Maung Htwe said. “It is lucky we have the chance to perform in such a good venue … it gives us some encouragement for the future.”
He hopes the performances will allow the group to rebuild their financial position, as the cyclone left them with no funds and no income. They were forced to borrow money to tide them over and relied on the tourism industry for bookings.
“The situation was so bad we considered calling it quits altogether. After much consideration, my wife, Daw Tin Tin Oo, and I made the decision to press on in spite of the hardships for the sake of Myanmar marionette theatre,” he said. “We kept the troupe going by borrowing money.”
He said most marionette artists faced similar difficulties and many were ultimately forced to abandon performing for another career, a situation he described as “very disappointing”.
“We always try and organise performers and support each other,” he said. “At Htwe Oo we consider performing essential for maintaining this unique part of the country’s cultural heritage. It’s certainly not about making a profit – whenever we have money, we invest it back in the troupe.”
The lack of local work after Nargis forced the group to look abroad for jobs and U Khin Maung Htwe said while this could help keep the troupe in business and create some interest internationally, encouraging a local revival was important for securing the art form’s long-term survival.
“Marionettes have a proud history but nowadays struggles to compete with more modern forms of entertainment,” he said. “We have a responsibility to … prevent professional marionette theatre from fading away, and find an approach that generates interest among locals.
To this end, Htwe Oo plans to offer training classes for both marionette performance and making the dolls.
“I have met students and other people who were interested in learning Myanmar traditional puppetry, but they were unable to pursue this interest because they could not find a place to practise or perform,” he said. “It’s such a shame and hopefully we can change that.”
