In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF ENGLISHLANGUAGE DRAMA IN MALAYSIA Nur Nina Zuhra Modern drama in Malaysia has been written in all four of the country's major language streams: Bahasa Malaysia or Malay (the national language), Chinese, Tamil, and English. Most of the research done on modern Malaysian theatre has so far focussed on plays in Malay which do, in fact, constitute the dominant theatre trend in the country.1 Modern Malay theatre has a historical development dating back to the 1930s and, since the 1950s, has actively kept pace with the nationalist movement and subsequent issues of nation-building. To my knowledge, no comprehensive studies have yet been made on the development of theatre in other languages spoken in Malaysia. In this paper, it is not possible to present such a comprehensive view of English-language drama, but I do hope to provide a basis for further research by taking a broad look at the social context which has nurtured English-language theatre in Malaysia. The Beginnings That English became an important language in Malaysia (the name given to the Federation of Malaya on September 16, 1963) as an offshoot of British colonialism is easily understandable. During British rule in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries (in then-Malaya), students who were educated beyond the primary level often attended secondary schools where English was the medium of instruction. After Independence on August 31, 1957, and until the 1970s, higher education in Malaysia was predominantly in English. In addition, thousands of Malaysians have, over the years, studied abroad, especially in England, America, Canada, and Australia. As a result, many educated Malaysians have tended to use English partially, or to a large extent, in their daily interactions with family members, friends, and colleagues, as well as with expatriates with whom they associate at work or in social and cultural activities, such as theatre. 1. For comprehensive discussions of modem Malay drama, see Nancy K. Nanney, 'An Analysis of Modem Malaysian Drama', Dissertation, University of Hawaii, 1983; and Solehah Ishak, The Histrionics of Development: A Study of Three Contemporary Malay Playwrights (Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pusataka, 1987). NUR NINA ZUHRA In view of the above circumstances, it was only natural that a local Englishlanguage literature and drama would eventually emerge, influenced in part by the Western precedents studied and performed in Malaysia and abroad. Although the writing and producing of Malay-language plays had already become an established cultural activity during the 1950s, particularly at Malay teacher training colleges such as the influential Sultan Idris Training College in Tanjung Malim, Perak, the heyday for English-language drama written by Malaysians occurred later: during the latter half of the 1960s through the beginning of the 1970s. The actual roots of the English-language theatre can be found in the staging of amateur theatricals in English of popular Western plays under the sponsorship of the expatriate community during the colonial period. Indonesian touring groups also performed in Malaya at this time and had an impact upon the development of Malay drama, but not upon the later generation of English-language writers for whom the dominant influence was from the West. The involvement of Malaysians in amateur expatriate-led productions was limited to acting roles. That is, prior to the mid-1960s, Malaysians had not yet participated in English-language theatre as writers, directors, producers or set designers.2 The year 1965 was a turning point in English-language drama. In that year, two productions were staged with all-Malaysian casts. Lidra (Literary and Drama Association), a student society of the University of Malaya, produced Beckett's Waiting for Codot and Bosco D'Cruz directed Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution. In addition, the Malaysian Arts Council's 1965 playwriting competition was won by budding Malaysian playwright Edward Dorall for his first play The Young Must Be Strong. These events inaugurated a vigorous period of playwriting and play production by Malaysians in English. Prominent among the new breed of English-language playwrights at this time one finds Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian writers who reflect the country's multiracial society (47% Malay, 8% other indigenous peoples, 34% Chinese, 9% Indians and 2% other races). In particular, the works of Edward Dorall, Syed Alwi, Lee Joo For, and Patrick Yeoh, who were active during this period, are available in two volumes published in 1972: New Drama One and New Drama Two. These writers studied and/or worked in a Westernized, English-language...

Share