How has klpac dealt with the challenges posed by the pandemic? What are the changes in strategies and plans made to mitigate the challenges?

Besides funding, one challenge is to create an environment that is deemed safe enough for audiences to return. We cannot deny the fact that some are still afraid to watch live performances physically possibly for the next year or two. We are fortunate that we have a solid track record on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) enforcement as we have been presenting shows consistently during this pandemic period and have been able to fine-tune our SOPs including extremely tight crowd control. For 2021, we have made a concerted effort to digitalise our content so that people have the options of watching it live or online at a later date.

Of course, these efforts come at a cost. We are essentially trying to do more with the same resources including developing live and online offerings. On top of that, we have to bear additional costs from operating during the pandemic such as sanitisation and additional ‘Front-of-House’ staff for crowd control while we face losses from the reduced seating capacity. For Bollywood Dreams which was held in March 2021, we incurred an immediate 70% loss which translated to RM94,320 worth of tickets we could not sell due to physical distancing.

Also, we know that the livelihoods of most practitioners (be it performers or those working behind- the-scenes) are dependent on live productions. When MCO is announced, they would have lost their source of income instantly. Most have had to resort to other ways of earning or even change their career entirely and may never return to the industry. We will be facing huge talent loss and drainage then as the arts require a specialised skillset.

With this in mind, klpac, The Actors Studio and penangpac have been actively organising live shows with strict SOPs in place, in hopes that we can continue to provide job opportunities to these groups of people that number in the tens of thousands. Undoubtedly, we can’t save all of them, but we will strive to save as many as we can and keep the ship afloat for as long as possible.

In March 2021, the government finally allowed the creative industry to hold physical events, shows or live performances while adhering to the relevant authorities’ public health guidelines to ensure the safety of patrons. How klpac had anticipated and played its part in making this announcement a reality?

It was a painful process I must say. Painful because some policymakers and decision-makers do not understand the importance of the arts and reduced it to just a form of entertainment. But as we all know, art does not only entertain but educates and enriches our lives as well as expands our view and possibilities. More importantly, it is the rice bowl for many arts workers. Time and again, we have been labelled as non-essential while other sectors including those operating with high traffic flow in a much less controlled environment than a theatre such as malls, night markets and F&B establishments were allowed to re-open with far fewer restrictions and requirements.

In February 2021, we decided to take matters into our own hands. With CENDANA taking the lead, we joined hands with Arts, Live Festival and Events Association (ALIFE) to lobby collectively for the re-opening of our industry. Together we drafted the SOPs for Live Events, presented our case backed by key data and track record and addressed the concerns raised by the authorities. During this period, we also ran awareness campaigns with other arts players to emphasise that the #artsisessential and it is #NotJustHiburan. MKN finally approved the SOPs in March 2021 and we staged our very first show 5 and a half months after the announcement, which was no small feat.

Though the arts industry has grown leaps and bounds over the past few decades, this experience has shown us that there is so much more work to be done to raise the appreciation of the arts and the role it plays in today’s society. The outcome was not perfect as there were many compromises made along the way in negotiating for the re-opening but at that moment, our sole goal was to be able to start again and have a chance at recovery.

How differently will the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF) be held in the ‘new normal’?

One of the magical things about YSDAF since we started it in 2014 is how it shows what Malaysian performing arts can offer to audiences from all walks of life all on the same day and under the same roof. It is convenient, it connects people and it brings out emotions that are hard to express with words. Nothing beats an emotionally charged live performance, where audiences can react and interact with performers.

Plus, a festival with this sort of scale provides jobs and opportunities to not only artistes but all the behind-the-scene team members, logistic vendors, F&B operators, material suppliers and etc. We did explore having an online festival for 2020 and even 2021 but it will lose a huge part of what YSDAF can offer. Hence, we decided to postpone with the festival goers’ safety in mind. When we bring it back, I am sure changes will have to be made to suit the new normal including the possibility of having more digital offerings to augment and supplement the live festival experience.

Apart from the COVID-19 restrictions, what are some of the toughest obstacles in the work that you do, and what motivates you to overcome them?

This is an unprecedented scenario that none of us have gone through before. Creatively, a lot of practitioners have come to a roadblock and some even started to lose their creative spirit and direction. How do we start, where do we even start and how do we continue amid the many obstacles, restrictions and ever-changing variables. I still remember the first few months of MCO 1.0 and MCO 2.0, I could hardly find any inspiration to do anything creative. Currently (besides managing klpac), I also have two other productions that I am directing that have been halted due to the new MCO. One of them, True Love Waits was in planning and rehearsal since October 2019 and has gone through 4 concepts changes and multiple cast changes due to the pandemic. In fact, this production was supposed to be one of YSDAF 2020’s satellite shows. We are now in 2021 and the fate of this show has yet to be decided.

Mental health wise, I am sure it does take a toll on a lot of practitioners in varying degrees. Whether one has the financial means to seek professional help is another question. And on top of that, if they have families and children to look after, it makes the challenge doubly hard. Not only do they need to make ends meet but they also have to juggle their children’s schedules especially with the online learning and haywire schooling schedule.

At klpac, we have to “lend” and “borrow” each other’s strengths and energy to make it through the past year. There will be days when I am down, I will depend on others to jump in to help in whatever way they can and when I am high-spirited, I will then be the one who help others. Currently, we have given more flexibility to the staff in terms of their working hours in hopes that they can find a better balance and find their footing while adjusting to this new norm.

What are your hopes and dreams for klpac, YSDAF and the Malaysia’s arts and culture landscape?

We must stop labelling arts as non-essential and it must be treated as a vital component in everyone’s life. During the MCO, all of us consume arts in one way or another to get through the day be it reading a book, watching a TV series, therapeutic colouring, listening to music, blogging and etc. It has always been part of us without us realising it; it is our life!

And the arts does put food on the table and is a rice bowl for many. It is time that Malaysian arts and practitioners get the respect and recognition it deserves like many of our peers overseas. I also hope more Malaysians will be more vocal in insisting that it is part of their lives and contribute to its development.