A puppet may be made of wood, cloth and carefully crafted details, but it takes human hands to bring it to life.
Behind every movement is a performer who has spent years learning the craft. The skills, stories and techniques are often passed down from one generation to the next, through years of practice and learning from those who came before them.
But what happens when these artists grow old and there is no one ready to take their place?
For Ling Goh, founder and artistic director of the Teochew Puppet and Opera House in George Town, this is a concern that goes beyond preserving cultural heritage. It is also what inspired Moved to Life: Tradition and Reinvention in Asian Puppet Theatre, an international performing arts symposium and puppetry showcase taking place in Penang on 7 and 8 November 2026.
In her recent press conference speech, Ling spoke about the challenges facing traditional performing arts. Senior artists are growing older, audiences are becoming smaller, and fewer people are learning the skills needed to keep these art forms alive.
She began asking herself what could be done to prevent these traditions from disappearing.
Her own experience of documenting her family's history showed her the importance of recording the past so that future generations could learn from it.
“If no one writes down what these artists know, and no one learns it from them, it can disappear the day they go,” she said.
But recording history is only part of the solution. A puppet can be preserved and a performance can be filmed, but neither can replace the experience of learning from a skilled performer. For a tradition to survive, someone must be willing to learn it, practise it and pass it on.
This is the challenge that Moved to Life hopes to address.
Beyond preserving the past
Established in 2014, the Teochew Puppet and Opera House is dedicated to keeping Teochew iron-rod puppetry and Teochew opera alive through performances, education, exhibitions and international exchanges.
For Ling, however, preserving tradition does not mean simply repeating what was done in the past. It also means finding ways to connect these art forms with younger generations while respecting the skills and cultural knowledge that make them special.
This is the idea behind Moved to Life, which brings together traditional performers, contemporary artists, researchers and educators to share their experiences and explore the future of puppetry.
The two-day programme includes artist conversations, panel discussions, masterclasses, workshops and documentary screenings. Through these activities, participants can learn from one another and explore different approaches to puppetry.
More importantly, the symposium hopes to help audiences understand the people behind these performances and the work involved in keeping the traditions alive.
An art form may be recognised as an important part of our cultural heritage, but that does not automatically mean it will survive. It still needs skilled performers, interested audiences and opportunities for younger people to learn.
A tradition that crossed borders
One of the main highlights of the symposium is the gathering of Teochew iron-rod puppetry practitioners from Malaysia, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Teochew puppetry travelled beyond its place of origin with Chinese migrant communities, taking root in different parts of Southeast Asia. Over the years, practitioners in these communities have continued to carry the tradition forward.
The gathering gives them an opportunity to meet, share their experiences and discuss the challenges they face in keeping this art form alive.
For Penang, the gathering is particularly meaningful. According to the organisers, Penang is the only place in Malaysia where Teochew iron-rod puppetry survives.
This makes the state an important home for the tradition, but it also highlights how much depends on the small community of people who continue to practise it.
One of them is Ling's mother, Toh Ai Hwa, a third-generation practitioner who has spent more than six decades in traditional performing arts. She founded the Kim Giak Low Choon Teochew Puppet Troupe and serves as the artistic advisor to the Teochew Puppet and Opera House.
In 2026, Toh was named to Malaysia's National Living Cultural Heritage list, known as Warisan Kebangsaan Orang Hidup (WAKOH), in recognition of her contribution to traditional performing arts.
Her recognition is a reminder of the dedication required to keep these art forms alive. Many traditional artists spend decades mastering their craft, yet their work may remain unfamiliar to much of the public.
Recognising their contributions is important. But it is equally important to ensure that younger generations have opportunities to learn from them before their knowledge is lost.
When tradition meets new ideas
While Moved to Life celebrates the roots of traditional puppetry, it also explores how these art forms can develop and reach new audiences.
The symposium welcomes puppetry artists from countries including the United States, India, Japan and Taiwan, as well as Singapore. Together, they bring different experiences and approaches to the art of puppetry.
The programme features four forms of puppetry: shadow, string, iron-rod and hand puppetry. This gives audiences an opportunity to discover the variety of techniques used in puppet theatre and how artists from different backgrounds work with them.
The meeting between traditional and contemporary artists also raises an important question - how can an art form change with the times without losing what makes it special?
Ling has been exploring this through Iron Gang Puppet Theatre, a contemporary iron-rod puppetry troupe she founded in Penang in 2022.
Rather than simply performing traditional plays, the troupe uses the movements, techniques and visual style of iron-rod puppetry as a starting point for new creative work.
This approach challenges the idea that tradition must always remain unchanged. New interpretations can introduce puppetry to people who might not otherwise encounter it, while giving artists fresh ways to express themselves.
At the same time, there is a need to understand and respect the original art form. Reinvention should not come at the expense of the cultural knowledge and skills passed down by earlier generations.
The challenge is to make room for new ideas while ensuring that traditional techniques continue to be taught and practised.
Giving traditional artists a voice
Another important part of Moved to Life is its focus on the people behind the art.
Traditional performers often spend much of their lives developing their skills without receiving the same attention as artists working in more mainstream forms of entertainment. Yet their experiences hold valuable lessons about family, community, discipline and cultural identity.
By giving these artists opportunities to share their stories, the symposium hopes to help audiences better understand their work and the lives behind the performances.
The programme also offers opportunities for younger artists and audiences to learn through workshops, masterclasses and exchanges with experienced practitioners.
These activities could encourage more people to take an interest in traditional puppetry and create opportunities for artists from different backgrounds to work together.
Of course, a two-day symposium cannot solve all the challenges facing traditional performing arts. What matters is whether the connections made during the event lead to continued learning, new collaborations and more opportunities for young people to develop their skills.
Nevertheless, bringing these artists together is an important starting point.
Keeping heritage alive in Penang
For the Teochew Puppet and Opera House, Moved to Life is an opportunity to connect traditional performers with contemporary artists and the wider cultural community.
Supported by the Penang State Government and its partners, the symposium also aims to bring Penang's traditional performing arts into wider international discussions about cultural heritage and the future of the arts.
The two-day programme will take place at Penang Institute, Armenian Park and the Teochew Puppet and Opera House, with performances, discussions and other activities throughout the event.
But beyond the performances and conversations, the bigger question is what happens when the symposium ends.
Will more young people become interested in learning traditional puppetry? Will audiences continue to support these performances? Will experienced artists have more opportunities to teach their skills and pass on their knowledge?
These are the questions that matter if we want traditional art forms to survive beyond occasional celebrations and heritage events.
A puppet can be kept in a museum for generations, but its movements remain still without someone who knows how to bring it to life.
Through Moved to Life, Ling Goh and her team hope to create opportunities for traditional artists to share their knowledge, meet new audiences and inspire the next generation.
Ultimately, keeping a tradition alive is not just about remembering what our ancestors created. It is about making sure there are people willing and able to carry it forward.
For the full programme of performances, conversations and artistic exchanges at Moved to Life 2026, click here.
About the writer:
Tau Foo Fah is a creature of impulse and odd rituals who claims her best writing happens in her car—where profound ideas and questionable decisions collide. Equal parts observer and instigator, her work blends sharp wit with truths that linger longer than they should. Offstage, she collects stories, eavesdrops with intent, and turns everyday absurdities into something dangerously close to art.
Seni:Kita (pentaspena.pg@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
