Penang Heritage Arts Festival brings history, music to George Town

The Penang Heritage Arts Festival (PHAF) opens on 1 May at Bangunan UAB in George Town, uniting theatre, music, dance and comedy under one roof.

The two-weekend event spotlights local artists who write, direct and perform their own work — making it one of the most community-driven arts events on the island this year.

The festival has roots in a 2019 collaboration between playwright Jayaram Menon, choreographer Aida Redza and musician Jerome Quah. That project showed that artists from different disciplines could create richer work together. PHAF grew directly from that discovery.

A stage set in colonial Penang

Two theatre productions anchor the festival. The Legend of Rani Dhobi is set in Penang around 1800 and follows a laundry matron negotiating with the colonial administration for a stretch of riverbank to run her business. The story runs alongside a parallel thread: Lt Governor Leith managing piracy along the Penang-Kedah coastline. The production stages on 9 and 10 May at 4pm and 8pm.

The second production, Beyond the Sea, is a dramatic recital drawn from a 1950 novel. Performer Himanshu Bhatt delivers selected readings accompanied by photographic slides, followed by a discussion on the work’s historical context. It performs on 1 and 2 May at 4pm.

Together, the two productions offer a rare opportunity to experience Penang’s layered colonial past brought to life through live performance.

Music, comedy and dance across two weekends

The music programme runs on 2 and 3 May. On 2 May, the evening begins with the USM Music Department Ensemble Project, where students present their own interpretations of Malaysian and popular works.

Citra Simfoni follows, with the Banana Brass Ensemble and a woodwind ensemble performing classical, jazz and local music. The Mini Big Band of Penang, with vocalist Mable Ooi, closes the night under the banner Malaysian Music Reimagined.

Also on 2 May, comedy takes the stage with Light Bites: A Comedic Journey through Penang’s Communities and Cuisine, presented by Penang Comedy. The show uses stand-up and sketch to riff on the island’s history and cultural mix, drawing on figures such as Francis Light.

On 3 May, Pulse and Voices of Penang brings together the Penang Unity Vocal Ensemble and Culture Shot for a choral concert built around the island’s histories, languages and cultures. The concert will premiere A Song of Pulau Pinang, composed by Deborah Martin with lyrics by Jayaram Menon.

Dance closes the festival on 9 and 10 May. Choreographer Aida Redza leads Sasanakala, a programme of contemporary works by Penang-based dancers drawing from cultural practices and heritage. The Nartana series accompanies it with workshops and presentations exploring movement, tradition and contemporary practice.

The full programme runs across two weekends at Bangunan UAB, Gat Lebuh China. Tickets are available at cloudjoi.com.