Reviving Chinese Opera
Much as Chinese Opera is a vanishing art in Singapore, a recent English drama programme has helped bring it into the limelight. We hear what Chinese Opera advocate and lead actor of Titoudao, Nick Shen, has to say about the performing art in Singapore.
Written By: Shannon Ho
Pictures By: Nick Shen, George Tay, Clement
According to Chinese Opera advocate, Nick Shen, in his 40s, Chinese Opera is a form of performing art that weaves acrobats, martial arts, acting, and singing together. Before he embraced Chinese Opera, the actor, presenter and entrepreneur started his acting career after he earned the title as the winner during Mediacorp’s Star Search in 1999. He then left showbiz in 2011 to start and focus on Tok Tok Chiang, a Chinese Opera troupe, and is now commonly known as the “Nick Shen who is bringing the Chinese Opera culture back”.
“Losing any part of these heritages and cultures, Singapore will lose its ‘flavour’.”
Nick was first exposed to the performing art when he was very young. His grandmother would bring him to watch Teochew street opera. His grandfather was a drummer backstage of Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Troupe. At a young age, Nick was fascinated by the whole performance - the colourful costumes, the painted faces, as well as the fighting scenes. He was intrigued by the art and aspired to be a brave warrior on stage.
At 13, he started to play small roles in street opera troupes. When he grew older and could understand the script better, he realised that Chinese Opera was not just a performance. It taught viewers about filial piety, loyalty, and uprightness, which made him appreciate this performing art even more.
Nick started Tok Tok Chiang in 2011 to promote Chinese Opera in Singapore. He said that he was encouraged by his friends to pursue his dreams and turn his passion for Chinese Opera into a purpose by educating those who don’t know about it.
Tok Tok Chiang now has Tok Tok Chiang Wayang and Tok Tok Chiang Opera. Tok Tok Chiang Wayang focuses on wayang performances while Tok Tok Chiang Opera is a non-profit entity to promote cultural appreciation in Singapore. They have partnered with various organisations like the Ministry of Education, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and the Singapore Kindness Movement, just to name a few. These partnerships made workshops that promote Chinese Opera possible.
Tok Tok Chiang Opera bring new appeals of the art to their target audience by incorporating both Chinese and English and adding magic tricks into the performance. Younger audiences who do not understand the script and dialogue written in Chinese dialects can understand the performance through the change in the language of the script.
Other than Tok Tok Chiang, Nick took over Lao Sai Tao Yuan Teochew Opera Troupe in 2017. He took some time to consider this offer as the former troupe owner asked him if he was interested because it was a great responsibility. He said, “I felt that it would be a great pity to close down a troupe with 156 years of history, and so I bought over the troupe with my savings.”
Lao Sai Tao Yuan Troupe
Nick also added, “It was also very disheartening to see the actors getting older and the audience getting smaller. I felt that I needed to do something to preserve our rich tradition, culture, and this art form”.
When asked if it was hard to manage two troupes at the same time, Nick said, “ It was (hard), and still is very tough. (It’s) not just about time management but also managing the finances of running both companies, as well as the constant need to brainstorm for ideas to improvise and sustain the businesses.”
During the pandemic, like every other business, Nick’s troupes had to cease their operations. Workshops and classes were cancelled as physical classes took place in schools, which had limited visitors. Wayang performances have also stopped since March this year. Thus, they implemented the way they performed from performing in-person to performing on Facebook Live, but with a smaller performing group.
Aired on Channel 5 as an English series on Hokkien Opera, Ti Tou Dao was a 13-episode drama that was inspired by the real wayang star, Oon Ah Chiam. It talked about how Ah Chiam rose to stardom in the wayang industry.
In the show, Nick was cast as Master Gwee Boon, the troupe leader for Sin Sai Hong, the troupe in the show. He shared, “I was asked to auditioned for three roles — Master Gwee Boon; Ah Seng, Gwee Boon’s brother; and Ah Zai, Master Gwee’s adopted son. Initially, they thought I was too boyish to be Master Gwee Boon but they were finally convinced to let me play him.”
When asked if Nick had any special memories on set, Nick mentioned that one of his “fondest” moments on set involved a fight scene with Andie Chen, who was playing his brother. As Nick was the creative consultant for the show as well, he had to choreograph a fight scene within a short time. He added, “It’s a good thing Andie has wushu experience and we have good chemistry, so we were able to come up with something in an hour.”
Just like Ti Tou Dao, Nick would strongly support any drama series that centres around wayang to promote this performance art.
Nick feels that Chinese Opera is a vanishing art form these days because the younger generations don’t appreciate it as much as they did in the past. Nick also said, “ Language barrier is definitely one of the reasons (why the younger generations don’t appreciate) as younger generations tend not to understand nor speak Chinese dialects.”
Another reason could be because they’re tech-savvy and have easy access to a large variety of entertainment choices like YouTube and Netflix, Nick added
Nick and his team at Tok Tok Chiang have been actively conducting workshops in schools for primary to tertiary students since 2011, which he feels will help educate the younger audiences.
Also, Tok Tok Chiang has done performances internationally, organised exhibitions and works closely with the media to expand their reach to spread the word and create more awareness to a younger and wider audience.
As Singapore is well known for our multiracial community, Nick said, “It is important for every race in Singapore to preserve our heritage and pass on the culture to the next generation. Losing any part of these heritages and cultures, Singapore will lose its ‘flavour’.”
Furthermore, it is important to have a great passion for performing. He said, “With the passion, it’ll drive one's perseverance”.
“With the passion, it’ll drive one’s perseverance.”
