122
Smile
May2016
wereborn into,”Carine tellsmeasshe
prepares foraperformance. “In theold
days, childrenweresentoff to theopera
troupe inorder to trainandearnmoney
for their family.”Shecontinues talking
whileshegoes through the long, careful
processofapplyinghercharacter’smake-
up. “Traditionally, theyoungactorswould
learn thecraftbyassisting thesenior
wayangandpickingupany tips theycould
get from them.”
In thedim lightof thisdressingroom
—whichamounts to theareabehind the
stagecurtains,wheremakeshiftdressers
standamidpilesofcostumesandprops— I
watchCarine’scolleaguesas they indulge
in theirownpersonal ritualsbeforegoing
onstage.Ononeside, apairof
dan
or
female leads,who in thisparticularopera
playprincesses, arequietlyrehearsing
their lines.The
chou
, orclowncharacter,
isalone inanoppositecorner, looking
ratherseriouswithhiscigarette.The
wen
—ascholarlyfiguredenotedby the
fan-likeextensionsonhisheadpiece— is
adjustinghisstrap-onmoustache, not
far from thepious
xiao
youngsterand the
elderly
lao
motherwhoarebothcatching
a fewminutesof sleep.All their facesare
adornedwith thick facepaint, thecolors
ofwhichdenotecertainqualities.Red,
for instance, suggestsbraveryand loyalty,
whilegoldandsilverportrayacharacter’s
spiritualnature.
With theirmakeupall setand their
costumes inplace, thewayangbegin the
show.Accompaniedbygongs, crashing
cymbalsand thepiercingnotesof the
erhu
and
guzheng
(both traditional
Chinesestring instruments), theartists
perform theirroleswithmasterful ease.
Occasionally theirshrill voicesbreak into
Thewayangwere the rockstarsof thecolonial period, the traveling troupesdrawinghuge
crowdswherever theyperformed
5
Actors from theLaoSai Tao
Yuanopera sharea lightmoment
backstage
6
Chineseopera isknown for its
distinctiveuseof stagemakeup
7
A sparseaudienceofmostly
old-timers
Streetart
5
6
7
