从戏曲舞台到社交平台: 新加坡潮剧观众的戏曲体验 = FROM STREET THEATRE TO SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM: SINGAPORE TEOCHEW OPERA AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE

Abstract

With the changing of times and the advent of technology, Teochew Opera platforms had evolved from the streets to theatres, television, and other social media platforms. Hence, this thesis aims to provide exploratory insights into how Singaporean Teochew Opera audiences of various ages became acquainted with these various platforms, as well as their experiences watching Teochew Opera on them. Early forms of Teochew Opera in Singapore's Chinese immigrant society were mostly religious festivities presented on makeshift stages on the streets in the 19th century. These early Singaporean Teochew Opera audiences, like many other immigrant communities, had a desire to maintain cultural and religious ties with mainland China for sentimental, identity maintenance, cultural nourishment, or pure recreation reasons in a foreign environment. As such, Teochew Opera was as much a form of entertainment as it was a means of fostering community and establishing identity among the early Teochew community in Singapore. With the prominence of China's filmed Teochew Opera movie productions in the 1950s, Teochew Opera moved indoors to cinemas and theatre halls in the form of movies. Teochew Opera being a recreational pastime had become less communal and more voluntary and individualistic. With elegantly crafted lyrics, heightened dramatic tensions, and composition that matched the plot's evolution with rich musical components, these films introduced audiences to new means of presenting a complete story. In addition, the invention of television and the radio had made the vast array of electronic entertainment smaller, lighter, more personalised, and portable, viewing and listening to Teochew Opera had become a private experience for individual audiences. Furthermore, due to the advances in technology and social media platforms, Teochew Opera audiences would now more readily view any forms of Teochew Opera performances on their mobile devices. Due to the participatory nature of social media platforms, these viewers might even potentially interact with other audiences beyond virtual realms. As audiences of various ages were exposed to variety of Teochew Opera platforms, this thesis intends to learn more about how they became acquainted with these platforms. As Singaporean Teochew Opera audiences are few and uncommon, oral history interviews will be conducted to supplement the thesis findings. Thus, it is important to highlight that the demographics of Teochew Opera audiences in Singapore are not represented in this study. Nonetheless, the findings of this work may pave a way for future research into how different Teochew Opera platforms could reach out to wider audiences in Singapore.