Ombak Potehi is a collective of young, multiethnic artists dedicated to revitalizing the endangered Potehi glove puppet theatre in Penang, Malaysia. They apprenticed under the Beng Geok Hong Puppet Show, mastering the art of puppet manipulation, narration, and music.
To connect with Penang’s diverse and younger audiences, Ombak Potehi goes beyond traditional performances. They create new stories inspired by oral histories and local legends, incorporating Malaysia’s multilingual dialogue, cultural elements, costumes, and music. By performing in community spaces and theaters, they make Potehi accessible to people across different ethnicities, genders, ages, and social backgrounds, fostering cultural exchange. Their annual performances draw multiethnic audiences from both urban and rural Penang, with animated slides providing Mandarin and English translations.
In addition to traditional storytelling, they collaborate with various performance art forms, injecting fresh energy into this heritage art while ensuring its relevance in contemporary Malaysia.
破浪布袋戲 是一個由多元族群的年輕人組成的團體，致力於振興馬來西亞檳城瀕危的傳統表演藝術——布袋戲。他們師從檳城傳統劇團 鳴玉鳳掌中班，學習木偶操控、故事敘述和音樂表演。
為了讓布袋戲更貼近當地各族群和年輕觀眾，他們不僅改編傳統劇目，還以檳城的口述歷史與民間傳說創作新故事，並融入馬來西亞多元的語言、民族特色、服裝和音樂。透過在社區空間與劇院演出，他們讓不同族群與社會階層的人都能接觸與欣賞布袋戲，促進文化交流。每年的演出吸引了來自檳城各地，包括鄉區的多元觀眾，並配有 中文字幕與英文翻譯的動畫投影。
此外，他們積極與不同劇種和表演形式合作，為這項傳統藝術注入新活力，確保其在當代馬來西亞的文化環境中繼續傳承與發展。
