Between Light & Grey: A Double Bill of Puppetry

“Between Light and Grey: A Double Bill of Puppetry” presents two solo graduation works by artists trained in contemporary puppetry in Taiwan—an art form still rare in the local scene.

Through poetic visuals, handcrafted puppets, and expressive movement, these short pieces explore memory, identity, and the transitions between childhood and adulthood, self and society. They challenge the notion that puppetry is merely for children, revealing its power as a medium for reflection and storytelling.

In The Tiny Light, a child follows a flickering light through forgotten memories. Moments of joy and innocence reawaken, even as a shadowy force begins to pull at them—capturing the tension between wonder and growing up.

Greyscape shifts to collective memory. In a world where only grey is allowed, an old man searches for meaning in a landscape of silence and control. Through quiet gestures and acts of resistance, the piece reflects on freedom, constraint, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Together, “Between Light and Grey: A Double Bill of Puppetry” invites audiences to rediscover the invisible threads that bind us to our past, ourselves, and one another—through the quiet yet powerful language of puppetry.

Performed by Ong Aik Lee and Lim Yun Xin, this double bill marks the culmination of their puppetry training, which began in Taiwan in 2023. Ong Aik Lee is a full-time children’s theatre educator and practitioner with a background in directing. Lim Yun Xin started as a classical pianist and has since expanded her practice into the performing arts through freelance work—taking on various roles, including sound and music design in shadow puppetry.

About the Artists

Ong Aik Lee
Ong Aik Lee is a full-time children's theater educator and practitioner, with a degree in directing from Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA). During his time at TNUA, starting in 2007, he worked as a director, playwright, stage manager, and actor in various productions. Upon returning to Malaysia in 2013, Ong Aik Lee has focused on children's theater education in the northern region.

In 2017, Ong Aik Lee joined Plasticity Theatre Troupe, where he concentrated on contemporary shadow theater, using performances to address environmental and social issues. In 2023 and 2024, he participated in the inaugural "International Academy of Puppet Arts" program, culminating in his solo puppet show, "The Tiny Light", as his graduation project in 2024.

Lim Yun Xin
As a performing arts practitioner since the age of 10, Lim Yun Xin has a deep enthusiasm for music. She began writing lyrics and composing pop music during her university years while actively participating in the performing arts industry. Later, she expanded her work to include music and sound design, as well as sound engineering, developing her skills in the recording studio. In 2011, she became active in the Penang arts scene, building a multifaceted portfolio that includes roles as a program manager for international art festivals, stage management, and script translation, all of which have broadened her artistic perspective.

Starting in 2017, Lim began working in music and sound design for a contemporary shadow puppet theater and developed an interest in puppetry. In 2022, she participated for the first time as a puppeteer in a contemporary iron rod puppet performance. In 2023 and 2024, she attended the International Academy of Puppet Arts and completed her graduation project, a solo performance titled "Greyscape" in 2024.