2 HOUSES | by Lim Yu-Beng

A fable is told of two men who came in the belly of a Chinese junk to Penang in the late 1800s. These two men, who had never met, became fast friends on the boat, and shared their spilt blood to swear blood brotherhood in their new life in the Nanyang.

Fast forward to 10th December 1941. The event is a state committee party at a wealthy pro-British towkay’s residence to quell fears, and demonstrate British presence and commitment. They do not know it yet, but in a few hours the bombs will fall and devastate Georgetown.

2 Houses looks at the lives of 12 people who, in one way of another, are inextricably linked to the blood brotherhood sworn years ago. Through loss of love, life and dreams, they will be forced to make choices that will define themselves, and Malaya, and emerge as the new face of a nation after war.

Written and directed by Lim Yu-Beng, and produced by Tan Kheng Hua and Joe Sidek, 2 Houses forms a coalition of the best in Singapore and Malaysia’s theatre, to create a powerful fictionalised tale born of actual historical facts and personal interviews with descendants of pioneering families from Penang.

Performed inside Soonstead, a grand old mansion on Northam Lane in Georgetown, Penang, let the cast bring you back to the 1940’s, and through their story, point you towards one possible route we got to where we are today.

2 Houses is the first project supported by Centre 42’s Basement Workshop programme, a new work written and directed by local theatre practitioner Lim Yu-Beng. This work is commissioned by the 2014 Georgetown Festival and will be presented in Penang, 28 -31 August 2014. The Centre supports Yu-Beng in the development of the work through the provision of subsidised space usage within our premises for rehearsals and readings.