The Studios 2026
Award-winning Fragments Of Tuah finds contemporary relevance in 15th-century Malaysian warrior
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Fragments Of Tuah is a deep dive into the confusing and layered figure of 15th-century warrior Hang Tuah.
PHOTO: PAM LIM
- Mark Teh's play Fragments Of Tuah explores the evolving myths and representations of 15th-century Malaysian warrior Hang Tuah amid renewed youth interest on social media.
- The performance uses a solo storyteller with musicians to reflect Hang Tuah’s role as both a cultural icon and a symbol reflecting societal concerns and identity.
- Research reveals Hang Tuah’s regional influence beyond Malaysia, including Okinawa, and highlights the fluid, living nature of his story through historic manuscripts and artistic interpretations.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Doomscrolling during the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysian theatre-maker Mark Teh encountered a puzzling phenomenon: Content creators, many of them young, were racing one another to visit the birth and death locations of Hang Tuah, a 15th-century warrior who is a household name in Malaysia.
While a resurgent interest in history among the young would usually earn applause, Teh was disturbed. Previous generations had been comfortable with Hang Tuah as a figure that existed between fact and fiction, yet he was now asserted as a bona fide historical figure.
