I happened across this show while wandering the streets of Georgetown, Penang back in 1989. One huge benefit of street theater is that no-one complains about the presence cameras
I thought this little girl had one of the best seats in the house for this performance. There were plenty of children in attendance at this show on the streets of Georgetown, Penang, back in August 1989. She's actually sitting on a beam protruding from under the stage.
Wandering around the streets of Georgetown in the evening I happened across a theater troupe performing for an audience that had gathered in the street. The stage itself was a sturdy construction set in a corner of the street so as not to obstruct the street during the day. The audience had brought their own chairs. There was no formal admission charge, no ushers to guide one to one's seat. Just a self ordered gathering.
Here's another alley I wandered by in Georgetown, Penang. Like my earlier alley photo, while there are signs of life in this alley, there's no-one other than myself present. I wondered if the clothes hanging out to dry under the awnings had gotten wet in the shower that passed over a short while before. I was struck by all the mini bridges across the gutter from the doorways on the right.
I loved the faded glory feel of Georgetown, Penang. While still a commercial hub, it's present status is somewhere below where it was when founded by the British in 1786. The rain this particular day added to that atmosphere. As I recall, this was a typical street scene, people going about their daily business, buying vegetables and other produce for the evening meal, talking with friends on the street.
Despite the showers that kept rolling through, this market in Georgetown, Penang continued. The colorful umbrellas served alternately to provide shade from the sun and protection from the rain. The rain though, had reduced the number of people on the streets so at this particular time, the ratio of vendors to buyers was tilted to the vendor side of the equation.