📝 Summary
A one-day workshop titled “Dress the Story” was held at Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor, where students and facilitators collaborated to create costumes and props for a drama performance based on stories written by Year 4 pupils from foster schools. The workshop was part of the Language Academy Foster School Project, which aims to bring the stories to life through performance in July 2026. The event promoted environmental awareness and creativity among participants, using sustainable and recycled materials for the props and costumes.
JOHOR BAHRU, Apr 29 – A one-day workshop titled “Dress the Story: Props & Costume Creation Workshop” was successfully conducted at Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor (SSeMJ), bringing together students, facilitators and educators in a meaningful creative collaboration.
The workshop is part of the Language Academy Foster School Project, which will culminate in July 2026 with a drama performance of Under the Sea Tales, featuring pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tiram Duku and SK Sungai Boh. This costume and props workshop plays an important role in preparing for the performance, as it involves collaboration with SSeMJ, an institution well known for its expertise in performing arts.
A total of 25 SSeMJ students from Form 1 and Form 2 were directly involved in designing and creating the costumes and props. These creations were based on storybooks written by Year 4 pupils from the foster schools. Out of 10 stories written, three stories were selected and brought to life through this workshop.
The workshop was supported by dedicated teachers from SSeMJ, namely Head of Theatre Arts Department, Izu Hana Zilza Imran; and Arts Instructors for Theatre Arts, Aniza Jalal and Siti Badariah Zaiton; as well as Head of Visual Arts Department, Faezah Bahari; and Arts Instructors for Visual Arts, Nor Alisa Jamaluddin, Siti Nasuha Khairuddin, Noor Yunizza Bahar, whose expertise guided the students throughout the creative process.
Notably, all materials used in the creation of the props and costumes were sustainable and environmentally friendly, as they were repurposed from recycled items collected from past projects conducted by the Language Academy. This approach not only encouraged creativity but also promoted environmental awareness among the participants.
In addition, 16 fourth-year Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) were present as facilitators. They worked closely with the SSeMJ students in developing the props and costumes, as they are also responsible for guiding the foster school pupils in dramatising their stories for the upcoming performance.
One of the facilitators, Imtiaz, shared, “I learned a lot from the SSeMJ students. They are indeed the experts, and it was inspiring to see how they turned ideas into creative props and costumes.”
The Project Director, Dr. Nur’ain Balqis Haladin, said, “This workshop is important because it connects storytelling with performance. The pupils wrote the stories, and now we are helping to bring those stories to life through costumes and props.”
The mentor of the TESL facilitators, Dr. Nurul Naimmah Hamdan, added, “Our students are learning how to guide pupils beyond the classroom. This collaboration with SSeMJ helps them understand how drama can support language learning in a practical way.”
The workshop highlights the importance of collaboration between institutions in producing meaningful learning experiences. The costumes and props developed during this session will be used in the Under the Sea Tales drama performance in July 2026, showcasing the creativity and voices of the foster school pupils.
Written by Nurhidayah Mohd Sharif and Nur’ain Balqis Haladin
