Excursion

23-27 JUNE

2024

Xiqu Centre
West Kowloon Cultural District

23. 6. 2024
Xiqu Performance (Cantonese Opera)
The original Tea House Theatre Experience returns with a festive programme to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Xiqu Centre.

Presented by our very own Tea House Rising Stars Troupe and curated and directed by legendary Cantonese opera artist Law Ka-ying, the Tea House Theatre Experience is specially designed to introduce new audiences to Cantonese opera – the local form of Chinese opera or xiqu.

The 90-minute showcase selection of songs, instrumental musical pieces and performance excerpts, demonstrates a range of traditional styles through a varying programme of works exploring tales of romance, comedy, tragedy and martial arts. The experience also includes narration by an expert moderator offering insight into the history of the art form.

Two highlight works in this special series are the excerpt performances “Viewing Lanterns” from The Carp Maiden and a new adaptation of “A Perfect Union” from The Strange Encounters of Liu Yi – both traditional love stories with fairy tale elements.

To recreate the atmosphere of Hong Kong’s early 20th century tea houses, audiences are served traditional tea and dim sum during the performance – a delicious way to learn about the heritage of Chinese traditional theatre.

Chung Ying Theatre Archives

24. 6. 2024
Guided Tour to Chung Ying Theatre Archives
Founded by the British Council in 1979, Chung Ying Theatre Company (Chung Ying) is now a registered charitable organization and one of the leading professional theatrical arts companies in Hong Kong, financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Chung Ying dedicates itself to producing quality stage productions, drama education, and outreach programmes, to promote theatrical arts, facilitate cultural exchanges, and enrich the city’s cultural life. Our productions are full of local characteristics with an international perspective.

Chung Ying established an in-house archive with support from the government. The Archive aims to preserve the treasures and records of Chung Ying in attempting to celebrate Hong Kong’s theatrical legacy. To achieve this, the Archive collects, digitizes, and makes accessible archival materials such as production records, handbills, house programs, photographs, videos, and more. Additionally, the Archive is dedicated to collecting and preserving historical materials, including through oral history interviews and digitization projects. Chung Ying Archives also provides resources for academic research to encourage more people to study the theatrical art of Hong Kong.

Goethe Institut Hong Kong

24. 6. 2024
"Bamboo Theatre" Film Screening & Director's Sharing
While permanent theatres are commonly built in most cosmopolitan modern cites, Hong Kong preserves a unique theatrical architecture, a Chinese tradition that has lasted more than a century – Bamboo Theatre. It is a makeshift, open-air and bamboo shed theatre, which is built and fixed by plastic straps, without any heavy-duty materials. During festivities in the villages, they will invite Chinese opera troupes to perform ritualistic opera in the temporary theatre constructed in front of the temple, in order to express their gratitude to the Chinese gods they worship. Spirits and gods were the primary audiences. This film follows ritual practices in various villages and remote islands of Hong Kong for two years. It is the portrait of this traditional cultural space, its way of building and dismantling, also the collaborative work of troupes’ performers, stage managers and wardrobe, etc. It allows audience to observe multiple corners of the space, and the variety of ways in which people make use of it.
Official Trailer: youtu.be/J2wKcCUpzjE

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

25. 6. 2024
Guided Tour to Library and Faculty

Hong Kong Central Library

25. 6. 2024
Guided Tour to Hong Kong Music Collection
In order to extensively collect materials related to Hong Kong music, to develop the understandings of preservation of Hong Kong music archive and to encourage studies and researches on Hong Kong music, the Hong Kong Public Libraries, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) and the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) have jointly organized a "Hong Kong Music Collection Campaign" to invite donations of Hong Kong music documents, including the manuscripts of music scores, lyrics and opera scripts, audio-visual materials, photos, leaflets, house programmes or posters of musical performance as well as newspaper clippings, etc. After general conservation and cataloguing, these materials will be available for reference use by readers and researchers in the Arts Document Reading Room of the library.

Optional Excursion
Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall
Hong Kong Heritage Museum

27. 6. 2024
Guided Tour to Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall of Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Showcasing operatic treasures from the museum's collection, including valuable items once used by renowned Cantonese opera artists, together with a reconstructed theatre in a bamboo shed and a variety of multimedia programmes, this gallery offers a wonderful insight into the history and unique characteristics of Cantonese opera.

Optional Excursion
Tai Kwun

27. 6. 2024
Guided Tour to Tai Kwun
Tai Kwun is Hong Kong’s beating cultural heart, enabled by The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) in partnership with the Hong Kong SAR Government. A vibrant, welcoming space that brings people together, Tai Kwun is committed to inspiring the community through arts, culture and heritage. Located in the heart of Central, Hong Kong, Tai Kwun brings creative energy into our city by providing the people of Hong Kong with access to a variety of immersive, world-class experiences. It is open for all members of our community to enjoy, nurturing appreciation for arts, heritage and culture.