Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the 20th Macao City Fringe Festival, themed “Everyone is an Artist”, will be held from 20 to 31 January 2021, featuring 18 extraordinary programmes and 17 outreach activities, leading the audiences to wander through the streets and alleys of Macao, seeking to inspire their artistic talent and unleash their creativity, and allowing them to enjoy the fun of artistic creation and appreciation.
Establishing a stage to encourage creativity
Adopting the concept of “All around the city, our stages, our patrons, our artists”, this year’s Fringe Festival features a new participatory exhibition “Art Exhibition for all” at the Rotunda de Carlos da Maia and next to the Flower City Park, offering the public an opportunity to display their creative works. Interested parties are welcome to submit artworks during the exhibition period. An improvisation zone is also available on-site for the public to express their creativity. In order to provide practical experience for local producers and curators, this edition of the Fringe Festival continues to launch the series “Crème de la Fringe” with two subthemes, namely “On Site” by Tracy Wong and “Todos Fest!” by Comuna de Pedra Arts and Cultural Association. The former features four dance performances, including ImprovFlashMob, Body Traveller, Open Space and A Step to Theatre: Shelf Life, as well as dance workshops and a sharing session. From street to theatre, the artists will use body language as the domain to present different possibilities of contemporary art. The second subtheme will feature three performances, including The Never-ending Task of the Moment, Treetalk and Symbiotic Dance in Full Bloom, as well as workshops and seminars, targeting people with mental or physical disabilities and the elderly to express different moments of life through dance.
Offering community performances and performing art delivery
This year’s Fringe Festival promotes humanistic concerns. In The Distance between the Ocean and Us – Puppetry Playback Theatre by Zero Distance Cooperative, marine waste collected from beaches is made into puppets, improvising stories about varying distance with the ocean. Grandma’s Treasure Box by Lei Ka Mei tells the story of how a grandma and her grandchild went through different stages of the lives together, seeking to convey the happiness of caring and being cared for. In Live on Suspension: a Performative Installation in 5 Chapters by Dirks Theatre Arts Association, participants take on the role of tenants and enter the scene to peek, observe and sense the dark side of a group or individual’s consciousness, thereby reflecting on what it means to be a perpetrator, and what it means to be a victim.
The Macao City Fringe Festival strives to break the barriers of traditional performance venues. This year’s Fringe Festival extends performance venues to markets, bars and teahouses, presenting productions that can show the city’s characteristics and cultural connotations from different perspectives. The performance F’art for you by PO Art Studio attempts to present a new form of theatre performance, in which the audience can place orders for food and performances, and enjoy the performance at homes. The Enigma of the Actress by Brotherhood Art Association is held in a bar, where the audience members will take on the role of a suspect and incorporate themselves into the performance to hunt for the murderer. A Gentlemen’s Fight with Puns and Tea is staged in an old-style Chinese teahouse and features various forms of verbal performance art, including Chinese cross-talk, witty dialogues and stand-up comedy. Work Inspired Workouts – Macao Market Version by Happy Cola’s Friends x Stella & Artists, records the bodies and memories at the market through movements.
Bringing excellent unconventional programmes to every corner of the city
Other highlights of the programme include Focus to – Release by Kathine Cheong and Sueie Che, which attempts to associate brainwaves with images and encourages participants to be aware of their moments of focus and release; the show Stephen Chow by Ben Ieong, Anna Ieong, Endy Leong and Carl Ao Ieong, is a medley of scenes from Stephen Chow’s films, which evokes pleasure for the audience in appreciating the philosophy of life; and 1991 by Associação de Arte e Cultura Comuna de Han Ian, in which three creators from different fields of art, Lao Ka Hong, O Chi Wai and Akitsugu Fukushima, intertwine a visual installation with body, sound and image, and make a self-confession before turning 30.
Various discount packages available; tickets on sale from 19 December
Tickets are available through the Macau Ticketing Network, telephone and online booking (local and overseas) from 10am on 19 December (Saturday). The 24-hour ticketing hotline: 2855 5555 and the ticketing website at www.macauticket.com. Ticket holders of the performance and outreach programmes of the 20th Macao City Fringe Festival (excluding the programme F’art for U) can redeem lucky draw tickets at the outlets of Macau Ticketing Network and stand a chance to win up to MOP1,500 spending credit sponsored by the Bank of China. On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases for the shows The Distance between the Ocean and Us – Puppetry Playback Theatre, Enigma of the Actress and “Focus to – Release” Creation Experience are limited to a maximum of 2 tickets per performance per person; ticket purchases for other shows are limited to a maximum of 4 tickets per performance per person. In addition, this year’s Fringe Festival offers “Special Package for two persons”. Holders of a valid Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card can enjoy discounts in the ticket purchase of the programmes Treetalk and The Never-ending Task of the Moment of “Crème de la Fringe: Todos Fest!”, and Grandma’s Treasure Box.
This edition of the Fringe Festival counts with Bank of China (Macao Branch) as the designated bank partner. Holders of BOC Multi-Currency Credit Cards or BOC Cards can enjoy a 12% discount on ticket purchases over MOP200. A 12% discount will also be offered to holders of “CCM Friends”, “OM Friends”, “Friends of the Macao Chinese Orchestra”, “Friends of MAM”, a valid full-time Student Card and Macao Teacher Card, and a 50% discount to holders of a Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. Tickets for the programme F’art for U can be purchased through mobile application “Aomi”, “WhatsApp” or telephone during the performance period. For more information, please visit the Fringe Festival’s website and IC’s social media platform.
The press conference of the 20th Macao City Fringe Festival was held on 16 December (Wednesday), at the Macao Contemporary Art Centre – Navy Yard No.2, with the presence of the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian; the Deputy Director of the Digital Finance Department of Bank of China Macau Branch, Choi Ieng Chi, Sabrina; the President of the Fu Lun Elders’ Association of Macau, Chan Oi Chi; the President of the Rui Cunha Foundation, Rui Cunha; the Vice Chairman of the Bodhi Social Service Building Management Committee, Venerable Shi Tianwen; the Head of the Department of Performing Arts Development of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Iu Wai Man; and the Head of the Division of Performing Arts of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Chou Wai In, as well as representatives of participating arts groups and art professionals.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau will strictly follow the related anti-epidemic guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities. All participants must wear face masks, undergo body temperature checks and present a “Macao Health Code” of the day. For more information about the programme, please visit the Fringe Festival’s website at www.macaucityfringe.gov.mo or the “Macao City Fringe Festival” page on Facebook.