The 29th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, was inaugurated on 27 April, at 7:40pm, in the lobby of the Macao Cultural Centre. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis, Tam Chon Weng; the Acting Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao S.A.R., Wang Dong; the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R., Wan Sucheng; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Mok Ian Ian; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Teledifusão de Macau, S.A. (TDM), Manuel Gonçalves Pires Júnior; the Deputy General Manager of Bank of China Limited (Macau Branch), Chan Hio Peng; the Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of Air Macau Company Limited, Wen Dexin; and the Assistant Director of Community Relations of MGM, Mina Siew. This edition of the MAF presents 26 extraordinary shows and exhibitions as well as an outreach programme, in a total of over 100 activities, leading the audience to recall the core meaning of life by means of different artistic manifestations.
This edition of the MAF is themed “Origin”, which symbolises the “spring of life”. Following the themes of time and space exploration in its last two editions, the MAF explores once again a wide range of topics to broaden the audiences’ thinking about life. The opening performance the play Das Kapital takes to the stage on 27 and 28 April, presented by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, a new version of Karl Marx’s grand classic, incorporating Macao’s elements and illustrating the duality of capital making use of black humour; on the same days, 27 and 28 April, local choreographer Tracy Wong presents the dance theatre piece Les Curious Fringes – Blast of the Cave, a performance incorporating dance, visual elements and installation. Based on the performance The Victory Shipyard in 2017, the play Sunset at the Shipyards by Dream Theatre Association, to be held on 28 and 29 April, evokes the awareness and recognition of Macao’s residents about the conservation of local culture through the history of the local shipbuilding industry; from 2 to 6 May, at the Mandarin’s House, a Portuguese artist presents the experimental theatre Parasomnia, which integrates installations with images and sounds.
In tandem with the theme of this edition of the Macao Arts Festival, “Origin”, the Festival launches a series of souvenirs with the concept of the “spring of life”, including candle holders, waterproof shoulder bags and camera straps, bringing arts close to our lives and allowing the public to enjoy the world of arts. Souvenirs are on sale during the performance period at the Macao Cultural Centre, Dom Pedro V Theatre and Old Court Building, subject to availability.
Only a limited number of tickets are available for some of the programmes, and therefore the public is advised to purchase their tickets as soon as possible. For more information about the programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please check the 29th Macao Arts Festival Booklet; the booklet PDF version can be downloaded at www.icm.gov.mo/fam, follow the MAF’s page on Facebook or subscribe to IC’s WeChat account. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Online ticket reservation: www.macauticket.com.