32nd Macao Arts Festival “invigorates” imagination through art
Previews of highlights launched and diverse ticketing channels available on the first day of ticket sales

Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the 32^nd Macao Arts Festival (MAF), themed “Invigorate”, sets off in May, featuring a range of programmes and outreach activities to encourage the public to invigorate imagination through art. Previews of four programmes are now launched, including the contemporary dance theatre production Free Man from the South, the cutting-edge theatrical production I Am a Moon, the Ancient Greek tragedy Electra, and the new Shanghai-style Peking opera New Dragon Inn. Details of the full programme of the 32^nd MAF will be announced later.

In order to cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures, reduce crowd gathering on site and safeguard the public health, an online reservation system has been set up at the Macau Ticketing Network for the first day of ticket sales. Members of the public who would like to buy tickets at the outlets from 10am to 1pm on the first day of ticket sales are required to reserve their ticketing slot from 10am on 31 March (Thursday) through the online reservation system of the Macau Ticketing Network.

This edition of the Festival will continue to focus on programmes from Macao and Mainland China. It continuously promotes local productions while simultaneously actively connects with the international art exchange platform. The MAF will kick off with the contemporary dance theatre production Free Man from the South by renowned choreographer Willy Tsao. Drawing inspiration from the poems of Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, the work weaves together poetry, dance and music, presenting a beautiful world of mountains, water, flowers and the moon; I Am a Moon, written by young playwright Zhu Yi and directed by new generation director Ding Yiteng, uses the craters on the moon to tell six independent but interrelated stories under the moonlight; Electra, a classic Ancient Greek tragedy about vengeance and justice, is jointly reproduced by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and a Greek production team. The script is translated by Luo Tong, who is the third generation of a family dedicated to the study and research of this domain of Ancient Greek literature and theatre. Adapted from the eponymous film, a new Shanghai-style Peking opera New Dragon Inn is produced by Shi Yihong, an accomplished qingyi actress of the Mei school from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, who plays two roles in the opera, breaking through tradition with innovation.

The 32^nd Macao Arts Festival features an array of local productions, and the full line-up of programmes will be announced later. Tickets will be on sale from 3 April (Sunday). Members of the public who wish to purchase tickets at the outlets from 10am to 1pm on the first day of ticket sales are required to reserve their ticketing slots through the online reservation system of the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 31 March (Thursday), and those who have successfully registered can buy tickets within the specified time period at their selected outlet accordingly. Ticketing services at the outlets as well as telephone and online booking will be available simultaneously from 10am on the first day of ticket sales. Those in need of assistance to reserve a ticketing slot through the online reservation system can visit any Macau Ticketing Network outlet during business hours and the online reservation system’s opening period, and make the registration with the assistance of the staff. Furthermore, booking time slots are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each mobile phone number can only be registered once. By introducing diverse ticketing channels, the organizer hopes to further encourage the public to experience the convenience of e-governance, and meanwhile, avoid crowd gathering and thus help prevent and control the epidemic.

          IC will strictly follow the relevant anti-epidemic guidance issued by the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities.

More information about the 32^nd Macao Arts Festival will be announced on the Festival’s webpage (www.icm.gov.mo/fam), the respective page on Facebook (search “Macao Arts Festival”), and through the IC’s official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”.