Dear children and adults, do you miss Verónica?

Two years ago, Verónica went on an amazing magical adventure to explore Macao as she had never seen it before, witnessing the wonders of the city through its architecture. However, as that adventure came to an end, Verónica had to start another one elsewhere with her family. Now her friends miss her dearly.

Surprise! Verónica has left some magical clues that they will follow to find her. Join them in search for Verónica and see what magical things they will encounter this time!

FAM PLUS: Arts Accessibility Service
The Easy Guidebook (Chinese and English) is available at the reception.

On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica is a programme about a group of friends who decide to depart Macao in search of a common friend – Verónica. We will join this crazy and incredible adventure where they meet the “strangest” characters.

Together we find the importance of Macao gastronomy and how it came to be. We will learn about the environment and how it is changing drastically. We will see how plastic affects all of us, and how small changes can have a big impact on our future. We will also understand how all countries are made of mixed cultures and the role that history plays in designing the future of our own cultures. Family, culture, sharing, community and the environment are the foundations of this programme.

I would like to point out that this show is the second episode of a series of three shows under the theme of “Macao Culture and Identity”, that I have been producing. The first one is On the Other Side of Macao – A Magical Adventure premiered in 2021 at the 31^st Macao Art Festival.

I would like to acknowledge the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the entire technical team of the 33^rd Macao Arts Festival for their continued support.

By Bernardo Amorim

Following On the other Side of Macao – A Magical Adventure presented in 2021, Bernardo Amorim brings us the sequel in the form of the family-friendly play On This Side of Macao – The Quest for Verónica at the Macao Arts Festival this year. The cement buildings that usually “stand still at the roadside” are once again being transformed into characters with rich personalities who decide to embark on a new journey to look for their friend Verónica.

Amorim believes that Macao is more than a transit station, and that the cement buildings here interact with the residents every day, bearing witness to their joys and sorrows and the traces of life. “Why not imbue them with vitality and memories to help us remember those departed and be mindful that they are not only empty houses? Generations after generations are able to recollect their homes thanks to these buildings, so why not let these houses come to life?” This play seemingly intends to explore the bonds between the city, people and the world, regardless of whether they existed before or after the pandemic, in the form of tangible buildings or intangible tastes. As revealed by Amorim, the Macanese dish “minchi” is also one of the characters of this production. Macanese cuisine, as a representative item on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, plays an important role in the memories of Macao people.

By Egretta
Theatre critic and a media practitioner with two Master’s degrees in Journalism and Cultural Management from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is currently writing on a number of topics for several media platforms on a freelance basis, including art and cultural development, history and features of Macao, and eco-friendly lifestyle.

This article is excerpted and translated from Chinese