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