Wondrous Encounters

Seasons come and seasons go, so does everything in the universe. Early summer is a time when flowers bloom and an ideal moment for artistic meanders. 

The 34^th Macao Arts Festival is ready to take off with a string of “wondrous encounters”, featuring an array of fantastical and novel programmes inviting the audience to discover and embrace the arts together. When the curtains open, countless characters, images and events will shine on the limelight. Each and every occasion will be a peculiar encounter, be it a beautiful rendezvous, a passionate date, or a precious reunion.

The grand opening brings us Jungle Book reimagined, a masterpiece by legendary dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, staged by his first-class company. Reinventing the classic by Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling, the thought-provoking work probes into the survival crisis of humanity from a child’s perspective. The circus extravaganza Duck Pond is inspired by Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. The piece is brought by Circa, an Australian troupe who are returning to Macao with their stunning techniques, bringing along a joyful and intriguing theatrical experience.

Wonder and dreams are two inseparable realms. From a fairy tale to a ballet, Sleeping Beauty has never lost its charms. As we will soon see when the Spanish National Dance Award winner Marcos Morau, in collaboration with the Lyon Opera Ballet, present his contemporary version of the tale, adding a post-modern touch to the story.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a timeless tragedy constantly revived with breath-taking approaches. This year’s Arts Festival will present yet another take never performed on a local stage: Macbettu, a Sardinian physical theatre boldly featuring an all-male cast exploring the innate power of tragedies in a crude and desolate ambience. With tinges of tragedy too is The Three Brothers, by the Portuguese company My Own Name, portraying family relationships, scrutinizing human emotions, conveying the frictions, struggles and camaraderie among brothers.

Art stems frequently from life and often relates closely to reality. Over thousands of years, writers, painters and countless other artists have been revealing human essence through art. Inspired on Nelly Arcan’s brief life, The Fury of My Thoughts directed by Marie Brassard transforms Arcan’s powerful texts into songs of life eulogizing the vulnerability of human nature.

Legends are perpetuated with awe. What chemical reactions will arise when the minimalist tradition of using “one table and two chairs” in Chinese opera converges with a Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist play? The experimental The Chairs, brought by the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, explores perennial topics across East and West, meandering through love, loneliness, and the meaning of life. Equally innovative is the premiere of the locally conceived Cantonese opera Under the Pagoda Tree, where the revered Chu Chan Wa and his outstanding peers will portray their artistry, revisiting the heritage and innovation of ancient techniques.

Childhood is a crucial period for fostering creativity and imagination. The Polish Baj Theatre has specially created The Little Book, a baby theatre for tiny minds, opening their door onto a wonderful world, using a textless book. Moving swiftly into another story loved by both adults and children, we are thrilled with the return of Macao-born Verónica, with multimedia artist Bernardo Amorim displaying incredible magic with the family show By Your Side – Forever here with you. This time patrons are invited to look into the inner world of a grownup Verónica.

These “wondrous encounters” also feature a string of programmes imbued on local anthropology. Evoking the lives of females who once strived for their autonomy, Chan Meng created She Said, and environmental dance theatreintegrating Chinese opera elements. The Dóci Papiaçám di Macau will continue promoting theatre in Patuá, a national intangible cultural heritage. And the inventive The Funny Old Tree Theatre Ensemble will stage Impression of Iec Long at Taipa’s former firecracker factory, using imagination to recreate the rise and fall of that once striving industry.

Throughout the years, the Macao Arts Festival remains committed to the professional development of local troupes, providing a platform for outstanding performers to showcase their artistry. Anamnesis no.: XXXX is Dirks Theatre’s adaptation of Equus, an acclaimed play by British playwright Peter Shaffer featuring real-time imaging technology to widen audience’s reflection on a sensitive subject. Frankenstein/Creatures is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s, classic sci-fi by the Space for Acting. The play embraces individuals with diverse perceptions skills to enjoy it by providing accessibility services, from audio description to theatrical interpretation.

In this creative feast, artists and patrons may also interact and enjoy themselves through timeless melodies. The Macao Chinese Orchestra will team up with “super diva” Frances Yip, lavishing melomanes with classic pop songs. On a similar vibe, Portuguese rock band Capitão Fausto will share the stage with veteran Chinese singer David Huang, rendering a celebration of Sino-Portuguese cultural exchange.

The Performing Arts Gala will spark vitality in the community through a variety of folk showcases. The exhibition “Focus: Integration of Art between China and the West in the 18^th-19^th Centuries” displays more than 300 selected works of the exchanges among artists from home and abroad in bygone days. The insightful Selected Screenings of International Stages will once again present recorded first-class productions by top-notch ensembles, broadening audience’s imagery.

Between the rise and fall of the curtain, the opening and closing of a door, extraordinary lights illuminate the path to a vivid journey. I sincerely invite you all to embark on this intriguing voyage through the arts!

Leong Wai Man
President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government