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The Community Oral History Theatre Project - Sham Shui Po District, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in collaboration with Chung Ying Theatre Company and the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council and sponsored by the Sham Shui Po District Council, will be staging four public performances in March. Twenty elderly people will take part in the shows, which are based on the project participants' recollections.
The LCSD has been dedicated to organising various arts and cultural activities for schools and the community over the years in the hope of making arts and culture a part of people's lives. Taking into account the fact that Hong Kong's population has aged dramatically over the past decade, the LCSD has seen rising demand for arts activities from not only the youth but also the elderly.
The Audience Building Office of the department piloted the Community Oral History Theatre Project - Sham Shui Po District in 2010. In a series of workshops, the project provided the elderly with drama training and gathered the personal experiences and valuable recollections of the elderly in Sham Shui Po District. Plots were written based on the collected oral history, and elderly participants were given the opportunity to perform their stories onstage.
Previous performances of the project were met with an enthusiastic response when they were staged, and the project has been awarded both the Ten Outstanding Service Delivery Award and the Service Model Excellence Award under the Best Practice Awards in Social Welfare presented by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
In view of these satisfactory results, the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council sought support from the Sham Shui Po District Council to continue to implement the project in Sham Shui Po District, as well as extend the project to Kwun Tong District in collaboration with the LCSD and Chung Ying Theatre Company. Featuring more than 20 elderly participants, the performance programme covers public performances and school touring shows. The school touring performances have enabled students to gain an understanding of how the older generation grew up, and the teachers and students who watched the sincere performances by the elderly were deeply touched.
Conducted in Cantonese, the Community Oral History Theatre Project - Sham Shui Po District drama performances will be held at 7.30pm on March 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday), and at 2.30pm on March 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday), at the Black Box Theatre, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre. Tickets priced at $40 (free seating) are now available at URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis).
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7367 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ab/images/OH_ssp.pdf. Ticketing enquiries can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Friday, March 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:31
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