Oral history project to collect memories of the elderly in Tai O
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     Co-organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) as well as performing arts and district organisations, the Community Oral History Theatre Project has received a positive response over the past few years. This year, the Project is being extended to Tai O to collect the personal experiences and precious memories of the elderly there. The elderly participants will recount their own stories on stage at the end of the programme.

     The Project is being carried out in several phases, with the first one being an oral history theatre performance and sharing session entitled "Savouring the Fragrance of Sham Shui Po: Stories in Public Housing Estates". It will be staged at 2.30pm on March 14 (Thursday) at Tai O Town Hall. Senior citizens from Tai O will be recruited at the event to join the Project. Free admission tickets are now available at the following venues: the Tai O Rural Committee, the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society Lantau (Tai O) Centre, the HKYWCA Tai O Community Work Office, the Enquiry Counter of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Enquiry Counter of Hong Kong City Hall. (There is a limit of four tickets per person. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.)

     Enrolled participants will join different training programmes and performances in phases including drama training, script formation, taking part in public site-specific theatre performances, exchanges and rehearsal as well as the finale public performances. Lastly, in order to support the development of community theatre and oral history, the information and oral history acquired in the Project will be collected and produced as a book on Tai O oral history.

     With widespread support, the Community Oral History Theatre Project was first run in Sham Shui Po and is now being run in Kwun Tong. The Project's success has prompted the LCSD to extend it to Islands District, and Tai O was selected because of its strong local character. The LCSD is co-organising the Community Oral History Theatre Project - Islands District (Tai O) together with Chung Ying Theatre Company, the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council and the Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation. The Project aims to encourage the elderly to be active in arts and cultural activities, and the performance can allow the younger generation to not only understand how previous generations grew up, but also reflect on their own lives.

     For enquiries, please call 2268 7367 (LCSD), 8106 8337 (Chung Ying Theatre Company) or 3140 6365 (Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council), or visit the website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ab/en/OH_details_taio.php .

Ends/Monday, February 25, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:28

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