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To promote the development of arts and culture in the community, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is co-organising the "Community Oral History Theatre Project - Islands District (Tai O)" along with Chung Ying Theatre Company, the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council and the Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation. Through a series of workshops the project seeks to gather the valuable personal experiences and recollections of Tai O's elderly residents. The oral information collected will be used to provide material for these villagers to act out their own stories on stage.
After months of training in drama and script collection workshops, the senior residents of Tai O will stage, for the first time, a site-specific oral history theatre. Titled "Tai O, The Nostalgic Water Village" and conducted in Cantonese, the performances will take place at 2.30pm and 4.15pm on November 16 (Saturday) at three scenic attractions in Tai O - a stilt house, the open space fronting an old temple and a creek side.
Evolving from thriving fishing harbour to quiet village and now hot tourist attraction, a lot has happened to Tai O over the past decades. How much of its traditional customs and scenery are still alive today? In these performances, a group of Tai O seniors will reveal memories of Tai O's past and revisit fragments of its history, taking the audience on a theatrical journey into old village life.
Co-organised by the LCSD, a performing arts group and district organisations, the Community Oral History Theatre Project was previously run in Sham Shui Po and Kwun Tong and received positive responses. Its success prompted the LCSD to extend it to Islands District, and Tai O was selected because of its strong local character. It aims to encourage the elderly to be active in arts and cultural activities, and the performances can help the younger generation not only to understand how previous generations grew up, but also to reflect on their own lives.
Admission to "Tai O, The Nostalgic Water Village" is free by prior registration, which should be made via telephone call to 2591 1300 or email to abo@lcsd.gov.hk. Each person may register a maximum of two attendees per performance. A limited quota is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The running time of the performance is about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Audiences are strongly advised to arrive at the designated assembly point on time. No latecomers will be entertained. Please note that part of the performance will be conducted at an outdoor area where no seating is provided. Audiences are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and shoes and need to follow staff and walk to the performance locations. There may be thresholds, staircases or narrow passageways in some performing areas which wheelchair users may find inconvenient.
For programme enquiries, please call 2591 1300 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ab/en/OH_details_taio.php.
Ends/Friday, October 18, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:01
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