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Acclaimed local troupe Theatre Space will perform "Checkmate", the first of its 15th anniversary productions, in January.
The play is based on an occurrence in World War II and is set in a Go games room inside the Japanese army headquarters. The story begins with 22 Go masters aiding the Imperial Army's invasion of China, using the checkerboard as a virtual battlefield. Minoru Kitani is the 23rd master in the room. Here he meets the Go players, who include the national grandmaster Shūsai Honinbou, the bloodthirsty commander Iwane Matsuzaka, the loyal Kouhei Inoue and the gentle servant Natsu. Though inspired by the Go game's final phase, Kitani, who is full of passion and ambition, gradually comes to see the true cruelty of war, and this has an unexpected impact on him. He reflects anew on the relationship between the way of Go and the way of the universe.
The play is produced by Bee Wan and written by Cheung Fei-fan. Jacob Yu is director and set designer. The cast includes Ko Kai-cheung, Stephen Au, Anna Lo, Anson Lam, Kiu Po-chung, Billy Yip, Ivy Lau and Choy Chung-hop.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), "Checkmate" (conducted in Cantonese) will be staged at 8pm on January 16 to 18, 2014 (Thursday to Saturday) and at 3pm on January 18 and 19, 2014 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $180 and $120 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 CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maxium discount of 20 per cent is offered for group booking package, please refer to programme leaflets for details.
The play contains violence scenes. For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 (LCSD) or 2540 1011 (Theatre Space) or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/program_420.html (LCSD) or www.theatrespace.org (Theatre Space). 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.
There will be post-performance talk after each performance.
Ends/Thursday, December 5, 2013
Issued at HKT 10:01
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