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Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRT) announced today (August 31) the appointment of Mr Fredric Mao Chun-fai as Artistic Director from February 2001, to succeed Dr Daniel Yang who will retire in mid January next year.

Fredric Mao, 53 years old, is currently the Head of Acting at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Born in Shanghai, China, and grew up in Hong Kong, he obtained his M.F.A. degree in Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa in the United States. He also studied acting with the renowned teacher Sanford Meisner in New York. He made his Broadway debut in the original Harold Prince-Stephen Sondheim musical "Pacific Overtures" in 1976. For thirteen years, he has been a professional actor and director in America with various theatre companies as well as in film and television. At the age of 27, Mr Mao became Artistic Director of the Napa Valley Theatre Company in California.

Mr Mao joined the School of Drama as the Head of Acting of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts since its inception in 1985. He has directed numerous productions and has also served as guest director for HKRT and Chung Ying Theatre Company and other local theatre companies.

Mr Mao received the Best Director Award of the Hong Kong Drama Award in three consecutive years from 1993 to 1995 for "The Legend of a Storyteller", "The Kids, the Wind and the City" and "Red Room, White Room, Black Room". In 1988, his experimental Saint Joan project won six awards, including the Best Production and Best Director. Mr Mao also received the 1999 "Artist of the Year" Award (Stage Director) from the Hong Kong Artists Guild.

He visited Britain and Germany on theatre research programmes in 1993 upon the invitation of the British Council and the Goethe Institute. In the same year, Mr Mao gave lectures on "Theatre of the East and West" at Stanford University in the U.S. and conducted workshop at La Mama ETC. of New York. In 1997, he was invited to give lectures at the Beijing Central Academy of Drama.

Mr Mao values traditional Chinese Opera highly and is an ardent supporter of the development of traditional Chinese theatre in Hong Kong. Through years of practice in directing, he explores the fusion of Eastern and Western theatre. Examples of such experiments include "The Visions of Simone Machard", "Sound and Color", "The Legend of A Storyteller" and "Timeless Love".

With his extensive knowledge and experience in theatre direction and production, Mr Mao will supervise the artistic performance of HKRT and lead the Theatre in its future development.

End/Thursday, August 31, 2000

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