Cantonese Opera Development Fund Advisory Committee welcomes "The Chief Executive's 2021 Policy Address"
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Cantonese Opera Development Fund Advisory Committee (CODFAC) welcomes "The Chief Executive's 2021 Policy Address", and supports the new initiatives in providing additional support for training of young talent and enabling the continued professional development of practitioners, as well as encouraging the production of new scripts in respect of Cantonese opera.
Professor Lui Yu-hon, the Chairman of CODFAC said, "The HKSAR Government established the Cantonese Opera Development Fund (CODF) in 2005 to support projects and activities related to the preservation, promotion and development of Cantonese opera. In recent years, CODF has enhanced its support to creative Cantonese opera. By end 2018, CODF has increased its funding support for premiere and re-run of Cantonese opera with new/adapted scripts, with a view to encouraging creative writing and increasing the number of Cantonese opera scripts for production. In 2021, CODF has further enhanced its support for creative Cantonese opera, such as adding a funding requirement that the duration of each performance of new plays should be within two hours and forty-five minutes, in order to attract more audiences to watch the shows, and with a view to further expanding the audience base, in particular young audience, so as to facilitate the transmission of Cantonese opera."
Professor Lui said, "Besides, the original funding scope of CODF has already included nurturing of Cantonese opera talent. For instance, since 2012, CODF has subsidised the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong to nurture Cantonese opera budding artists through the Yau Ma Tei Theatre Venue Partnership Scheme. In order to strengthen the transmission and development of Cantonese opera, CODF will explore the enhancement of support for continuous professional development in Cantonese opera, such as devoting more resources to nurturing young Cantonese opera talent, and encouraging Cantonese opera practitioners to pursue further studies in different categories of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong, or even in the Mainland/overseas, with a view to generating a positive effect in culture transmission."
Professor Lui continued, "CODF will continue to maintain close liaison with the sector and review the funding direction in due course to meet the latest needs of the sector's development."
Ends/Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Issued at HKT 20:26
Issued at HKT 20:26
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