Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) and Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio (TSW Theatre Studio) have embarked on a joint venture in exploration of an innovative mode of resident theatre company operation to cultivate a lively and creative iconic performance venue. Amalgamating their resources in venue management and expertise and talents in theatrical art, education and culture, this project provides a platform for nurturing, extending and illuminating the talents of performing artists as well as for conducting networking and exchange activities among local and international theatres. This innovation is going to bring theatrical culture forward to a visionary future with creative and energetic strides, effectively broadening the audience base of the art.
Connie Lam, Executive Director of the HKAC, remarked, “The HKAC has always served as a platform for the cultivation of arts and culture. We share the same rationale, vision and pursuits as TSW Theatre Studio – promoting physical theatre and unconventional artistic expressions in performing art, creating new theatrical works based on innovative artistic concepts, propelling cultural interaction both within Hong Kong and beyond. We will experiment with this new mode of operation in this two-year project.” She continued, “Professional performing groups need more than just resources for continuing development. They also need suitable performance venues that provide adequate site support. This can elevate their general professional standards, help them develop their group image and enable them to expand their audiences and make long-term plans. Collaboration between performing groups and venues brings about mutual benefits and facilitates the sharing and maximisation of the use of resources. Performing artists’ potential can be fully developed through educational and entertaining training workshops and education in diversified and alternative art forms, lifting the level of theatrical performances to new heights.
TSW Theatre Studio Art Director Tang Shu-wing noted, “We believe this collaboration is going to enhance and extend the social functions of the art of the theatre. Our future development will be directed at promoting image performing art. Based on the aesthetics of simplicity, blending power and wisdom, we will bring the best quality theatrical experiences to the audience. As an arena for both individual artistic expression and experience of societal activity, the theatre is inextricably tied with social cultural activities. With the HKAC as a networking platform, we will continually introduce landmark programmes, further enriching each other’s programming and strategic planning philosophy, while facilitating international exchange through research and development."
About TANG SHU-WING THEATRE STUDIO
“To Bring Theatre Works of the Highest Quality to the Maximum Number of People”
Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, with Tang Shu-wing as artistic director, was formerly known as No Man’s Land which was founded in 1997, and renamed in 2009. The company’s main mission is to realise the minimalist theatrical exploration of Tang through research and creation. The Studio has the vision to contribute to the rapidly developing local creative industry as well as promoting international cultural exchange. The works of the Studio include Titus Andronicus 2.0 (2009), producer of The East Asian Games: Theatre series Passion of Body Art (2009) and Next Generations (2010, co-production with Drama Box, Singapore) and Beating the Classroom (2011, a non-verbal physical comedy).
Works of No Man’s Land and Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio have been presented in the New York Henson International Puppet Theatre Festival, San Francisco Ghost Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Macau Fringe Festival and Singapore Huayi Festival and have received a number of awards in the Hong Kong Drama Awards. One of the company’s highly acclaimed works, Titus Andronicus, will be staged at the World Shakespeare Festival of the Globe Theatre in London Cultural Olympiad this May, as the only theatre programme to be invited from Hong Kong. Titus Andronicus 2.0, another groundbreaking production, is having an international tour in Europe and China in 2012. Detention, a non-verbal comedy (formerly called Beating the Classroom) will also be performed in Edinburgh this August.
Starting April 2012, the Studio is funded by the Arts Capacity Funding Scheme of the Home Affairs Bureau, Hong Kong Government.
About TANG SHU-WING
Tang studied acting in l’Ecole de la Belle de Mai and theatre studies in the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris in late 1980s and has worked as assistant director and actor in Théâtre de la Main d’Or before returning to Hong Kong in 1992.
Tang’s sources of influence are “theatre of the convention” of Meyerhold, “poor theatre’ of Grotowski, Tai Chi and yoga. For him, theatre is a way to experience life through self-discovery. He has been pursuing a physical theatre through a minimalist aesthetics approach. His unique style has dubbed him “Alchemist of Minimalist Theatre”. He is also described by Parole Magazine of l’Alliance Française as “one of the most talented theatre directors of Hong Kong”.
He is the current artistic director of Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio (formerly known as No Man’s Land which was founded in 1996). He taught in the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 2004 to 2011 and served as Dean of School of Drama from 2009-2011.
Tang has directed over forty productions of drama, dance and opera. His representative works include Phaedra (2005), Hamlet (2006), Princess Chang Ping (drama and dance versions, 2007, 2009), The Exception and the Rule (2008), Titus Andronicus (2008), Titus Andronicus 2.0 (2009), King Arthur (2009), Rubik’s Cube and its Aftermath (2010) and Detention (formerly known as Beating the Classroom) (2011). His woks have been presented in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Singapore, Macau, Tashkent, New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Sydney.
In 2001, he published Analysis and Reflections on the Theories of Acting of Meyerhold, Life and Death Trilogy: a Theatrical Research. In 2004, The International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) published a special study on him: The Art of Synthesis: The Theatre World of Tang Shu-wing.
He is a current honorary advisor of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Dance Company and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Tang’s major awards include Best Actor in a Leading Role in the 2003 Hong Kong Drama Awards; three times Best Director in the Hong Kong Drama Awards (2006, 2007, 2011); Certificate of Commendation by the Secretary for Home Affairs of the Hong Kong Government (2007); l’Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government (2007); Award for Arts Achievement (Drama) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (2008); The Next Big Thing Cultural Award by the Muse magazine (2010). Princess Chang Ping (dance version) was awarded Outstanding Production of the 2010 Hong Kong Dance Awards.
