White Snake
The 31st Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym), will be held from 30 April to 29 May. Tickets will be available through the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 28 March (Sunday). Diverse ticketing channels, including ticketing service at the outlets, telephone and online booking, will be launched simultaneously. In order to cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures, to reduce crowd gathering onsite and to safeguard the public health, an online reservation system has been set up for the first day of ticket sales. Those who want to purchase tickets at the outlets from 10am to 3pm on the first day of ticket sales are required to reserve their ticketing slot through the online reservation system.
Until 5pm today, vacancies are still available in the online reservation system for the first day of ticket sales. The public can take the opportunity to register and is welcome to purchase tickets through telephone and online bookings. This edition of the MAF, themed “Restart”, will focus on productions from Mainland China and Macao, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The grand opening show, White Snake, by Lin Zhaohua Theatre Studio from Beijing, redesigns the characters of the classic folktale The Legend of the White Snake in an artistic and creative way. The closing performance, Taking Leave, is a production adapted from American contemporary playwright Nagle Jackson’s namesake play by the National Theatre of China. In this play, the National First-Class Director Wang Xiaoying will lead a cast of veteran actors to interpret the story of an acclaimed actor who used to play the role of King Lear, whom was approaching to the end of his life, wandering between reality and imagination, allowing the audience to witness the fragility and eternity of life. The Jin Xing Dance Theatre from Shanghai, one of the top modern dance companies in the China, presents two works, namely Wild Flower and Trinity. The Anhai Huangmei Opera Theatre presents a new production of the classic play Dream of the Red Chamber, performed by the new generation of Huangmei opera actors, passing on tradition and innovation.
The Macao Arts Festival has been committed to establish a display and exchange platform, a number of delicate works not to be missed are presented at this Festival, including Drunken Dragon Dance, See You through Memories, The Coloane Game, Dance Duo, The Never-ending Task of Lust for Failure, Property Guide at Lou Kau Mansion, A Short Time Escape, Boss for a Day, Jiufeng Mountain and the children’s show On the Other Side of Macao – A magical adventure, among others, showing the cultural diversity of Macao. In addition, the Festival also features a number of interesting promotional activities at various districts in Macao. The first session “Arts Festival Cruising in the City” will be held on 28 March, at 3:30pm, at Anim’Arte Nam Van, where artists and dancers of Performing Arts Gala are invited to spread a festive atmosphere in different neighborhoods with performances including Brazilian Capoeira, puppets show and clowns.
Various types of discounts are available in this edition of the MAF. Early bird discounts of 30%, subject to certain criteria, are available from 28 March to 4 April and a 20% discount will be offered from 5 April onwards. A 25% discount will be offered from 28 March to 4 April on tickets for all shows for purchases with the “CCM Friends”, “OM Friends”, “Friends of the Macao Chinese Orchestra” and “Friends of MAM”, and a 20% discount on tickets from 5 April. Members of the public who purchase their tickets with BOC Credit Card or BOC card will receive a 30% discount on tickets for the opening and closing performances, White Snake and Taking Leave, as well as a 20% discount on all other shows. A 20% discount on tickets for all shows is also available for purchases with MasterCard, Visa Card or UnionPay Card from BNU, OCBC Wing Hang Bank, BCM Bank or Tai Fung Bank. A 50% discount on tickets for the shows The Coloane Game and On the Other Side of Macao – A magical adventure will also be offered to holders of a valid full-time Student Card, and a 50% discount on tickets for all shows to holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. For each purchase over MOP500 (net price after discount), purchasers may receive one discount voucher to enjoy exclusive offers at selected food & beverage outlets of MGM COTAI (available while stocks last). Air Macau customers can enjoy a 20% discount on ticket purchases at all ticketing outlets by presenting their respective boarding pass (flight code NX) within 7 days upon their arrival in Macao.
More information about the 31st MAF will be announced on the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam, the respective page on Facebook (search “Macao Arts Festival”), and through IC’s official WeChat account (IC_Art_Macao).
