White Snake (Photo credit: Lin Zhaohua Theatre Studio from Beijing)
Tickets for the 31st Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, went on sale simultaneously through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets, telephone and online booking from 10am on 28 March. This year’s MAF has received an enthusiastic response from the public and sales reached a satisfactory result as more than 4,700 tickets were sold up to 7pm on the first day of ticket sales, which accounted for 63% of the total number of tickets. Many programmes were highly sought after and tickets for over 34 shows were sold out.
In order to cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures, and to safeguard the public health, the organizer launched diverse ticketing channels, including ticketing service at the outlets and online booking, simultaneously this year. In order to reduce crowd gathering onsite and offer the public a convenient ticketing service, an online reservation system has been set up for the first day of ticket sales. The grand opening White Snake and the closing performance Taking Leave are highly sought after. Tickets for a number of programmes were sold out on the first day of ticket sales, including Property Guide at Lou Kau Mansion and some sessions of the shows The Coloane Game, A Short Time Escape, See You through Memories and Drunken Dragon Dance. In addition, sales for the shows Dream of the Red Chamber, Dance Duo and Boss for a Day had an enthusiastic response. The public is advised to purchase their tickets as soon as possible as tickets for some of the programmes are limited.
This edition of the MAF offers a number of extraordinary shows, including White Snake by Lin Zhaohua Theatre Studio from Beijing, which redesigns the characters of the classic folktale The Legend of the White Snake in an artistic and creative way, combing theatre, music, dance and multimedia art; Dream of the Red Chamber, a new production presented by Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, was created in the 1990s with Yu Qiuyu and Chen Xiting as the core creative team, starring Ma Lan, among other artists, who innovated the classics together from a new perspective. The play instantly gained much reputation, and thus became a reserved play in the theatre. On the MAF stage, the play will be performed by the new generation of Huangmei opera actors, passing on tradition and innovation. The Macao Chinese Orchestra joins hands with three virtuosos on different Chinese and Western instruments, including Chinese sheng virtuoso Weng Zhenfa, flute virtuoso Weng Sibei and the young Chinese cellist Mo Mo in the concert Dialogue between the East and the West to present a cultural exchange through music; to commemorate the 230th anniversary of Mozart’s death, Macao Orchestra presents three of his symphonies, namely Paris, Linz and Prague, paying tribute to the master.
The MAF also features performances by local art groups, which are certainly not to be missed. The Never-ending Task of Lust for Failure by Comuna de Pedra Arts and Cultural Association, based on the original work The Pleasure of Failure by Swiss company Theater HORA, is an improvisational work by the special-needs actors, bringing an unprecedented and innovative theatrical experience; the dance theatre Drunken Dragon Dance by Four Dimension Spatial, innovates the festive tradition with contemporary dance elements; the local dancer Kam Hiu Lam collaborate with the choreographers Chou Shu-Yi from Taiwan and Wang Yuanqing from Beijing, respectively, to present two dance pieces in different styles in the performance Dance Duo.
For more information about the programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please check the 31st Macao Arts Festival booklet (the booklet PDF version can be downloaded at www.icm.gov.mo/fam); follow the MAF’s page on Facebook (search for “Macao Arts Festival”), or subscribe to IC’s WeChat official account. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Online ticket reservation is available at at www.macauticket.com.
