VR Horizon
The 32nd Macao Arts Festival (MAF) Outreach Programme features 27 outreach programmes, including virtual reality screenings, art performances and food home deliveries, talks, workshops, “Meet-the-Artist” sessions, backstage tours, community tours and screenings of international stage performances, inviting the audience to experience art from multiple perspectives starting mid-April.
The programme Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances features screenings of large-scale international productions, including four works that will be shown on the big screen in Macao: The Lehman Trilogy by National Theatre Live, Monte Cristo: The Musical by the Moscow Operetta Theatre, A Swan Lake by the Norwegian National Ballet and Akhenaten by the Metropolitan Opera. The programme VR Horizon, curated by the Audio-Visual CUT Association, features a selection of excellent works from around the world, including VR360 films and VR interactive films, inviting the audience to experience art through technology; the “Talk: The Characteristic and Development Trends of Immersive Media”, which introduces the production features and development trends of virtual reality; the “Director-in-focus” series will present various works directed by John Hsu, as well as a post-screening sharing session which provides a platform for exchange and dialogue between the audience and the VR filmmaker; and the VR in Community, which allows audiences of different ages to appreciate the unique appeal of VR films free of charge.
The Macao Arts Festival is always committed to creating an exchange platform between the artists and the audience, and has therefore invited a renowned choreographer and a famed Peking opera artist to host two thematic talks this year. The talk “Meet-the-Artist: Willy Tsao – Connection of Modern Dance and Chinese Culture”, presented by the master of Chinese modern dance Willy Tsao, will focus on the commonality and integration of modern dance with life trends and thoughts of China. The talk “Meet-the-Artist: Shi Yihong – Heritage and Innovation of Peking Opera”, presented by the national first-class performer and qingyi actress of the Mei school from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, will elaborate on the heritage and innovation of Peking opera through the opera New Dragon Inn.
Various outreach activities will bring art to the community in order to promote interaction with people from all walks of life. F’art for U, which were well-received by the public at the Macao City Fringe Festival, will deliver art performances and gourmet treats straight to the door. In the “Street Tour: Why is there a road outside the pier?”, urban planner Lam Iek Chit will lead the audience to walk around the old D. Carlos I Dock in Barra. In the “Workshop for Experiencing the Arts and Crafts of Bamboo Scaffolds”, veteran stage scaffolder Chio Seng Wai will demonstrate the scaffolding skill and reveal the wisdom of architecture in the craft of bamboo scaffolding as an intangible cultural heritage item of Macao. Other workshops, talks and backstage tours will also be available for the public to participate. Accessibility services will be made available for some programmes in order to achieve social inclusion.
For more information about the outreach programmes, please refer to 32nd MAF booklet or visit the MAF’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Tickets for VR Horizon and Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances will be on sale through the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 3 April. A 30% discount on tickets for two different performances in the Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances will be offered. Admission to most of the MAF outreach activities is free and registration can be made through the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s Activities Registration System (www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event) from 10am on 4 April. Seats are limited and subject to availability. Successful registrants will be notified by SMS or email.
