The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government presents the 23rd Macao Arts Festival (MAF), to be held between 1 May and 2 June, 2012. Featuring 128 performances by 33 acts from 8 different countries including Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the USA, Argentina and Mainland China, this year's Macao Arts Festival season is fantastically diverse. In yet another clear show of support for local talent, more than half of the events programmed this year count on the participation of Macao artists. The Festival provides a platform for this home-grown talent to present outstanding works from the region's own performing arts scene, while on the international front, it reaffirms itself as a window to the latest creative trends emerging on stages around the world. The Festival programme brings together theatre, traditional and modern dance, Chinese and Western music and multimedia and visual arts in a selection that extends as well to Beijing and Cantonese opera, the latter an art form officially inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The 23rd Macao Arts Festival begins with an auspicious season-opening performance: Su Wu of the Han Dynasty by the China National Beijing Opera Theatre (1/5, Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium – MCCGA). The story of Su Wu, a tale of nobility, integrity and dignity, surfaces in several works from the Beijing Opera repertoire. This version – directed by playwright Gao Mukun and featuring celebrated Xi School performer Zhang Jianguo as lead actor – re-interprets a thousand-year old historical incident, giving it new life and a novel perspective. This opera is destined to impress with its heroic momentum and rich content! The same company also showcases the many facets of Beijing Opera in the Opera Excerpts performance (2/5, MCCGA). Outstanding Beijing Opera performers demonstrate the allure of their cherished art form through renowned and universally acclaimed works from the standard repertoire. A masterpiece from the China National Beijing Opera Theatre, this programme presents highlights and excerpts from four of the most famous Beijing operas. On the local front, the Macao General Association of Cantonese Opera and Music presents Cantonese Opera in Concert (4/5, MCCGA), featuring selections from the classic repertoire performed by an all-star cast. Join in celebrating of this timeless art form! A new version of the classic, poignant love tragedy, Dream of the Red Chamber (26~28/5, MCCGA) is destined to move the hearts of audiences! The famous literary work has been adapted for Cantonese Opera in a production that gathers an outstanding team of performers and staff from the elite of Cantonese Opera and entertainment circles: Connie Chan, Jiang Wenduan and the Guangdong Cantonese Opera House. The preparation work required to present this rarely seen 'grand production' in Macao, Hong Kong and Guangdong began several years ago. The Cantonese narrative singing tradition of naamyam, a typical vehicle for recounting historical occurrences, recalls bygone days at the Mandarin's House, coupled with the pure, unaccompanied voices of the Soda-City Experimental Workshop Arts Association. Zheng's Walls Have Hears (26, 27/5, Mandarin's House) features beautiful Chinese classical dances casting surreal, shifting shadows of movement on the walls of the house together with Chinese and Western instruments that create new voices to resonate with the Chinese and the Western architecture of this ancient building. This year, the MAF features a significant number of performances perfect for the entire family, even the little ones. The first among them – The Planet of the Beetlebuns (4~6/5, Dom Pedro V Theatre Lobby) presented by Gobbledegook (United Kingdom) – is a magical new interactive experience for toddlers. Interactive video elements fed by motion capture cameras enable digital images to be triggered by the children in real time, giving them the power to create and shape the art work. Another treat for the young ones is The Little Dream of the Little Monkey, by Macao's well-loved Little Mountain Arts Association (5, 6/5, Mandarin's House). This piece of educational theatre, aimed at stimulating family interaction and promoting parent-child relationships, is sure to enchant audiences at the World Heritage-listed Mandarin's House. The puppet theatre Compañia La Zopenca (Argentina) presents Colores Primarios (5, 6/5, Macao Conservatory Auditorium), taking audiences on a tour of child development in early infancy, through metaphor. The Macao Kaifong Cantonese Opera Children's Troupe appears again this year in the MAF with Zhou Yu is Tricked Three Times (6/5, Alegria Cinema), a popular story about power, conspiracy and treason featuring an intense and intricate plot designed to transport the audience to a world of magical appeal and profound emotion. The Lei Vai Fan Studio presents Ode to the World (11, 12/5, Dom Pedro V Theatre), a sensuous four-movement multimedia musical performance able to express artistic beauty on many levels without the use of language. Yet another family programme is Shi Gandang Fights the Hungry Wolf, performed by the greatest living master of Shandong shadow puppetry, Fan Zhang'an (12, 13/5, Mandarin's House). The ancient folk art of the Taishan Puppet Show, inscribed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, has been a cherished favourite of the general public for thousands of years. A representative inheritor of Shandong Shadow Puppetry, Fan Zhang'an is best known for being able to simultaneously perform, manipulate, accompany, sing and narrate in his shows. He is currently the sole puppeteer to have mastered this extremely complicated and difficult set of skills. The local environmental drama group Black Sand Theatre returns to the MAF with Tincaplins (19, 20/5, Dom Pedro V Theatre), a play combining physical theatre for children – including acrobatics, stilts, puppets and multimedia – with music and poetic movements, creating a story full of emotion and tenderness that enables children to observe and learn from the mystery and grandeur of nature. The British children's theatre group Mimika Theatre presents Landscapes (19, 20, 26, 27/5, Casa Garden), a non-verbal exploration of the atmosphere, movements, rhythms and sounds in four contrasting areas of the natural world: the desert, the rainforest, the sea and the Antarctic. Using puppets and digital projections with original lighting and sound design, Landscapes features remarkable visual effects and transformations – all set inside a beautiful calico dome. Drawing on the clowning techniques of Jacques Lecoq and inspired by Dario Fo, Scarlattine Teatro (Italy) (26, 27/5, Dom Pedro V Theatre) create a theatre experience for all the family, intertwining animation, jazz and bubbles in a celebration of life that crosses linguistic and age barriers. Manolibera is like the comic story that adults buy for their children, only to hide it away to read it for themselves... Performances by Macao's local orchestras have become an anticipated fixture in each MAF season. The Macao Chinese Orchestra, in collaboration with Zhang Hongyan, dubbed "Queen of the Pipa", presents a delightful evening of traditional masterworks (6/5, MCCGA). Erhu player Xu Beirui and zhonghu player Liu Changfu also lend their superb skills to these orchestral classics. The Macao Orchestra – in co-operation with the Eminence Symphony Orchestra (ESO), world-renowned for their recordings and performances of anime and video game scores – presents for the first time ever in Macao a one-of-a-kind live symphonic event titled A Night of Fantasy – Anime and Video Game Music (20/5, MCCGA). This breathtaking concert, co-ordinated by Hiroaki Yura and the ESO, features Maestro Philip Chu conducting and the shimmering vocals of soprano sensation Jillian Aversa. The Macanese Patuá drama group Dóci Papiaçám di Macau delivers yet another instalment in their now legendary series of satires on local society with the premiere of Spooky Doo! (11, 12/5, MCCGA). This time, the topic is the local folk belief in spirits, or souls from another world. As always, the company will tickle audiences with a satire of contemporary Macao, alluding with humour and poignancy to current events that have captured the population's attention. Another local theatre company, Theatre Horizon, presents One Good Person (19, 20/5, Tap Seac Gallery). German playwright Bertolt Brecht's classic work The Good Person of Szechwan, from which this play was adapted, is highly inspirational and especially topical in this prevailingly money-oriented society. Macao's very own professional theatre company, the Hiu Kok Drama Association, stages The Imperial Concubine of the Last Dynasty (5/5, Dom Pedro V Theatre), led by experienced director Raymond Cheang. The play draws on a myriad of tales from pseudo-history and folklore. With its vigorous and unrestrained ideas, showcased by unique performing skills, it boldly shuffles through Chinese history, evoking the artistic charm of alternative theatre. In Dead Man's Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl (26/5, Macao Cultural Centre Small Auditorium - MCCSA), the Macao Youth Repertory Theatre explores the lack of interpersonal communication experienced in today's modern lifestyle. Sarah Ruhl is a new contemporary American playwright, who has attracted much attention in theatrical circles. In another adaptation of a recent literary hit, the local flagship company Theatre Farmers presents Desire Realm (31/5, MCCSA), based on the award-winning novel by French author Yasmina Reza. Directed by Benjamin Wong, this high-quality theatrical production combines moments of troubling conflict and serene delight. International theatre also plays an important role in the MAF. The Monster in the Hall (11~13/5, Ox Warehouse), from UK's Citizens Theatre, is a musical farce about the terrifying prospect of change, written by one of Scotland's most prolific playwrights and theatre directors, David Greig, and performed by four actors playing live music. Formed in 2008, Me and the Machine (UK/Spain) combines audiovisual and interactive technology with choreographed performance, evocative text and distinctive imagery. Audiences are invited to engage performatively in works that range from wearable videos to street installations and one-to-one theatre. When We Meet Again is a wearable film and one-to-one performance – a bizarre and sensuous experience featuring a single audience member, his invisible friend, a 3D soundtrack, an old forgotten dance, an ocean and the performer. Video filmed from a first person perspective is played on video goggles, replacing the participant's point of view with that of the performer's. This piece is a reflection on the nature of human encounters and the function (and dysfunction) of the body in our media-inundated times. Both international and local dance make a substantial contribution to the programme, beginning on 4 May with the UK's Tom Dale Company presenting I Infinite (4~6/5, Old Court Building). The work of TDC crafts new dance forms, which exist between raw, aggressive and visceral movements and complex, refined precision, creating a unique and unpredictable style. I Infinite is a new solo designed for galleries or 'white box' spaces. Part abstract dance, part live art and part video installation (the latter being the only light source used), it explores "the boundaries between the artificial and the real, the digital and the organic." Evolution Dance Theatre (USA/ Italy) was founded in 2008 by American ex-Momix dancer and choreographer Anthony Heinl. The company combines dance with acrobatics and the most cutting-edge technology, such as video art and scenic effects, to hold the audience enraptured. A dream-like series of fantastic vignettes, FireFly (18, 19/5, MCCSA) generates unique visions of beauty and humour with a cast of dancer-acrobats and the use of innovative technical effects. The Olga Roriz Dance Company, from Portugal, presents the ballet Nortada (23/5, MCCGA), a show about the memories that famous Portuguese dancer and choreographer Olga Roriz has of her birthplace, Viana do Castelo. Nortada ("North Wind") centres on a place that is invaded by nostalgia, longing and intimacy. Each memory that is transformed into an image carries an innocent symbolism, much like the gaze of the child that was. Following their successful collaboration on Flying to the Moon, celebrated choreographer Ying E Ding and outstanding young choreographer Yang Minjian once again join hands, premiering their latest creation, Song of Life (18/5, MCCGA), performed by the Macao Youth Dance Group. Both group and solo pieces were created by distinguished local choreographers, showcasing the sophistication and skill of the creators, the talent and power of local dancers and the growth and maturity of dance culture in Macao. Last but not least, the performance that will bring this 23rd edition of the MAF to a close is Mozart Dances, from the American Mark Morris Dance Group (1, 2/6, MCCGA), one of the world's leading dance companies. Drawing inspiration from music, Mark Morris's creations unroll a rhythmic space forged from the intensity and dynamics of each movement, creating a kind of precarious balance between musical line and choreography. The performing arts contribute further to the MAF itinerary with a series of shows to take place in the north of Macao between 11 and 13 May. The Outdoor Performing Arts Showcase, held at Iao Hon Garden, brings together international and Chinese artists, who present a marathon of performances falling just outside the mainstream. Among the scheduled groups are Evolution Dance Theatre (USA/Italy), Macao Fringe Club, Little Mountain Arts Association, Sérgio Rolo, Shandong Shadow Puppets by Fan Zhang'an and Shandong Traditional Theatre. The MAF also features three art exhibitions. The 2012 Macao Annual Art Exhibition (19 May~5 August 2012, Old Court Building) consistently lends flair to the Macao Arts Festival, encouraging open-minded thinking and creative techniques within the local visual arts scene. The exhibition Maritime Porcelain Road – Relics from the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Museums (26/5~7/10, Macao Museum) shows the critically important role that China's porcelain-ware played in the establishment of the seafaring trade routes that became known as the "Maritime Porcelain Road'. Under the influence of Chinese porcelain, other nations in both East and West gradually developed their own porcelain industries. Also featured in the Festival is the exhibition The Fantasy Land – Works by David Wolle (27/5~5/8, Tap Seac Gallery), presented in co-operation with Le French May Festival. David Wolle's works make it clear that a painting is not an object in which we must recognise reality, but rather a tool for learning what unites us to it, showing how the artist can trace a comprehensible symbol in regard to verbal thought. The varied MAF programme also features an interactive kinetic art installation entitled Congregation (23~31/5, Tap Seac Plaza) by the UK's KMA, a collaboration between media artists Kit Monkman and Tom Wexler. Congregation is the world's first ever ballet designed, choreographed and composed entirely for pedestrian performers; participants simply respond to the choreography of light and sound in an embodied, rather than verbal, discourse. Also provided are workshops and both pre- and post-performance talks to support the events – activities aimed at stimulating public interest in the arts. In accordance with long-standing MAF tradition, rehearsals for selected performances will be open to the public. The Macao Government Tourist Office kindly supports promotion of the 23rd Macao Arts Festival in Mainland China and overseas. The performances held at the Macao Cultural Centre are supported by the Macao Cultural Centre's rental subsidy scheme. Present at the press conference of the Arts Festival, and in support of this year's edition, were the Macao Government Tourist Office's Head of the Advertising and Production Division of the Destination Marketing Department, Ms. Alice Martins Coelho, the General-Manager of the Marketing and Network Planning Division of Air Macau, Ms. Chan Im Lan, Mavis and local arts associations' representatives. Tickets for the 23rd Macao Arts Festival will be available after 10am on 25 March 2012 at all Kong Seng Ticketing outlets. Telephone and online bookings will be available from 1pm on the same day. There will be a variety of discount plans (up to 40%) and a special promotion package for local performances. Detailed publicity materials are available at ticket counters. For more information please check the website of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Information: (853) 2855 5555 in Macao; (852) 2380 5083 in Hong Kong; (86) 139 2691 1111 in Mainland China. Online Reservations: www.macauticket.com
