Simple Critique
The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) Outreach Programme features 22 programmes and 41 activities, including talks, masterclasses, workshops, backstage tours, exhibitions, school performances, art critique, accessibility services, movie screenings and post-show talks, offering the audience a full range of tailor-made artistic experiences. Several activities take Shakespeare as theme, offering an interpretation of the playwright’s outstanding works. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the MAF organized special outreach activities dedicated to the playwright: Artistic Director of the Taiwan Contemporary Legend Theatre, Wu Hsing-Kuo, and renowned Hong Kong theatre director, Tang Shu-Wing, present “A Dialogue between Masters – Wu Hsing-Kuo x Tang Shu-Wing - Searching for the Contemporary Meaning of Shakespeare”, sharing their interpretation and understanding of Shakespeare’s plays; Associate Professor of English at University of Macao, Katrine K. Wong, will introduce the cultural and historical context of theatrical music commonly practised at Shakespeare’s time and will explore the dramaturgical significance of music in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; following the opening show A Midsummer Night’s Dream, there will be a backstage tour for the audience to see the set and props of each act of this performance, and intimately experience the romance and aesthetics of the work; in “1 Night! Shakespeare”, the audience will experience Shakespeare’s poetic charm and romance through the eyes, ears and taste buds. Keng Yi-Wei, who is both an experienced art critic from Taiwan and the artistic director of the Taipei Arts Festival, will develop the appreciation for Robert Wilson’s interpretation of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape; the “Into the Wild” – Workshop by members of Theater HORA offers an artistic workshop to Macao residents with cognitive disabilities; the “Sharing Session on Exchange with Overseas Theatre Professionals” offers opportunities of mutual artistic exploration for local performers and artists; Tim Spooner, the producer of The Assembly of Animals, will guide children in exploring interesting tools and materials to make animals . In what concerns masterclasses, TAO Dance Theater encourages participants to traverse the limits of their bodies and experience their relationship with space and with other dancers; Canadian group Le Patin Libre, debuting in Asia, shares with the local experienced ice skaters their contemporary ice skating and street dance fusion techniques . “Dolphins’ Circles – An Exhibition of Ocean Stories for Children” will be held in the Old Court Building offering guided tours; the children’s show Circles will be organised in schools to familiarise children with issues of marine conservation; some sessions of this show also offer theatrical interpretation; the movie screening Touch of the Light provides audio description (in Cantonese) and accessible captions service, in order to allow people with visual or hearing impairments to enjoy arts without barriers. The MAF continues to stimulate art critique. This year, aside from the Critics-in-Residence Programme, the Festival features Simple Critique inviting the audience to comment each performance; the winning art critics will have the chance to watch shows at next year’s Macao Arts Festival for free. Secondary Students’ Writings on Macao Arts Festival carries on the appreciation and writing skills development mission of potential future art critics. Several shows also offer post-show talks that bring artists and public closer; selected movies will be screened in different venues, offering the public a series of entertaining evenings. More outreach activities are provided, and most of them with free admission. Limited seats are available and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. For more information, please refer to the Macao Arts Festival booklet or visit the Festival’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Reservations are available online through www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event, or by phone. For more information and reservations, please call IC through tel. 8399 6699, during office hours.
