At the time of writing, we have lived with the pandemic gloom for more than one year. While the number of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong remains low compared to other regions, social distancing measures and restrictions on group gatherings are strictly enforced in the city. Although local theatres reopened after an extended closure, the number of seats to be occupied was limited to 50 per cent of the venue’s seating capacity during the early phase of reopening, with a view to limiting group gatherings and the number of possible infections. There is an eerie similarity between the theatre and the virus: They both thrive on group gatherings. Connections (infections) are born from the interaction between people, and group gatherings must be minimised as an epidemic preventive measure. In this light, the theatre and its practitioners were destined to make sacrifices. It was not the first pandemic- imposed theatre closure in world history: Legend has it that William Shakespeare wrote King Lear while in quarantine, when theatres were shut down during the plague in England in the 17th century. Meanwhile, numerous actors, musicians, and technicians were forced to switch professions or take their tours to rural areas. In the 21st century, countless artists, designers, administrators and backstage workers have also been driven to search for new paths during the pandemic. For this article, I interviewed four artists: Michelle Li, Ivor Houlker, Lawrence Lau, and Sung Boon-ho. Taking their insights as starting points, I will reflect on my own experiences as a spectator during the pandemic, and imagine the theatre’s development in the post-pandemic era.

At the time of writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc around the world, leaving no sector or profession untouched. Most cross-border activities are restricted, while countries and cities are locked down. Within communities, social activities are restricted and most human interaction is online. Theatre has taken live rehearsals and live performances for granted “since time immemorial”, so the present situation constitutes an unprecedented impact on the way we work and live. Should we put on shows or not? Do we put them on online or should we reschedule? Should we postpone or cancel the show? Do we wait, or give up? My colleagues have been discussing this ad nauseum, as the theatre industry grapples with sudden and unpredictable social restrictions.

After months of hiatus in 2020, truths that were so self-evident in the past have had to adapt to the present. Many theatre makers have reluctantly pivoted to online discussions and online rehearsals, and they have temporarily deployed resources outside of their budgets to hire video teams for multi-camera filming, turning live performances into video broadcasts, or even streaming performances online. Elsewhere, new forms of productions such as “Zoom theatre” as pioneered in New York have emerged, forging new paths and creating breathing spaces for theatre in the pandemic.

The theatre is a microcosm of life, and this past year of global suffering must have a profound impact on the future of theatre—in terms of content, form, production and even concepts.

How can theatre companies be inspired and grow without exchange platforms in the Asian TYA sector, without arts festivals as a window to see the world, and without research projects into TYA? Without these elements, it is a real challenge to create TYA suitable for local audiences. How can the government and business sector establish a subsidy and sponsorship mechanism-one which supports festivals with public finance, creates a passionate festive spirit and builds quality audiences? With quality TYA audiences, profound, difficult and less accessible works of art may inspire children, who will develop a caring for society, a calm, firm and rational attitude, and an inspiring spirit for the future. Societal values have to change and regulate the market, leading to increasing commercial sponsorships, in order for theatre for young audiences and more quality programmes to materialise. When society accepts TYA as a profession, perhaps theatre companies and theatres will achieve greater synergy; we will see theatres for young audiences bloom everywhere in Asia. Let art infuse children’s lives and nurture their growth.

In 2019, a number of newly completed performance venues came into operation, bringing new spaces and inspirations to Hong Kong’s performing arts scene. Tai Kwun opened in May 2018, with JC Cube, which has fixed seating and a maximum capacity of 205, being its main theatre venue. In addition, F Hall Studio, which can accommodate 92 people and does not have fixed seating, as well as outdoor spaces such as the Parade Ground, Prison Yard, and Laundry Steps, can all be used for theatre performances.

Meanwhile, Freespace opened in June 2019, becoming another of West Kowloon Cultural District’s (WKCD) performance venues after the inauguration of Xiqu Centre in January of the same year. It comprises The Box, The Room, The Studio, and Livehouse. The Box has a seating and standing capacity of 450 and 900 respectively, as well as a flexible stage and audience section that can be configured to cater to different performances. The Room and The Studio on the second floor are multi-purpose venues which can be used for rehearsals, workshops, seminars, and small-scale performances. Livehouse, located on the ground floor, is a bar and restaurant run by a commercial entity, with performances curated by the team at Freespace.

In Hong Kong, the majority of performance venues are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Will the new venues in Tai Kwun and WKCD, two institutions that are not overseen by the LCSD, bring innovation to Hong Kong theatre in terms of design and mode of utilisation? Eddy Zee, Head of Performing Arts at Tai Kwun, and Low Kee Hong, Head of Theatre, Performing Arts, of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, were interviewed for this article. Through examining the spatial characteristics, artistic trajectory, and future development of Freespace and Tai Kwun, both frequently utilised by the performing arts sector, we discuss how new venues can stimulate and influence local theatre.

The years between the early 1990s and the millennium marked the golden era of Hong Kong’s original musical theatre. From I Have a Date with Spring, 1941 Girl, Snow.Wolf.Lake, to The Border Town, these productions did not only achieve critical acclaim and box office success in Hong Kong, but they toured to the mainland and overseas. Of all Asian musical theatres today, the musical theatre of Seoul, Korea, is the most vibrant as it has rapidly flourished over the past two decades. In Hong Kong, successful musicals that left a mark have been few and far between since The Passage Beyond, which premiered in 2009. Meanwhile, the musical theatre of Seoul has long been industrialised, as the works are licensed overseas and produced in different language versions.

Regardless, the making of original musical theatre has never stopped in Hong Kong. In recent years, some musical theatre makers have worked to shake up its development. While many stage performances were disrupted by the social movement and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020, there were four distinctive local musicals made during this time, and their developments progressed in different directions. These works include: 2097: A Tale of Two Countries Cities, A Tale of the Southern Sky, The Great Pretender, and Our Journal of Springtime. Although not all of these four musicals have premiered in the theatre, their production processes reflect various possibilities for the future development of original musicals in Hong Kong.

Drama is an ancient art form, yet at the same time a metaphor on which the life of modern society depends and a reference with which the modern person establishes meanings in life. From the perspective of theatricality, drama is not only already deeply embedded in various modern and contemporary art forms, but has also played a vital role in micro- and macro-politics in the so-called “post-truth era”: whether as a ritual that accords emotional recognition to the powers that be or as political propaganda taken to be a weapon of resistance, various performances of great theatricality have been able, in response to the social and cultural environment of the moment, to interact with “audiences” in differing senses of the word and, by mobilising them emotionally, open up all kinds of social relationships as well as social identities that derive from them.

However, many Hong Kong theatre practitioners are not content to view theatre as a political tool that replicates and reinforces ideologies; rather, invoking the dialectical relationship between drama and reality that has been tangled from time immemorial, they wish to open up the possibility of intervening in the process of reproduction in society and alter the course of history in a broad sense. Indeed, as an “event” that exists in society, a dramatic performance should never be regarded as an ephemeral past occurrence that exists only in abstract memory, but has always shown a symbiotic relationship with its reality. Therefore, “liveness” and “uniqueness”, which have almost become clichés but have always been characteristics boasted by dramatic performances, should not be regarded as means by which drama is to be freed from the heaviness of history, but as coordinates that accurately check the pulse of society and guide us in traversing and reshaping reality through the sundry radiating powers of theatre.

The year 2019 was probably an unforgettable year for most Hong Kong people, whatever their personal views and backgrounds. From the “Anti-Extradition Bill” movement that began in the middle of 2019 to the passage of the National Security Law in the middle of 2020, which apparently has put a stop to a continuous clamour akin to improvisation, we seem to have come to a moment where the tide is slowing ebbing. Yet, in a coastline full of rugged rocks, we seem to see the contours, beautiful or ugly, of Hong Kong society better than at any other moment. At this historical moment, what do Hong Kong theatre practitioners think about their position in Hong Kong society and the future? In the chaotic current situation, an interview with four Hong Kong playwrights may throw light on Hong Kong theatre and where Hong Kong society is headed.

During the year of the pandemic, local performance venues were closed for an extended period of time. A series of restrictions were enforced at the venues even after their reopening, which had a direct impact on the performing arts sector. In an attempt to present an overview of the large number of Hong Kong drama productions that were cancelled or affected, the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) teamed up with the Alliance of Theatre Professionals of Hong Kong to conduct a statistical research project. As well as quantitative data research, qualitative case interviews were also employed. In conducting case interviews with organisations with various industry positionings that operate under different funding models; Théâtre de la Feuille, On & On Theatre Workshop, the Tai Kwun performing arts team, and iStage. We sought to gain an in-depth understanding of how they were affected during the pandemic, and the administrative work and publicity efforts that they undertook in response to their respective situations.

As the story goes, there were times in the past when humans seemed to live a worry-free existence. The last surge of collective joy goes back to the early 1990s: After the end of the Cold War and the fall of Berlin Wall, the world’s crises appeared to have subsided. That is, if one turned a blind eye to the Kosovo War that followed. Then came the unstoppable waves of globalisation in the new millennium. It was not until the global pandemic struck in 2020 that we heeded the wakeup call: Crises can come knocking on our doors at any time, and they can be deadly.

As early as the 1980s, German sociologist Ulrich Beck reminded us that our society is filled with risks. Beck’s concept of the risk society refers to a specific type of society that is characterised by: 1) the widespread logic of increasing artificially created uncertainty; 2) the current societal systems and structures being transferred into new forms that include more complexity, contingency, and fracture.

The impact of the global pandemic on the theatre has surpassed our imaginations. The uniqueness of the theatre lies in the audience’s sense of being present, yet the virus has hindered us from being present in the theatre. Theatres worldwide have been suffering, and even the National Theatre in the UK resorted to layoffs at one point.

During the pandemic, Hong Kong’s theatre has embarked on different experiments in search of new paths. This article focuses on productions from 2020. At the end of my discussion, I will draw on Jacques Derrida’s theory of the deconstruction of the centre as a vantage point from which to ponder the potential and limitations of new forms of theatre.

In 2019 and 2020, the social movement and the pandemic had a fundamental impact on theatre practices that focused on participation, experience, and art as a method/tool. Meanwhile, many theatre practitioners who had specific objectives for their work, such as education, issue advocacy, community connectivity, and empowerment, adopted more diverse and proactive approaches in their practices as compared to conventional theatre making. For this article, I interviewed three freelance practitioners, Kenny Poon, Sit Hoi-fai, and Franky Yau Ka-hei, and two organisations, Theatre in the Dark and the Oxfam Interactive Education Centre, both of which use applied theatre as a means to promote different visions. This article attempts to shed light on the state of applied theatre in Hong Kong in 2020—how practitioners and organisations responded to their respective situations, the choices and discoveries that they made, and their reflections on their own professionalism and ideals during a challenging year.

Hong Kong’s theatre arts achieved a milestone in 2020 through the founding of a trade union tasked with serving the entire industry, which currently has over 230 registered members. The anti-extradition bill movement saw a paradigm shift, during which numerous trade unions were set up, posing questions on political and socio-economic rights to the wider society. As soon as it was up and running, the Hong Kong Theatre Arts Practitioners Union (HKTAPU) faced one challenge after another-from matters as “minor” as consultations on labour disputes, to those as formidable as the fast-changing wider creative environment. In the worst of times, one must take sure-footed steps. In the words of the HKTAPU committee: “This is how we move along with the changing times. We do the best we can.”