Exhibitions & Programmes
SPOTLIGHT: A Season of Performing Arts
General
Dormitory Town Sharing Session
Creative and Production Team
Gallery
Ticketing
Biography
House Programme

Dormitory Town

SPOTLIGHT: A Season of Performing Arts 2024

Labyss

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Dormitory Town

Date & Time

19 - 28 Apr, 2024 19 & 26.04.2024 3pm– 4:30pm
20-21, 27-28.04.2024 11am – 12:30pm & 3pm – 4:30pm

Location

Tai Kwun and Tung Wah Coffin Home

Price

$300

General

Supporting Organisation

Due to inclement weather conditions, the scheduled event of Dormitory Town at 3pm today is cancelled. The audience members who have purchased tickets will receive an email within a week. Please follow the instructions to process the refund online. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The word "cemetery" has its etymological root in coemeterium, the Latin word which means bedroom or dormitory. In the land of the living, people undergo toil without respite; So perhaps they deserve a peaceful rest when in the realm of the departed? French philosopher Foucault said that "cemeteries then came to constitute, no longer the sacred and immortal heart of the city, but the other city." The cemetery has indeed become a city’s sanctuary in which its quiet inhabitants, in carefully arranged spaces, silently narrate their ordinary lives: living, working, taking breaks, working again to be followed by death.

Based on field studies and interviews, Catalan’s Contenidos Superfluos team up with local artists to craft its first Asian version of the award-winning production Dormitory Town. Guided by local professional actors and a choir, participants join a travelling recitative from the land of the urban-weary to where souls rest in bliss. Along the way, they encounter undertakers, caretakers and life enthusiasts who share their real-life experiences. While juxtaposing labour and rest as well as life and death, Dormitory Town empowers us to be more alive by contemplating death.

Dormitory Town (Ciutat dormitori) made its debut in Barcelona in 2021, being a winning project of Teatre Lliure’s Carlota Soldevila Creation Grants and Ciutat de Barcelona 2020 Scholarships. Co-produced by Contenidos Superfluos and Teatre Lliure, Dormitory Town has earned the Catalan Critics' Award for Best Street Arts Show and the Catalan’s El Temps de les Arts Award for Best Theater Show. 

Remarks

  • Duration: approximately 1 hour 30 minutes
  • In Cantonese with no subtitles
  • Recommended for ages 10 and above
  • Audience is advised to arrive 15 mins before the show starts; No latecomers will be admitted
  • Participants are required to gather and dismiss at Tai Kwun, walk around various locations of Tai Kwun and Tung Wah Coffin Home, with a shuttle bus arranged for transportation to and from Tung Wah Coffin Home; kindly assess your physical condition for suitability.
  • Comfortable clothing is recommended
  • Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. Tai Kwun reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the arrangements.

Dormitory Town Sharing Session

Dormitory Town Artist Sharing Session

Documentary theatre production Dormitory Town explores the understanding of labor, life, and death among Hong Kong people through field research, in-depth data collection, and interviews, while also featuring amateur actors. Director and playwright Pau Masaló of Dormitory Town; researcher and dramaturg of Dormitory Town Hong Kong version Miu Law will share their insights. Ping Chiu, local senior theatre director and playwright, will join along with the creatives and moderate the session.

Date: 20 April (Sat)

Time: 1:30pm-2:30pm

Location: Laundry steps

Guests:

Pau Masaló (Direction and Playwright of Dormitory Town) &

Miu Law (Researcher, Dramaturg of Dormitory Town Hong Kong version)

Response: Chan Ping Chiu (Senior theatre director and playwright)

In English supplemented with Cantonese

Free admission, no registration required.

Dormitory Town Sharing Session - The History of Tung Wah Coffin Home and Its Relationship with Public Health and Social Development in Hong Kong

Dormitory Town take place at the Tung Wah Coffin Home. The public may not be familiar with coffin home or it is even a taboo to them. Historian Dr. Billy Tang will share his insights on the relationship between Tung Wah Coffin Home and public health and social development in Hong Kong from a historical perspective. The sharing seeks to offer insights into the place that has quietly served the deceased for over a hundred years, allowing the audience to gain a deeper understanding of its significance, and discover the connection between the creation of Dormitory Town and this important heritage site.

Date: 21 April (Sun)

Time: 1:30pm-2:30pm

Location: Laundry Steps

Guest: Billy Tang (Ph.D. in History)

In Cantonese

Free admission, no registration required.

Creative and Production Team

Original Concept, Direction and Design: Contenidos Superfluos (Catalonia)
Direction and Playwright: Pau Masaló (Catalonia)
Playwright: Irena Visa (Catalonia)
Researcher, Dramaturg: Miu Law
Researcher: Amy Chan
Composer: Adrià Pagès (Catalonia)          
Conductor: Felix Yeung 
Lyricist: Jordan Cheng   
Costume Designer: Laila Rosato (Catalonia)         
Assistant Costume Designer and Wardrobe: Wu Wing Yin              
Performer: Rico Wu, Lau Sin Pang, Chung Ka Lok, Kwong Yu Sze, Sunny Ng
Voice Narrator: Shirlee Tsoi
Producer: Frieda Ng       
Producer: Clàudia Robert (Catalonia)      
Production Manager: Leung Tat Ming     
Choir Coordinator: Flavian Luk   
Publicity Text Editor: Lorin Siu   

Gallery

Ticketing

Tickets | $300

Tickets available at art-mate.net from 6 March 

Patrons may enjoy one of the below discount schemes for each purchase where applicable, available on a first-come-first-served basis for designated shows:

- 40% off for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders and full-time students

SPOTLIGHT: A Season of Performing Arts 2024 Package:

- 5% off upon single purchase of standard ticket from 2 different shows

- 10% off upon single purchase of standard ticket from 3 different shows

- 15% off upon single purchase of standard ticket from 4 different shows

- 20% off upon single purchase of standard ticket from 5 different shows

* When using package ticket, the Double-Billed "Labyss & Retry Login" is counted as one programme.

Biography

Contenidos Superfluos (Catalonia)
Pau Masaló（Catalonia）
Irena Visa（Catalonia）
Frieda Ng
Miu Law
Amy Chan
Jordan Cheng Kwan Chi

Original Concept, Direction and Design

Contenidos Superfluos is a platform for performing arts creation, established in 2019 in Barcelona. It was founded with the intention of initiating research projects that interconnect the typical representative processes and codes of contemporary theatre with the presence and experiences of individuals not necessarily associated with this artistic discipline.

Contenidos Superfluos has premiered several productions, including The National Body, where a former professional gymnast talked about the relationship between sports and politics, between gymnastics and ideology; Dormitory Town, where workers from a cemetery elucidated the connection between work and rest; and Farewell, Petroleum!, a project delving into the tumultuous history of oil.

Direction and Playwright

As the Artistic Director of the Contenidos Superfluos performing arts platform, Pau leads projects that offer critical reflections on political and social issues while establishing connections between the codes of contemporary theatre and the experiences of individuals, regardless of their background in this artistic discipline. His productions consistently aim to foster a sense of community. Most recently, he received the award for Best Exhibition at the Prague Quadrennial of Scenography, as well as the Critics' Award and the El Temps de les Arts Award in Barcelona.

Playwright

Irena holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication, pursued studies in Applied Arts with a focus on Sculpture, and completed a Master's in Artistic Production and Research in Catalonia. Her works are situated within a conceptual framework, reflecting on signs as indicators of meaning, and have been showcased in various Spanish cultural institutions, including the Miró Foundation, the Tàpies Foundation, and the Teatre Lliure. In recent years, she has been awarded several research and production grants, both as a visual artist and as a theatre dramatist.

Producer

Peng Chau islander; independent producer.

Frieda holds a Bachelor Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Hong Kong and a Master Degree in History of Art from the University of Birmingham. In 2018, she received the Arts Administration Scholarship from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for her second Master Degree in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (Theatre) from Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Frieda has worked for different cultural collaborations, particularly on film, theatre, contemporary dance, circus and music. She had been working in Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Arts Centre and Tai Kwun. She was the producer of Tai Kwun’s highlighted festival “Tai Kwun Circus Plays”, the first contemporary circus festival in Hong Kong. Her recent production focuses on local theatre and performances.

Researcher & Dramaturg

Independent arts curator, theatremaker, and writer. Engaged in the theatre for over a decade, particularly interested in documentary-style works that integrate theatricality, interview research, and the participation of non-professional performers. Recent participating theatre projects involving interviews, include Best Wishes (On & On Theatre Workshop, 2018), 100% Hong Kong (Rimini Protokoll x West Kowloon Cultural District x On & On Theatre Workshop, 2021); personal creative works involving non-professional performers include Regarding O (Herstory Polygon, 2017), With Love, Medea’s boys (On & On Theatre Workshop x West Kowloon Cultural District, 2023-2024). Currently a member of the On & On Theatre Workshop's Table To-gather project.

Researcher 

Amy is a researcher, curator, and educator with interdisciplinary knowledge in design, visual arts, sociology, and pedagogy. She believes that valuing field differences fosters creative thinking. Previously, she directed the We Search for Keywords program, a visual art initiative that explores interdisciplinary learning in neighbourhood history. She also served as the Curator of Learning and Engagement at the M+ Museum, where she developed outreach programmes.

Currently, Amy participates in researching and developing interpretative works for different cultural activities. Her independent research revolves around the praxis pedagogy generated by artist-educators in cultural organisations, civic groups, and community initiatives.

Lyricist

Jordan Cheng is a professional musical theatre performer, playwright and creator. He received his Master’s degree in Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting in the UK.

Having performed in more than 80 theatre productions in 20 cities worldwide, Cheng is also a writer for theatre. He has created several Cantonese musicals, which have been performed to wide acclaim, including The White-Collar Principle, Sing a Song of Mine, MURDER CODE: D, Our Glory Days. He also translated several international musical hits into Cantonese productions, such as Next to Normal, Blood Brothers, The Enchanted Bookshop and Éphémère the Little Witch, to name but a few.

Facebook: 鄭君熾 Jordan Cheng
IG: jordanchengkc

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