Antigone 

4 – 6 November, 2016

This November, the West Kowloon Cultural District will play host to a site-specific contemporary interpretation of the Greek tragedy Antigone, the first collaboration between the critically acclaimed Hong Kong director Tang Shu-Wing and young Beijing-based Baiguang Theatre Studio. The performance will be streamed live and made available on demand for audience internationally, allowing a wide public access to the performance for free.

Running from 4 to 6 November, Antigone will be performed by an all-female cast in an outdoor venue in the West Kowloon Cultural District, taking the city’s magnificent skyline at sunset as its backdrop. The performance will be streamed live on the official YouTube channel of the District, inviting audiences from Hong Kong and overseas to explore the depths and contradictions of the human condition with the six female characters and to enjoy an online theatre experience as exhilarating as watching the play in person. The recording of the performance will be made available for on-demand viewing on the channel for a period of 10 days starting from 7 November.

Written by Sophocles in 441 B.C., Antigone is the third tragedy in the famous Theban Plays Trilogy. It follows the epic struggle of the titular character Antigone, the eldest daughter of King Oedipus, to provide an honourable burial for her brother Polynices, an action that is in direct contradiction to the edict given by her uncle Creon, the newly crowned King of Thebes. The power struggle that Antigone experiences is amplified as the audiences watches it unfold in a voyeuristic way through the lens of the camera.

Louis Yu Kwok-lit, Executive Director, Performing Arts of WKCDA said, “Theatre is an important part of the performing arts of the West Kowloon Cultural District. While the construction of the Xiqu Centre and Lyric Theatre Complex is underway, live streaming and video on-demand of selected performances on our digital platform will serve as an effective way to connect with enthusiasts, supporters and practitioners of the global performing arts industry. To pave the way for our digital strategy on performing arts, Antigone is the first of a series of trials on live-streaming and video-on-demand. Two more rounds of live-streaming exercises are scheduled in February and May in 2017, aiming at providing our audiences with opportunities to enjoy the performances in a convenient way at their own venue.”

“Through this live-streaming trial we are trying to reach out to a wider audience than ever by utilising our digital platform, opening up a window for theatre lovers in Asia and beyond to enjoy different contemporary works of performing arts in a highly convenient way,” said Low Kee Hong, Head of Artistic Development (Theatre) of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA). “It is our pleasure to be hosting the work of renowned Hong Kong director Tang Shu-Wing and the Baiguang Theatre Studio not only for their unique interpretation of the play, but also for the stunning outdoor setting for this classic Greek tragedy at West Kowloon. We look forward to introducing more extraordinary performances of the highest calibre to our audiences.”

Antigone will be performed in Putonghua with Chinese and English surtitles. For programme details please visit http://www.westkowloon.hk/antigone.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Antigone

Free live streaming dates: 4 to 6 November 2016

4:45pm – 6:15pm

Video on-demand dates:

7 to 16 November 2016

Post-performance talk

Streamed live on:

6 November 2016

6:15pm

Digital platform:

Official YouTube channel of WKCD: https://www.youtube.com/wkcda

Language:

Putonghua with Chinese and English surtitles

For further information, visit the website http://www.westkowloon.hk/antigone.

Remarks

Tang Shu-Wing

A world-class director, renowned theatre educator and veteran actor, Tang Shu-Wing is also former Dean of the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Between 1986 and 1992, Tang studied in France where he received training in acting at l’Ecole de la Belle de Mai and his Maîtrise Diplôme in Theatre Studies from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris. He also served as an assistant director and actor at the Théâtre de la Main d’Or in Paris before returning to Hong Kong. He is currently Artistic Director of Tang Shu-Wing Theatre Studio and Head of Programme of the first ever physical theatre training programme in Hong Kong.

Tang has directed over fifty productions of drama, dance and opera including Phaedra, Hamlet, Princess Chang Ping, The Exception and the Rule, Titus Andronicus, and Titus Andronicus 2.0. He has received a number of professional awards, including the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service Award (2012), the Outstanding Achievement in Direction for Dance Award at the Hong Kong Dance Awards (2013), and the Best Artist of the Year Award (Drama) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (2013).

Baiguang Theatre Studio

Established in 2015, Baiguang Theatre Studio is an actor-centred organisation that seeks to create world-class theatre productions and raise the status of Chinese theatre on the international stage.

Baiguang Theatre Studio’s inaugural production was Irish playwright Brian Friel’s Lovers, directed by Tan Shaoyuan in March 2015. Lovers premiered and toured Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other major cities and was well-received by critics and audiences. The second production, Hedda Gabler, directed by Zhang Nan, premiered in October of the same year. The Greek tragedy Antigone, featuring an all-female cast and directed by Hong Kong theatre director and actor Tang Shu-wing, premiered in Beijing in May 2016. As the first collaboration between Tang Shu-wing and a drama group in mainland China, Antigone was highly anticipated and well received. Baiguang Theatre Studio continues to create high quality productions. Current works in progress include The Seagull and The Lady from the Sea.

About West Kowloon Cultural District

Located on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, the West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the largest cultural projects in the world. Its vision is to create a vibrant new cultural quarter for Hong Kong. With a complex of theatres, performance spaces, and M+, the West Kowloon Cultural District will produce and host world-class exhibitions, performances, and cultural events, as well as provide 23 hectares of public open space, including a two kilometre waterfront promenade.