Chung Ying Theatre Company 2024/25 Season: 45th Anniversary Celebration
The year was 1979, and Chung Ying Theatre Company was just a vision for the development of local theatre. From mere words on paper to performing on stage and walking into the community, Drama for All is our unwavering mission. Stormy nights and sunny days have led us to where we are today; through it all, we have grown stronger. Chung Ying Theater Company will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2024/25. We will showcase a unified team spirit with multiple breakthrough plays. We will simultaneously work on stage productions and education & outreach projects that will have a long-lasting impact. Chung Ying's unique playfulness brings the power of theatre into a society that resonates with the audience and the times.
7 days until showtime. At Borrett Road, Chung Ying Theatre Company. Rehearsal room? Ready! Actors? Ready! Backstage crew? Ready! Director? Missing!
Feeling lost for a solution, the troupe of anxious actors decided to rise out of the situation as a team by creating a play that would blow the audience away! They have definitely done that, but what's the outcome? As the big day creeps closer, how will these actors save themselves?
Comedy has long been the hallmark of Chung Ying Theatre Company. This time, we pay tribute to the Company's 45 years of theatrical legacy in the most eye-opening way that will surely leave mouths agape. When the imaginative troupe's creative gears are in overdrive, belly-clenching laughter is ensured.
This show kicks off Chung Ying's 45th season. Written, directed and performed by resident members, the Ensemble brings together the strengths of Chung Ying, alongside a tacit understanding that has been cultivated over a long period of time, plus a strong collaboration between front and backstage crews. These became the core, distinguishable ingredients of the Ensemble unique to us.
Chung Ying Theatre Company: Land for a Land
For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return
In 1993, Chung Ying Theatre Company invited British theatre director Gerry Flanagan to Hong Kong to lead a troupe of actors in a fantasy tragic comedy, Don’t Let Go! – an entertaining tale illustrating the clash of big cities and small towns with an underlying message about the urban-rural divide and property hegemony.
In 2024, Director Ata Wong Chun-Tat picks up the Don’t Let Go! script and goes on a journey with a troupe of vibrant resident actors, creating their own stage story-telling with the use of illustrious body movement. Weird, abnormal, or twisted body shape seems extremely ludicrous in this absurd world dominated by desire.
Chung Ying Theatre Company: Little Shop of Horrors
Don't feed the plants!
Little Shop of Horrors, a Broadway rock musical of the 1980s, took the theatre scene in Europe and the States by storm; it was later put onto the big screens. In 2002, the legendary Rupert Chan again adapted it for the stage of Chung Ying Theatre Company, where it remains a prized treasure.
In the rundown Skid Row, there is an inconspicuous, timeworn florist. A wide-eyed boy, who could often be found at the shop, is eager to grow a new flower variety to make money and capture a girl's attention. During a solar eclipse, he sees an unusual new flower variety with vibrant petals, vigorous growth, and impressive blooms. This new addition became the centre of attention for Skid Row and the boy, so much that even his crush is noticing him. Yet, an ominous tale lies beyond: could Skid Row face what's to come when the plant fully blooms?
After two decades, Chung Ying Theatre Company again presents Little Shop of Horrors, featuring new actors as well as a clever mix of art and technology that draws the audience into a dark tale around an unusual, deadly flower. The new edition will surely take the thrill and dark humour to the next level, leaving audiences more stunned at their seats than the original.
Chung Ying Theatre Company: Homecoming
Every generation is met with its own challenges. In the 60s, Uncle Chun moved to Hong Kong to pursue his dreams. Three decades later, his eldest son, Tak, relocated to Canada while his youngest remained in Hong Kong, and Uncle Chun returned to his hometown to live out the rest of his retirement. The trio found homes in three separate cities. In 2030, Tak, retiring and divorced, returned to Hong Kong, where his son seeks his future. Aside from paying a visit to his brother, Tak is also tasked with a mission from his ex-wife.
The play visualises the past via the lens of the 21st century. Once upon a time, those eager to make a good living found themselves in Hong Kong. At retirement, many of them returned to their hometowns in search of their roots. But for their descendants who were born and raised in Hong Kong, is returning to the city not – in itself – a search for one's roots?
30 years ago, Cheung Tat-Ming wrote for Chung Ying Far Way Home – a comedic portrayal of separated families that took home the first Hong Kong Drama Awards' Best Script recognition. Three decades later today, revered theatre practitioner Elton Lau puts an end to this family's unfinished business through a vision of the future. Chung Ying invited the old cast and members to put on a cross-generational performance of Far Way Home for the first part of the show, followed by the final ending for the search of home in the second half.
Chung Ying Theatre Company: She, The Boxer
One Thought, One Strike: Embrace Your Rhythm
From a young age, Hing was told she must live stable and maintain an orderly manner, but yet, she picked up her boxing gloves to take on life inside the ring. The expectations from Hing’s family and boyfriend run counter to her ideal, she didn’t get trust from the dearest ones. Until she meets ex-boxer Sunny, Hing’s life gradually changes . As if her gift for sports was awakened, can she break the shackles and lead a life of her own?
Led by multi-disciplinary composer and musician Anna Lo and complemented by the songs, lyrics and script of up-and-coming playwright Sam Lau, “She, The Boxer” is Chung Ying Theatre Company’s first musical that marries art and sports. The production is accompanied by a live band to further express its vim and vigour.
Presented in Cantonese with Chinese surtitles
The programme is about 2 hours and 45 minutes with an intermission
Tickets also available on URBTIX: https://bit.ly/40ypREO