"Dormitory Town"【SPOTLIGHT: A Season of Performing Arts 2024】Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts
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.
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Dormitory Town Sharing Session I
Date: 20 April (Sat)
Time: 1:30-2:30pm
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.
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Dormitory Town Sharing Session II
Date: 21 April (Sun)
Time: 1:30-2:30pm
Location: Laundry steps
Guest: Billy Tang (Ph.D. in History)
In Cantonese
Free admission, no registration required.
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Remarks
- Performance lasts for around 120 minutes in Cantonese with no surtitles
- 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.
