Summary of Minutes of the 14Th Meeting on 22 May 2009

Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee Summary of Minutes of the 14th Meeting on 22 May 2009

1. Identifying Cantonese Opera Training Venues

1.1 Members discussed whether the following three venues were suitable for Cantonese opera training:

- The former Lai Chi Kok Hospital;

- The Youth Square in Chai Wan; and

- The Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei.

1.2 The Committee considered that it was more suitable to hire the Youth Square in Chai Wan for Cantonese opera training. Members were welcomed to visit the venue.

2. Report of the Venue Sub-committee

The Annex Building of Ko Shan Theatre

2.1 Members followed up the designs of the following facilities for the Annex Building:

i) The loading/unloading traffic routing;

ii) Provision of a car park; and

iii) Provision of a taxi pick-up/drop-off point.

Improvement Works to Ko Shan Theatre

2.2 Members followed up the progress of the improvement works to Ko Shan Theatre, including:

i) The detailed architectural design of the covered escalator;

ii) The progress of constructing the covered walkway;

iii) The progress of replacing theatre seats; and

iv) The position of the advertising lightbox.

Yau Ma Tei Xiqu Activity Centre

2.3 Members followed up the following issues:

i) The arrangement of seats in Yau Ma Tei Xiqu Activity Centre; and

ii) The progress of relocating the public toilet, refuse collection point and street sleepers’ shelter.

3. Report of the Preservation and Promotion Sub-committee

Follow-up on the Priority Hiring Policy of the six major performance venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) for Cantonese opera performances

3.1 Members agreed on the following criteria for priority hiring by performance groups at Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, Sha Tin Town Hall, Kwai Tsing Theatre, Tsuen Wan Town Hall and Ko Shan Theatre:

– The hirer of the venue must organise performances staged by professional troupes made up of local professional Cantonese opera artists. The troupe must present no less than six performances in five or more consecutive days in each period hired.

3.2 The LCSD had implemented the new policy since late March. The Sub-committee agreed to review the effectiveness of the Priority Hiring Policy about one year after its implementation.

3.3 As for the composition of leading artists to be specified in the criteria, Members had

the following suggestions after discussion:

i) Not more than two non-local professional Cantonese opera artists and/or local budding artists could take up the Six Leading/Major Roles; and

ii) Self-financed Local amateur Cantonese opera singers should not be included in the cast of the Six Leading/Major Roles.

Members also agreed to consult the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong (CAAHK) and the Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Chamber of Commerce on the proposed criteria.

The 10th Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation Meeting

3.4 The 10th Greater Pearl River Delta Cultural Cooperation Meeting was held in Hong Kong on 20 February 2009. The discussion by the working group on the “promotion of Cantonese opera” covered the following issues:

i) The proposal to inscribe Cantonese opera onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity had been formally submitted to UNESCO through the Ministry of Culture in September 2008. The United Nation was expected to announce the result in September 2009.

ii) The printing and publishing of the Dictionary of Cantonese Opera were completed in November 2008. Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau three sides agreed to set up an expert group for further improvements and amendments;

iii) The three sides agreed to enrich the contents of activities of Cantonese Opera Day and step up the promotion of Cantonese opera among children and young people with a view to enhancing the impact of the event;

iv) Concerning joint performances, the three sides decided to host exchange performances in turn on Cantonese Opera Day. The LCSD was organising a joint performance of the three sides at the Hong Kong Coliseum to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China;

v) The three sides agreed to work together to draw up a proposal on the nurturing of new talents in an attempt to promote the preservation of the art form.

Feasibility Study on “Cantonese Opera Graded Assessment”

3.5 The Working Group on the Feasibility Study of Cantonese Opera Graded Assessment would study the following issues:

i) Invite more institutions to take part in the Assessment;

ii) Issues concerning qualification assessment and recognition; and

iii) Whether the Assessment can be incorporated into the curriculum of secondary schools and the Liberal Studies for universities with a view to maximising its benefits.

Preservation of Cantonese Opera

3.6 Cantonese Opera Preservation Programmes carried out by the CAAHK included:

i) “Oral History Interviews Programme” initiated by Mr LAW Ka-ying. The project aimed at interviewing senior and experienced artists and publishing the interviews in a book; and

ii) Staged “Execution of the Duke’s Second Brother” in Guangzhou and Macao and planned to stage performances in classic dialect during the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

3.7 Cantonese Opera Preservation Programmes funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) included:

i) Setting up a Chinese Opera Information Centre by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which was currently working on the digitalisation of collections and a search engine, a study on the audience of Cantonese opera and the acquisition and storage of collections, etc.;

ii) Supporting courses offered by the Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong through one-year grant;

iii) Supporting various seminars and publications through project grants; and

iv) Implementing the Xiqu Playwright Mentoring and New Play Performance Project to offer an opportunity for new playwrights to further acquire script- writing skills from veteran playwrights and artists. The new plays would eventually be performed on stage.

4. Progress Report on Cantonese Opera Development Fund

4.1 The CODF granted some $1.65 million in the third round of funding application in 2008 to support 24 projects with the following breakdown:

– About $530,000 had been granted to support 12 performances featuring both experienced and new artists;

– About $180,000 had been granted to support 6 performances by new artists;

– About $910,000 had been granted to support 5 promotion projects; and

– $30,000 had been granted to support a cultural exchange project.

Subsidising the Rental of Sunbeam Theatre

4.2 In 2009, the CODF received a donation of $3 million from the community to subsidise the first year operation of Sunbeam Theatre (from March 2009 to February 2010) after tenancy renewal.

4.3 In addition, the Home Affairs Bureau granted $3.6 million to the HKADC to take forward the Sunbeam Theatre Xiqu Performance Venue Subsidy Scheme during the three years of the theatre’s new tenancy.

5. Any Other Business

“Cultural and Creative Industries” Working Group Discussion

5.1 The COAC sent a representative to attend the discussion and underline the difficulties facing local troupes when staging performances in the Mainland.

“Venue Partnership Scheme”

5.2 The Committee agreed to review the effectiveness of the scheme in consultation with venue partners and Members about one year after its implementation.

Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Promotion Association

5.3 Mr LEUNG Hon-wai announced that together with a group of Cantonese opera professionals and people from the cultural sector who were concerned with the development of Cantonese opera, he would establish the Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Promotion Association in order to promote the art and culture of Cantonese opera and foster its development. The Association had set its development goals on Cantonese opera research, preservation, training and reformation.

Hong Kong Youth Cantonese Opera Association

5.4 Mr CHOW Chan-lum reported that winners of inter-school Cantonese operatic singing competitions organised by the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association had established the Hong Kong Youth Cantonese Opera Association to further promote and preserve Cantonese opera.

Seminar on “The Possibility of Cantonese Opera Education for Children and Youth”

5.5 The Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong and the Performing Arts Education Centre of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts would jointly organise a seminar on the “Possibility of Cantonese Opera Education for Children and Youth” on 20 June 2009 (Saturday).