Summary of Minutes of the 15Th Meeting on 6 November 2009

Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee Summary of Minutes of the 15th Meeting on 6 November 2009 Follow up the Progress of Yau Ma Tei Xiqu Activity Centre Phase I Development and the Design for Phase II Phase I Development 1. Members noted the following progress: i) The works for Phase I development had commenced. The theatre would have 298 ordinary seats and 4 seats for the disabled and the aisles would be designed as staircases; ii) The works for Phases I and II development would be carried out separately so that the progress of Phase I would not be affected by the works of Phase II. There would be accesses connecting the structures of the two phases; iii) The main entrance of the theatre and the external wall at the junction of Shanghai Street and Waterloo Road could be used for promotion; iv) The design principles primarily involved providing outdoor public space and preventing Phase I structures from being blocked. Phase II Development 2. Members discussed the design concept and proposed facilities for Phase II development of the Xiqu Activity Centre. Members agreed in principle the design concept of Phase II development and would hold further discussions on this topic in the future. 3. Members noted that the Government was conducting a feasibility study on the relocation of the street sleepers’ shelter and refuse collection point. It was proposed that the public toilet should be reprovisioned near the junction of Shek Lung Street and Shanghai Street during Phase II 1 development. Design of the Annex Building of Ko Shan Theatre 4. Members discussed the design of the following facilities: i) Pedestrian and vehicular accesses; ii) Car park; iii) Audio-visual support centre; iv) Resource centre; and v) Stage. Improvement Works to Ko Shan Theatre Covered walkway 5. Members agreed that elements of Cantonese opera could be incorporated into the design of the walkway. They also noted that a podium will be constructed at the middle of the walkway for resting. Follow Up the “Criteria for Priority Venue Hiring” at Six Major Performance Venues under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) 6. Since late March 2009, the LCSD had implemented a new priority venue hiring measure whereby time slots are reserved at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong City Hall, the Sha Tin Town Hall, the Kwai Tsing Theatre and the Tsuen Wan Town Hall for Cantonese opera performances. Moreover, the Ko Shan Theatre had the whole year available for priority booking of Cantonese opera troupes. Cantonese Opera Scripts and Subtitles Translation Project 7. Members noted the following progress on the project: 2 i) The Chinese Opera Information Centre (COIC) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) received funding support from the Cantonese Opera Development Fund (CODF) to carry out the “Bilingual Synopsis of Cantonese Opera Repertoires” project. The translated synopses had been uploaded to the COIC website; ii) The CODF also provided funding to the University of Hong Kong, CUHK, Lingnan University and Theatre Action in support of their script translation projects; iii) The LCSD had started to provide English subtitles (including lyrics and dialogue) for some of its Cantonese opera programmes; and iv) The Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) had worked in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to organise weekly English guided tours to give visitors an idea about the content of the Cantonese opera excerpts staged at the HKHM. Seminar on “The Possibility of Cantonese Opera Education for Children and Youth” 8. Members noted that the Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong and the Performing Arts Education Centre of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts co-organised a seminar on “The Possibility of Cantonese Opera Education for Children and Youth” on 20 June 2009. 100 people attended the seminar to discuss topics on Cantonese opera education. The CODF Progress Report 9. Members noted that the CODF granted some $3.87 million in the first and second rounds of funding support in 2009 to support 51 projects with the following breakdown: i) About $2.25 million was granted to support 34 performance projects; ii) About $410,000 was granted to support 11 3 promotion/education projects; iii) $50,000 was granted to support a cultural exchange project; and iv) About $1.16 million was granted to support 5 research/archival/criticism/publishing projects, including 4 Cantonese opera scripts translation projects. Sunbeam Theatre Subsidy Scheme 10. Members noted the progress of the following initiatives: i) Funding Support from the CODF With the money from private donation, the CODF granted a total of $2 million between March and October 2009 to subsidise the operation of the Hong Kong United Arts Entertainment Co. Ltd.; and ii) Funding Support from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) The HKADC also launched the “Sunbeam Theatre Venue Subsidy Scheme” which supported the staging of 50 performances so far. Proposed Inscription of Cantonese Opera on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity 11. Cantonese opera was officially inscribed onto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Members hoped that the Government could strive for more resources to support the development of Cantonese opera and actively carry out the follow-up work subsequent to the successful inscription of Cantonese Opera on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Secretariat of the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee December 2009 4 .

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