【Theatre 101】 Theatre and You Know What 【Online Programme】

Theatre performances nowadays are very diverse. In this series of free online programmes, let us introduce you to different theatre genres and their creative processes in an interesting way.  Let's see if you know what they are.

Theme of each episode:

Episode 1: Documentary Theatre

Episode 2: Physical Theatre

Episode 3: Devising Theatre

Episode 4: New Writing (The Latest)



The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.  The presenter reserves the right to vary the broadcast time of the programme.

Guest: Sit Hoi-fai

We have seen a lot of documentaries, but how about theatre productions in the form of a documentary?  Such form usually involves a group of creators conducting research, interview, data collection before organising the authentic content into performable materials.  During the performance, actors portray interviewees and interpret their words or read out the words collected.  Documentary theatre usually explores current issues or topics of concern in the society, making it highly relevant to the present day. 

Guest: Chan Ting-hin

Traditional dramas usually follow a fixed pattern, that the script comes first, and the style of expression tends to be realistic.  In contrast, Physical Theatre emphasizes the use of body to convey the story, and the movements allow the audience to evoke more associations.  There is no a fixed script, even the most well-known stories may undergo significant changes and rearrangements to create a brand new style of performance.

Guest: Lo Yee-king, Kingston

How can you rehearse a play without a script?  Typically, a script is written first, and then the rehearsal process follows, based on the script content.  However, in the absence of a script, we rehearse through various games and improvisation.  By adding different elements of theatre, abstract ideas can be transformed into some concrete stories.  This method is known as Devising Theatre.

Guest: Wu King-yeung

What is New Writing? It has a free room for creativity and it can have no characters or stories, or even multiple spaces.  New Writing often breaks the fixed form of traditional scripts, which poses considerable challenges to the imagination and execution of directors and actors.  In this episode, let us break down the concept for you in a simple way.