Cultural Services: Performing Arts

The department continued to fulfil its commitment of shaping Hong Kong as Asia's world city in 2005, developing the performing arts, cultivating creativity and sustaining lifelong interest in the arts amongst the community. A rich, diverse and innovative programme featuring internationally renowned and local artists was presented during the year. This ranged from the Latin Passion Festival and traditional festival events for mass participation to audience building activities at community and school levels. The department also manages quality cultural performance facilities, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, which are cultural foci of locals as well as vibrant places to facilitate cultural tourism.

Conceived as the premier arts centre in the territory, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre is one of the main venues of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. It is the main concert and rehearsal venue for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and a regular rehearsal base for the Hong Kong Ballet and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

Catering for a wide range and variety of performing arts activities, the centre comprises a 2 019-seat Concert Hall, a 1 734-seat Grand Theatre and a versatile Studio Theatre with a capacity of 300 to 500. Some 862 performances were staged in 2005, attracting more than 762 400 patrons. Major highlights of the year included four large-scale festivals — the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the International Arts Carnival and the Latin Passion Festival. Other memorable performances included opera La Traviata, dance Tricodex by Lyon Opera Ballet, Laura Fugi with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Cantonese Opera Dream of the West Chamber, 2005 Hong Kong Drum Festival by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and dance Tempo of Hong Kong — It's truly Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Dance Company.

To enhance the forecourt of the centre as the best scenic backdrop for spectacular outdoor events, the outdoor piazza was given a major facelift as part of the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade Beautification Project. Works included upgrading hard and soft landscaping, foreshore improvements, the enhancement of open spaces, redesign of pier deck and street lighting.

Regular meetings were organised with the centre's patrons and hirers to gauge their views as part of the department's on-going commitment to provide quality services. In meetings with patrons in 2005, encouraging feedback reflected high satisfaction with the venue's environment, hygienic conditions and frontline services in ushering, ticketing and public enquiries.

Opened in March 1962, the Hong Kong City Hall was the first multi-purpose cultural centre built for the Hong Kong community. It has hosted over 10 000 outstanding local and overseas arts groups, and maintains an important link to the international arts scene, contributing to the convergence of the cultures of the East and West.

The City Hall houses a 1 434-seat Concert Hall, a 463-seat Theatre, a 111-seat Recital Hall, a 590-square metre Exhibition Hall and a 260-square metre Exhibition Gallery. The Concert Hall is suitable for musical events and other performing arts activities, such as dance, drama and Chinese opera, while the Theatre is ideal for staging medium-scale productions and film screenings. Highlights of the year included a jazz concert by Patti Austin, a piano recital by Fazil Say, the Cantonese Opera of Masterpieces by Tong Tik-sang, a piano recital by Rachel Cheung, a violin recital by Li Chuanyun, the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe and the China Acrobatic Circus. It is also one of the main venues of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the International Arts Carnival and the Latin Passion Festival. Some 677 performances were held during the year, attracting 352 888 patrons.

2005 saw continuous efforts in improving the physical facilities of the City Hall to better serve the public. To revitalise the City Hall's image, the outer glass of the Exhibition Hall fronting the Low Block building was replaced with tinted glass to give the building a more refreshing look. The first phase renovation of the Theatre was also completed during the year with the replacement of audience seating and complete upgrading of backstage facilities.

A range of facilities for the arts is provided throughout Hong Kong, and serves as a focal point for cultural activities in the community. The facilities include larger venues like the Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun Town Halls, the Kwai Tsing, Yuen Long and Ko Shan Theatres, and smaller venues such as the Sai Wan Ho, Sheung Wan, Ngau Chi Wan and Tai Po Civic Centres and the North District Town Hall. An additional open space in the Tsuen Wan Town Hall was opened in December. This multi-purpose activity area can accommodate presentations of arts, educational and community building programmes.

To promote and encourage arts at the grassroots level, district arts bodies that organise cultural activities for the local community can enjoy the free use of these facilities through venue sponsorship. In 2005, 100 community arts groups were offered sponsorship for a total of 593 activities serving 127 990 people. Various independent organisations also frequently hired the ancillary facilities to organise arts-related activities.

The Programme Partnership Scheme was launched in 2002-03 as an initiative to partner with arts organisations in organising programmes at LCSD performing arts facilities. Under the scheme, proposals are invited from the arts community for the creative use of selected facilities over a period of time. An arts partnership has been forged between the venue management and local arts groups, creating well-conceived performing arts activities. These help to reinforce the image of the performing arts facilities and allow tailor-made arts education programmes to be offered to local communities.

The scheme continued in 2005 with Yuen Long Theatre and Tuen Mun Town Hall partnering with the Spring-Time Experimental Theatre, the North District Town Hall partnering with the Love and Faith Cantonese Opera Laboratory, and the Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre partnering with the E-Side Modern Dance Company. Activities including drama, dance and music performances, workshops and arts classes were organised. A total of 58 performances and 34 activities were arranged, with an attendance of over 10 800.