The 23rd Macao City Fringe Festival will be held from 5 to 28 September, according to the Cultural Affairs Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials IC). Performances are spread across 28 venues, ranging from Coloane’s Lai Chi Vun Shipyards to the Macao Tea Culture House in Lou Lim Ioc Garden.
“The Fringe Festival this year will stage 18 extraordinary programmes and 13 outreach activities, transforming ordinary streets into vibrant stages,” IC noted.
This year’s two “Crème de la Fringe” programmes are the Tomato digital theatre showcase, directed by Erik Kuong, and the Clowns for Complicité Festival, curated by Chan Lai Nei. Each comprises several different events and outreach activities.
Other highlights will include the Japanese art troupe Co.Scoopp with their comedic acrobatics; Suzuki Cheng’s dissection of motherhood via immersive theatre; and a performance by British sound artist Ray Lee in collaboration with the UK-Shanghai-based Tempest Projects.
Several performances have been created to reflect on local history and culture. Dirks Theatre Arts Association’s show, The Old House of Orchids, revisits the 19th century indentured labour trade through music and storytelling, while Chan Si Kei’s A Reunion in Solitude unfolds a narrative of family dinners inside a weathered Chinese restaurant.
[See more: Macao Shorts Film Festival partners with Venice Days for a ‘Macao Day’ event]
The festival’s outreach activities, meanwhile, will take the form of flash mob events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, exchange sessions and discussions for all ages – aiming to broaden the “audience’s artistic horizons in diverse ways,” IC said in a separate statement.
The Interactive Herbal Tea Workshop, for example, will introduce the history of herbal tea, the principles of Chinese medicine, and Macao’s Herbal Tea Cultural Development Association. The Acrobatics Family Workshop will see parent-child pairs coached through sets of basic moves, while locals have the opportunity to showcase their creativity at the Art Exhibition for All.
Fringe Festival tickets go on sale from 10 August via the Enjoy Macao ticketing system. Outreach activity registration opens on 11 August through the Macao One Account app. Some activities require a fee, but discounts are available for students, seniors and cultural membership card holders.
More details can be found at the festival website or on the Fringe Festival’s social media pages.
