The Macao Arts Festival (MAF) is back with a bang now that travel restrictions have been lifted and international performers can make an appearance again. From reworkings of century-old ballet to drama performed in Macao’s olden dialect, patuá, the festival shakes up the city with a host of opera, dance, music and theatre.
Looking to rub shoulders with the artists? You’ll be happy to find that the festival features talks, workshops and backstage tours, as well as worthwhile events for little tykes. More on all that here, with tickets available here.
The Rite of Spring: Peacock Contemporary Dance Company
The festival kicks off in style with Russian composer Stravinsky’s orchestral and ballet work, The Rite of Spring. Performed by the Peacock Contemporary Dance Company, the ballet is choreographed by China’s Yang Liping – the so-called “peacock princess” who danced for Barack Obama during the US president’s visit to China in 2009. It’s a critically acclaimed reinterpretation that presents an iconic opus from an Asian perspective, integrating Eastern symbolism, aesthetics and philosophy.
When: 28 and 29 April
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 300 patacas
Lift Left Life Live: PO Art Studio
Ready to take off with some edgy theatre? After turning heads at the Macao City Fringe Festival, the play Lift Left Life Live by PO Art Studio is back by popular demand. The show has been tweaked to reflect our newfound freedom to travel after three years of pandemic restrictions. Creator Leong Son U poses the question: “How should we leave, and why?”
When: 25-28 May
Where: Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre
How much: 180 patacas
New Dragon Inn: Shanghai Jingju New Theatre Company
Adapted from screen to stage, the Shanghai Jingju New Theatre Company’s New Dragon Inn is based on the story of a Ming Dynasty general who helped orphans escape the vicious hands of secret agents. The new production puts a twist on the original storyline, reinterpreting it through the artistic techniques and the unmistakable aesthetics of traditional Peking-style opera. The play is performed in Mandarin, with subtitles in Chinese and English available.
When: 20 May
Where: Grand Auditorium, Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 300 patacas
On Substance of Time: Portuguese Contemporary Dance Company
Award-winning choreographer Vasco Wellenkamp and choreographer Miguel Ramalho have created On Substance of Time, a three-part piece for the Portuguese Contemporary Dance Company to honour the legacy of the late Portuguese poet Sophia de Mello Breyner. It’s an unmissable choreographic evocation of de Mello Breyner’s soulful verse.
When: 5 May
Where: Sands Theatre
How much: From 120 to 220 patacas
Electra: Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre
What happens when Chinese and Greek creatives join forces? Show up for Electra to find out. Written by one of the most celebrated playwrights of Classical Greece, Sophocles, the 5th century play is a tale of vengeance set after the Trojan war. This latest production is the brainchild of Greek theatre director Michail Marmarinos, Chinese producer Huang Fanfling and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. Electra is performed in Mandarin, with subtitles in Chinese and English.
When: 13-14 May
Where: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
How much: From 120 to 300 patacas
Carnavaland: Dóci Papiaçam di Macau Drama Group
The Macao Arts Festival ends on a high note with Dóci Papiaçam di Macau Drama Group, the local ambassadors of patuá (a local Portuguese-based creole that has fallen into disuse). The group celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with Carnavaland – a lively celebration set in post-pandemic Macao. Naturally, Carnavaland is performed in patuá, but subtitles in Chinese, Portuguese and English are available.
When: Grand Auditorium at Macao Cultural Centre
Where: 26-28 May
How much: from 120 to 250 patacas
The Ocean: DKS Shanghai
When it comes to art, start them young. Children’s music education company DKS Shanghai and British composer Dominic Harlan take younger audiences and their families on a music-infused journey through the wonders of our oceans with a purposeful message: to protect the sea. There will be two shows; one for babies between 3 and 24 months old and one aimed at kids between 2 and 6 years old.
When: 3 to 24 months old, 26-27 May; 2 to 6 years old, 26 – 28 May
Where: Macao Contemporary Art Center, Navy Yard No. 2
How much: 120 patacas
