The 34th Macao Arts Festival, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym), will be held in May, with magnificent performances to be held around Mother’s Day. IC specially launches the “Mother’s Day Limited Time Offer”, offering a 30% discount on tickets for any performances of Frankenstein/Creatures, A Star is Arriving, and the New Cantonese Opera “Under the Pagoda Tree” between 26 April and 5 May. Tickets are limited and the public are advised to purchase tickets as soon as possible.
The “Mother’s Day Limited Time Offer” is applicable to programmes that are scheduled for 11 and 12 May. In particular, Frankenstein/Creatures, an adaptation presented by Space for Acting in collaboration with Japan-based company Theatre Moments, will offer a time-traversing vision of the past, present and future at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. Accessibility services are available for this performance, allowing individuals with different capabilities to enjoy the play turning the theatre into an inclusive space for encounters traversing time and space.
Patuá theatre, a national intangible cultural heritage item, is presented at the Macao Arts Festival every year. A Star is Arriving will manifest Macao’s appeal to accommodate diverse cultures. The play tells the story of two girls of different professions who meet by chance to take a shy girl with a stutter to the stage, and this hilarious performance is sure to amuse the audience. The Macanese Patuá used in this performance is a creole based on ancient Portuguese with a mixture of Malay, Spanish, English and Cantonese, and fully reflects Macao’s nature as a city where East meets West and diverse cultures coexist.
The New Cantonese Opera “Under the Pagoda Tree” by the Zhen Hua Sing Cantonese Opera Association will feature renowned performer Chu Chan Wa and a number of outstanding local actors who will showcase their expertise to render the immortal love story of utmost sincerity and soul-stirring beauty with a combination of modern stage technologies, exploring the ongoing reinvention of cultural heritage and stage arts. Backstage tours are provided for this programme in which the crew will take the participants to the backstage area, offering them a glimpse into the mysterious corners hidden from the audience’s gaze. Spectators with tickets for this programme are welcome to register through the “Activity Applications” section of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web). If the number of applicants exceeds the maximum limit, selection will be made by drawing lots.
For more information about the 34th Macao Arts Festival programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please visit the event’s website (www.icm.gov.mo/fam), follow the respective page on Facebook (search “Macao Arts Festival”), or subscribe to IC’s official WeChat account (‘IC_Art_Macao’). Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555; online ticket reservation is available at www.macauticket.com.
