Organized by China Merchants Culture Industry and Performing Arts Connection, the Shekou Theater Festival (STF) 2024 will take place in Shekou from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10. The festival will feature 10 original, incubated plays performed in unconventional spaces such as marketplaces, streets, and serviced apartments.
Renowned for its innovative performances, STF introduces a new section titled “Enhanced Versions” for previously incubated works from the “Theater in Situ” project in 2022 and 2023, further refined and polished. This year, new locations like wholesale wet markets, public buses, and serviced apartments will serve as performance spaces, promising fresh experiences for theater-goers.The 2024 festival will showcase 17 performances exploring diverse themes, ranging from artificial intelligence to stray cats and urban memories, reflecting creators' insights across four categories.
Among the highlights are nine new creations under “Theater in Situ,” developed over three months during Incubation Camps and Writing Workshops in the summer, with guidance from experienced mentors. These works were selected from numerous scripts and proposals submitted in mid-April, blending multiple languages, theatrical elements, and storytelling techniques.
One exciting new production, “Ticket, Please,” by Roland Wu and Dumb House, will be performed experimentally on a public bus from Oct. 25 to 27, inviting audiences to engage with commercials and advertisements along the bus route.Other non-traditional spaces will also host performances. For example, the bustling Nanyou seafood wholesale market will stage “I Remember,” created by Connie from Macao, offering audiences a reflective journey through the vibrant life of the market.Additionally, two plays from previous STF editions, including “Dream Cycle” by Shenghai Theater Laboratorium, will return to Shekou, reconnecting with theater enthusiasts.Four new scripts — “Uncategorisable,” “The Thread,” “Crow,” and “Go Together” — will be featured as staged readings by performers from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, providing an immersive engagement with the art of theater.The festival will also host the 2024 STF International Forum on Nov. 2 and 3 at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, gathering domestic and international experts to discuss the present and future of immersive performing arts.
2024 STF Theater-in-Situ:• “Ticket, Please” by Roland Wu & Dumb House, at Airongyuan Bus Station (Oct. 25-27)• “I Remember” by Connie, at Nanyou Seafood Wholesale Market (Oct. 26-27)• “The Little Toe V3.0” by The Physical Guerrillas, at I-Factory (Oct. 25-27)• “Seahigh” by Plain Studio, at I-Factory (Oct. 25-27)• “Tales of Consumed Dreams” by Liu He, at Sea World (Oct. 25-26, Nov. 1-2, Nov. 8-9)• “Public Assemble” by Modular Theater, at the Grand Machine Hall, I-Factory (Nov. 3)• “My Dad is Dead” by Open Door Theater, at Pyramid Square (Nov. 1-3)• “Dream Cycle” by Shenghai Theater Laboratorium, at 5F Time Tower (Oct. 31-Nov. 3)• “Dreamless Machine, Useless Class” by Po Art Studio, at Gateway 2, Sea World (Nov. 8-10)
• “Diary VII, The Story of ...” by Mui Cheuk Yin, at the Grand Machine Hall, I-Factory (Nov. 8-10)• “Good Girl” by AWPLANET, at Qianhai Mawan City Exhibition Hall (Nov. 8-10)• “A Mind Apart” by Kiwi Chan x Dabinlo Lab, at Apartment One - Binglang Yuan (Oct. 30-Nov. 3)• “Congregation” at Sea World (Nov. 6-10)
New Writing Staged Reading:• “Uncategorisable” by Tam Yuen Ye, directed by Zhang Becca (Nov. 8-10)• “The Thread” by Hau Yik Lam, directed by Michael Ip (Nov. 8-10)• “Crow” by Wang Xiyue, directed by Xu Yingbang (Nov. 8-10)• “Go Together” by Sun Huixin, directed by Zhong Xianglin (Nov. 8-10)
