IC announces highlights of Arts Festival

The 29th Macau Arts Festival (MAF) will be held between late April and May. In a statement issued yesterday, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) highlighted some of the programs.

Exploring the theme “Origin,” which symbolizes the “spring of life,” the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre has been invited to present the play “Das Kapital” to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth.

The play is a new version of Karl Marx’s grand classic, which analyses the trajectory of capital, and incorporates Macau’s elements and illustrates the duality of capital, making use of black humor.

The festival will close with the performance “13 Tongues,” a show that will be performed by renowned dance group “Cloud Gate 2” and features dance, music and folklore. 

Meanwhile, contemporary Japanese playwright Tadashi Suzuki will present the play “The Trojan Women,” which expresses the misery and desolation of the post-war period through traditional Japanese visual elements and his artistic heritage.

Belgian art group Peeping Tom will present the theatre play “32 rue Vandenbranden,” inspired by the movie “The Ballad of Narayama.”

This show incorporates elements of daily life in the dance, alternating between emotional states such as fear, loneliness and compassion.

The MAF has also commissioned the Singaporean group Nine Years Theatre to co-produce the play “Pissed Julie,” an acclaimed work by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. The play will be performed with an ironic touch by actors from both Macau and Singapore.

Finally, local veteran Cantonese opera actor Chu Chan Wa will collaborate with local Cantonese opera artists to present the Cantonese opera, “Dream of the Red Chamber.”