As part of its goal of developing cultural literacy in schools and the community, the LCSD organised 1 265 arts education and audience-building activities throughout Hong Kong, which attracted more than 321 000 people during the year.
Under the School Arts Animateur Scheme, the LCSD collaborates with local performing groups experienced in arts education to conduct arts education projects in schools. After attending a series of workshops lasting from a few months to an entire school year, students have the opportunity to show what they have learnt through performances. In 2013, 12 projects were presented comprising music composition, dance, musical, drama, puppetry and Cantonese opera. Programme production for the performances was undertaken by the Chung Ying Theatre Company, the City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong 3 Arts Musical Institute, the Prospects Theatre, the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, Make Friends with Puppet, the Seals Players Foundation, Exploration Theatre, the Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Association, R&T (Rhythm & Tempo), and the Doubledeck Factory.
To enhance the civic awareness of students, the LCSD worked with some of these arts groups and participating schools to organise Students’ Performances for the Community at community centres and homes for the aged in their school neighbourhoods.
The School Culture Day Scheme encourages primary, secondary and special schools to bring students along to the department’s performance venues, museums and libraries during school hours to take part in specially-tailored cultural activities. This popular scheme also serves to integrate art, history and science in the school curriculum, and link them closely with everyday life. Some of the activities under the scheme also welcome parental participation.
The Arts Experience Scheme for Senior Secondary Students offers tailor-made programmes with enhanced interactive and educational elements, all designed to tie in with the new senior secondary curriculum’s Aesthetic Development of Other Learning Experience. A total of 24 programmes was offered under this scheme in 2013-14, including dance, drama, music, Western and Cantonese opera and multi-media arts. Participating artists and arts groups included Artpeak, the All Theatre Art Association, the Chung Ying Theatre Company, Zuni Icosahedron, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the City Contemporary Dance Company, Theatre du Pif, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Theatre Space, Musica Viva, the Cinematic Theatre, the Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection English Theatre, the E-Side Dance Company, Chan Wing-chuen, Catherine Yau, David Quah, Dennis Wu, Yuen Siu-fai and Sun Kim-long.
Senior secondary students tried out their opera skills in The Story of La Traviata, a major arts education project under the Arts Experience Scheme.
The Performing Arts Criticism Project for Senior Secondary Students was also organised in collaboration with the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong); this project introduced students to the basic techniques of arts criticism through seminars and workshops. Following a good response the previous year, the Audience Building Office continued to implement the New Synergy Arts Animateur Scheme in 2013-14, offering progressive training courses to students who have previously completed music composition and script writing workshops. To promote students’ interest in Cantonese opera, the department presented Let’s Enjoy Cantonese Opera in Bamboo Theatre. As the name indicates, these performances featured Cantonese opera performed in bamboo theatres in various districts, with the support of district organisations, and featured interactive/educational activities tailored for students.
Young students having fun learning Cantonese opera at the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.
Audience-building programmes held at the community level included the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme and other projects organised in co-operation with district and non-government cultural organisations.
Outreach activities under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme are designed to make the arts more accessible to the community. A total of 21 arts groups/artists participated in the scheme in 2013-14, conducting performances in public spaces including parks, shopping malls and community centres. Collaboration with The Link at shopping malls in housing estates further enabled artists to engage the community in their neighbourhoods.
A touring drama performance at Tuen Mun Yan Oi Square by Alice Theatre Laboratory under the 2013 Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme.
To encourage involvement of the elderly in cultural activities, the LCSD organised a Community Oral History Theatre Project in collaboration with performing arts and district organisations. Through a series of workshops, the project collects valuable personal histories from elderly people of specific districts. After their oral histories are scripted, the elderly participants perform their stories on stage. In 2013-14, the project was extended to the Islands District (Tai O), following its earlier successful implementation in Sham Shui Po and Kwun Tong.
Elderly Tai O residents taking part in a dramatic performance about life in their village in olden times, in front of the Tin Hau Temple in Tai O.
