Interview by Rui Pastorin
“Chris-mas Kingdom” will soon take to the stage at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM), with the three-day show presenting a non-verbal stage clown performance for the 35th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) that aims to have something for audiences of all ages.
With performances scheduled for tomorrow and at the weekend, the production is a collaboration between Own Theatre*, one of the few troupes in Macau that specialises in clowning, and Hong Kong clown promoter Free to Play Theatre**, which the local troupe invited to put the show together as well as help the show’s local actors further develop their clowning skills.
Through this show, which promises laughs along with thought-provoking material, directors Sheena Cheung Kwan Yu and David Bensimhon told the Post in an interview on Monday at CCM that they want to leave a message of hope and that there is beauty to be found in daily life.
Lasting around an hour, Cheung said that “Chris-mas Kingdom” is a re-adaptation of Free to Play’s 2021 show “Stardust Alley”, this time featuring four actors from Macau and two actors from Hong Kong. It follows nearly the same structure, but with more elements added such as new characters, the use of live music and puppets, along with their methodology in training the local actors.
Cheung elaborated: “When we work, we first need to discover the clown of the actors. So, see the characteristics and the elements that are carried by all these clowns and then we input what we have this time into the structure of the show.”
What the directors love about stage clown shows is that they do not normally have a concrete story or script and are non-verbal, Cheung added, instead focusing more on aspects like connections, feelings, poetic images, and humanity. Subjects also include low-profile people in the community, along with the loneliness and happiness that can be found in daily life, which the show will tackle in its premise.
Chris-mas Kingdom revolves around a lonely man, Chris the Clown, who is in a “really low situation”, said Bensimhon, making his own happiness everyday by creating his own magical “Chris-mas Kingdom” on a street corner using rubbish he finds, one day hoping to find others to celebrate with. However, a group of cleaners comes each day to destroy his creations, Bensimhon said. But as they get to know each other, Christmas works its miracles, finding “magic” in the things he makes.
The show features profound acting and is not a trick-based performance, both directors pointed out, with the beauty of it lying in how the clowns use their feelings to communicate how they work as an ensemble and their interactions with each other and even the audience.
Expanding on the message they hope to leave audiences, Bensimhon noted: “Happiness is something made to be shared. A lot of people feel lonely and, maybe, with a simple gesture, a simple gift, just a smile can perhaps warm their heart and make the world happier”
Cheung concluded with the message: “We want to share the beauty of this world. We all know there are a lot of negatives and dark sides, but we cannot live without hope. Hope is the last thing that we should ever lose”.
Chris-mas Kingdom was one of the two popular local performances for the 35th MAF that, after strong public demand, garnered an additional show, which is the one on Sunday. Both directors noted that they are very happy with the result, with Cheung highlighting the hard work they have put in over the years, adding that they are happy to gather trust and interest from audiences.
Bensimhon said that they were surprised at how quickly tickets have sold, which “happened organically”. This is an added motivator for him, noting that this gives him the “fire to give the greatest show I can give to those people and to make something that kids and parents can enjoy”, along with actors and others in fields like theatre.
The shows tomorrow and on Saturday start at 8 p.m., while the additional show on Sunday begins at 4 p.m. More event details and ticketing can be found on https://www.icm.gov.mo/fam/35/en/content/4449
*Own Theatre was founded in 2013 and is a group engaged in original theatrical productions, community outreach and artistic exchange platforms, according to a statement provided by the troupe to the Post, which adds that they also regularly provide clown care services in local hospitals and continuously develop stage clown projects.
**Cheung founded Free-to-Play as a young student in 2004. It hosts workshops and several projects like performances, according to their website. Aside from its Hong Kong base, they established another base in France in 2022, which focuses on performing arts for culture and exchange. Cheung is the artistic director (Hong Kong) of Free to Play Theatre, while Bensimhon is the director (France/Hong Kong).
Directors Sheena Cheung Kwan Yu (right) and David Bensimhon pose after Monday’s interview at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM). – Photo: Rui Pastorin
Photos provided by Own Theatre
