Interview by William Chan
Hiu Kok Drama Association (HKDA) executive producer and supervisor Ben Ieong (楊彬) has told The Macau Post Daily that the group will perform a show entitled “The Perfect Memory Auction” (完美·記憶拍賣會) today and tomorrow as part of its “Singularity·Future” (奇點·未來) project.
The exclusive interview was held last week in a coffee shop near Tap Seac.
The Hiu Kok Drama Association* is a non-profit drama group founded in 1975 by Lawrence Lei and Yu Meng Sang. The group has presented over 200 performances, mostly of original scripts, as well as invited drama troupes from abroad to participate in local exchange performances. The HKDA has also received many invitations to perform in places such as in Hong Kong and the mainland, Portugal, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Ieong expressed concern about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the presentation of art, leading him to explore new forms of presenting performing arts. He said that his latest project, “The Perfect Memory Auction,” combines live performances with pre-recorded VR scenery that can only be viewed with a virtual reality headset. The project is a collaboration between Hiu Kok and local film director Hong Heng Fai, with the aim of exploring the relationship between reality, theatre and film.
Ieong drew inspiration from his previous play, “Perfect New World,” which Hiu Kok produced and performed earlier this month. The Perfect New World is a place where the wealthy can upload their memories to a machine to achieve digital immortality, while the poor can sell their cherished memories at auction, but at the cost of losing them forever. In “The Perfect Memory Auction”, the audience will play the role of the privileged and bid on memories using tokens to reflect their perceived value.
Ieong acknowledged that the VR technology used in the performance is still in the experimental stage, adding that his group has encountered a few challenges during the development process. The most significant obstacle they faced was the potential for VR-induced dizziness, which they worked hard to alleviate by designing the scenery carefully.
Finally, Ieong expressed gratitude to the Macau Cultural Development Fund for supporting the project. The performance will take place at the Hiu Kok Laboratory, a small theatre established by the Hiu Kok Drama Association in 1999. It is the first small local theatre to be run by a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
Hiu Kok Laboratory is located in Nam Fong Industrial Building on Rua dos Pescadores in Areia Preta district.
Each show lasts approximately 30-40 minutes. Tickets are priced at 80 patacas and can be purchased at https://hiukok.mike-x.com/j6bZb. The event is limited to individuals aged 13 to 65 who are not pregnant, suffering from cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, or an eye condition. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/hiukoktheatre
*Hiu Kok (曉角) was the last pseudonym used by the famous Chinese writer Lu Xun (魯迅). Hiu Kok refers to the bugle used to summon comrades in the army.
Performers rehearse for their upcoming show “The Perfect Memory Auction”. – Photos provided by Hiu Kok Drama Association (HKDA).
