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"Building this palace was a mistake,
Burning it down is also a mistake,
But, double mistakes can't correct the fault,
So let ME pay the price in the end!"
A newly devised Greek tragedy responds to the dilemma raised at that time.
After presenting a successful play Xiao He Nan
Hai, Theatre Horizon is going to bring a new play to the audience –
Defiance which is in the form of Greek tragedy.
Defiance
is inspired by the Greek tragedy, Antigone by the great tragedian, Sophocles. The story is about the conflict between the present regime and the civilians in an ancient kingdom. At that time, a glamorous imperial palace was deserted after the downfall of the previous regime. The new Emperor wanted to establish a new era, so he ordered to burn down the whole palace. But a
carpenter's daughter wanted to save it because it was built with the
civilians' blood and tears. It was also steeped in fascinating history and could recall thousands of memories. She then decided to defy the
Emperor's order and fight hard against it. Defiance
preserves the essence of Antigone, in which both parties had their own reasons for their actions but the conflict finally led to a tragic ending. It shows a strong conflict between the
ruler's rationality and the irrationally religious passion of the protagonist, who represented for the civilians.
The performance of
Defiance is developed from on the form
of Greek theatre. The play not only relies on 5 main characters, but also makes use of a large chorus singing throughout the whole performance. Especially, the chorus will sing in Cantonese rhythm so as to explore the potential of using Cantonese as a performing medium.
It is also amazing to have a brilliant production team to work on the play. Dr. Wong Kwok Kui is the playwright alongside the director, Chan Chu Hei, Theatre
Horizon's Artistic Director. Julia Mok, Theatre
Horizon's Resident Choreographer, supervises the movement and Chan Wai fat, a composer and musician, writes the music and songs for the play. Miss Mok and Mr. Chan both will perform music live in the production as well. Famous set designer, Kelvin Tsang, designs the set and masks. Gabriel Fung, a veteran lighting designer, and Meji Lau co-design the lighting for the play. It is our pleasure to have invited Emotion Cheung, a well- known stage actor, to play the part of the Prime Minister and Shaw Mei Kwan, a popular stage actress, the Priestess.A 27-strong chorus is played by Greek Theatre students from Horizon Theatre Studio. |
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