Mong Kok Macpherson Stadium | Hong Kong Playground Association P'ARTISTE presents the first "City Drama Festival" (CITY ART FEST) Public Recruitment of Theatre Troupes and Venue Support for Performances

Description

Hosted by the Hong Kong Playground Association's P'ARTISTE, the first "City Drama Festival" (CITY ART FEST) will be held from June to August 2026. The Festival offers a diverse range of perspectives for performers and audiences who are passionate about stage plays: Performers can participate in the public recruitment and showcase their talents at a professional venue with low costs. Through public and campus promotions and guided activities, the festival will enhance the visibility of theatre troupes. Audiences, on the other hand, can engage and discover more promising theatre troupes and enjoy high-quality performances.

The first "City Drama Festival" introduces innovative ideas. With the Macpherson Stadium's P'ARTISTE as the base, four plays will be publicly recruited and performed at the venue. Theatre troupes with at least 2 years of performance experience are welcome to apply. Selected troupes will be fully responsible for their operations, operational costs, ticketing, and production. The venue will provide 7 days of free usage (4 days of rehearsal and 3 days of performance), along with professional lighting, sound, and stage equipment. Additionally, support will be provided in promotion and connecting with schools, communities, and guided activities to increase the troupe's visibility.

To encourage mutual promotion, the selected troupes are required to organize a "Macpherson TEEN Priority Show" exclusively for teenagers and host actor talks to delve into the creative process, inspiring the next generation to embrace the stage. Apart from the publicly recruited plays, the Festival features the Hong Kong City Drama Guided Tour, curated by WALK IN HONG KONG, a specialist in organizing unique guided tours in Hong Kong. Through this tour, professionals will lead participants to historical sites, exploring social and artistic contexts and tracing the origins of drama.

Furthermore, the Festival will enter campuses to hold exchange sessions. Core members of the selected troupes will visit secondary schools and colleges to introduce their upcoming performances and share their career paths, nurturing young talents and integrating arts into the community.

Regarding the first "City Drama Festival," Miss Kan Wai-suen, Supervisor (Culture and Performing Arts) of the Hong Kong Playground Association, said, "In recent years, the Hong Kong Playground Association has been dedicated to creating more opportunities for youth to engage in performing arts. Through the 'City Drama Festival' and our new venue, P'ARTISTE, located in the basement of Macpherson Stadium, we aim to combine the three key elements of 'community, arts, and youth.' We want young people to have a platform to practice their creativity and gain experience in a well-equipped performance environment, gradually becoming the future pillars of Hong Kong's performing arts. As a youth organization with extensive experience in managing performance venues and organizing artistic events, we understand the significance of a stable platform for the development of performing arts. Therefore, we hope that through the 'City Drama Festival,' people will recognize P'ARTISTE not only as a performance venue but also as a place where creativity ferments and dreams come true."

The public recruitment of theatre troupes starts today and will end on March 16, 2026 (Monday). For more information and the latest updates on the Festival, please visit our official social media:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/hk.cityartfest/