Adapted from martial-hero comic Storm Clouds (Fung Wan) and created by renowned local comic artist Ma Wing-shing, this major martial-hero dance drama Storm Clouds brings to life everyone’s favourite characters including Nip Fung (Wind), Bou Ging Wan (Cloud), Nameless and Hung Ba (Lord Conqueror). They will all appear on stage and showcase the wildly imaginative comic world through the art of the theatre.

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Renowned Cantonese Opera artist Sun Kim-long has been an educator of Cantonese Opera for years, promoting Cantonese Opera in schools. The artist has designed a Cantonese Opera education programme centred round the Cantonese Opera classic, The Impeachment of Yan Song. The programme aims to enhance the students’ ability to appreciate Cantonese Opera and to stimulate their interest in the art form. The programme includes pre-performance demonstration workshop and performance cum post-performance discussion.

Programme Content

The Impeachment of Yan Song
During the reign of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor, addicted to the pursuit of immortality and womanizing, neglects state affairs and delegates all his power to his subordinates and eunuchs. Yan Song, who gains the emperor’s trust by presenting the prayer text of Taoist Zhaijiao ritual, becomes the Shou Fu (Prime Minister), the most powerful officer in the state. Taking bribes and overtaxing, Yan has made every effort to bring misery to the common people. His son, Yan Shifan, is also a wicked and greedy man, and their actions are much lamented by government officials. However, every one of them remains silent as the Imperial Concubine Yan, daughter of Song, is the emperor’s favourite in the harem.

Hai Rui, the Yu Shi (Chief Censor) of the Censorate, is a man of principle who never genuflects to power. He impeaches Yan Song by submitting ten palace memorials despite the emperor’s decree that anyone who indicts Yan will be executed by decapitation. The emperor is enraged by Hai’s disobedience and, to please Yan’s daughter, has Hai demoted and imprisoned, due to be executed.

Fortunately, Hai is saved by a report that Yan Shifan has collaborated with the Japanese on military initiatives. The emperor then orders the confiscation of Yan’s properties, and initiates a thorough investigation into Yan’s crimes. Yan Shifan is found guilty and beheaded. Yan himself is spared for his long-term service, but has to live as a commoner, leading a miserable, homeless life.

In this play written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, a male college professor discuss with his female student about her failing grades. In the ensuing conversation about education and resolving the grade the professor could have said a few things that could be interpreted in different ways. The relationship between a somewhat unmindful teacher and his seemingly hapless student becomes an exploding muddle mixing power and censorship.

Adolescents in their critical developmentyears may easily be influenced by adverse external factors which can hinder their self-identity, filling them with radical views and blind emotions. Through the help of theatre, young people could come to terms with their identity, develop a better understandingof their circumstancesand gain an awareness of the relationship among themselves, the society and the environment.Theatre fosters young people toreflect and to develop the ability to cope with inconveniences of life. Reviewof storydevelopment wouldstimulatediscussion on:

Establishment and implementation of institutional systems
Separating fact from fiction
Critical analysis of story endings
Feminism
Gender relationships

Discussions would foster reflection on one’s ownvalues, strengthen self-determination, recognize self-worth and esteem and to nurture a proper mind set to face the challenges of a changing society.