Theatre Ronin – Children’s Literature Theatre Project

ABSTRACT

Tam Hung Man, Alex, Artistic Director of Theatre Ronin, has organized a children’s literature theatre project in Hong Kong since 2014, and it is held annually in 3 primary schools and 2 special schools. After reading the literary works, the tutor and classmates create text and their image roles with local cultural characteristics. 

After that, Tam guided students to use eva (ethylene-vinyl acetate copo) as a material – material commonly used in cosplay – which are bright in colours and easily cut to create costumes. Tam’s group also taught draping techniques to students and found that in this way, students could express their talents in art, and they came to an understanding of how materials turned into costumes, how costumes amplified their characters, increased their cognition of contemporary theatre aesthetics, and understood the relationship between literature and theatre. Additionally, the costumes created in this form conceptually echoed the aesthetics of traditional Chinese opera costumes. The works not only were “costumes”, but they were also the “shell” of the character.

BIOGRAPHY

Tam Hung Man is the Artistic Director of Theatre Ronin in Hong Kong, a theatre director, set and costume designer, scriptwriter, curator, guest lecturer of The Education University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts(1999-2016), and was the resident artist in Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts in 2008. His works are marked by poetic images composed of different theatrical elements and a simple, unadorned but imaginative style. He participated in the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space 2019, PQ Talks to present “Karesansui – Scenography of the Hong Kong Literary Theatre”  and  “Conversations About Teaching of Performance Design: Views, Perspectives and Evolution.  AMERICA – EUROPE – ASIA.” Tam graduated with two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in directing and in set and costume design (First Hons) at Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. He has won a directing prize for the play Marisol; he also won several prizes and participated in an overseas exchange program during his studies. In 2003, Tam won the Hong Kong Drama Scholarship to the Black Tent Theatre in Japan. His works have been performed in Argentina, Edinburgh, Avignon, Taipei, Beijing, Shenzhen and other places. He won the Best Space Award for Playing with Xixi in the 10th Taipei Fringe Festival and was a nominee of the 12th and 13th Hong Kong Drama Awards Best Stage Design by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, A Dream to a Dream and Prospects Theatre Dragon Head respectively.