October 12, 2021
For immediate release

Contact:
Andrew Wood 415-399-9554 (o) 415-305-1102 (c) [email protected]
Kavya Palepu 415-399-9554 (o) 408-829-1693 (c) [email protected]

Chinese Theatre Troupe Reflects on
Hong-Kong History with a Ghost Story

Calendar Editors Please Note

SFIAF 2021 Calendar Listings
Who: Cinematic Theatre
What: San Francisco International Arts Festival
Where: Online
Outdoor Festival: Wednesday October 20, 7:00pm
Single Tickets: $10.
Box Office and Information: www.sfiaf.org or 415-399-9554.

Photo Images Available On Request

San Francisco, October 12, 2021: The San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) is proud to host the acclaimed Chinese production company, Cinematic Theatre as a part of this year's online program. The theatre troupe explores the souls of the past and the present through their new play, The White Shadow.

The cancellation of public events due to COVID-19 has taken an especially large toll on the performing arts community-- but throughout it all, SFIAF has been working with local artists and performers to safely reopen the industry. Along with the many live performances that will be taking place at Fort Mason on the weekend of October 23rd, there will also be a series of online shows that audiences can watch from their own homes.

One such online performance to watch out for is The White Shadow, a story that explores the connection between three people in Hong-Kong: a female factory worker in the 1970s, a Thai sex worker in the millennium, and a young lady who resists Japanese occupation during World War II. These three women from different eras review the history of Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po neighborhood.

Through their stories, audiences will not only be able to interact with the discourse surrounding women's' rights throughout the twentieth century, but also with the political struggles that continue to plague Hong Kong today. The Cinematic Theatre intertwines imagination with reality to look at the country's history through an intersectional perspective. By allowing the audience to look through the eyes of three ghosts from the past, The White Shadow gives a perspective on the Territory's rich but often forgotten history.

The performance is presented in Cantonese with English and Chinese character subtitles.

Cinematic Theatre

Cinematic Theatre was founded by director/playwright Carmen Ching-man Lo. The name of the Company indicates that the language and form of cinema takes an essential role in shaping the theatrical style of the productions. The Company mainly focuses on original works that explore modern people's horizons and souls, especially for young audiences. The elements of intertwining imagination and reality plus the past and the present are distinctive characteristics of the works of the Company. Moreover, the Company takes the initiative to explore overseas cultural exchange opportunities. The Company is operated in the manner of a non-profit charity. Since 2003, productions have been toured in Avignon, Scotland, Adelaide, Seoul, Yokohama, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei, the Philippines, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macau.

Artist Biographies

Playwright, Director: Ching-man Lo
Prior to founding Cinematic Theatre, Ching-man Lo was a member of Chung Ying Theatre Company. Lo obtained a Master degree in Philosophy at Lingnan University Hong Kong and graduated with a Major in Film and Video from Columbia College, Chicago.

Actress: Mo Lai Yan Chi
Mo Lai Yan-Chi studied at Hong Kong Baptist University’s Department of Cinema and Television. She is a multimedia performer and has been involved in theater from her university days. She has served as actress, playwright, producer, and director, frequently within the context of her work with the independent theatre company, FM Theatre Power. Lai also has several solo theatrical performances to her credit.

Producer: Augustine Mok Chiu-yu
Augustine Mok Chiu-yu is an activist, activist and founder of the Asian People’s Theatre Society – a Hong Kong-based regional association that works with migrants and disadvantaged communities. Gus has been a tireless promoter of performance art in Hong Kong – introducing in the early 1990s Seiji Shimoda’s performances to Hong Kong, staging overseas and Chinese performance artists, and organizing many performance art festivals in Hong Kong, collaborating with Sanmu, yuenjie, Ko Siu Lan etc. He himself is a performance artist – having performed in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Beijing, Macau, Yangoon, Chingmai, Linz, Cologne, Basle and Hildersham.

Co-director: Grad Leung Wai Kit
Grad Leung is a freelance theatre worker and drama educator. Since 1997, he has cooperated with various theatre companies. And from 2011 to the present, Grad has organized the Hong Kong Butoh Festival. Grad has been invited to Taiwan and Mainland China to lead Moment Theatre workshops. In 2015, he was nominated for the Best Actor in the 7th The Hong Kong Theatre Libre for "My luxurious 50 sqft life".

Cinematic Theatre

The White Shadow

Date(s) & Time(s): Wednesday, October 20, 7:00 PM
Duration: 70 minutes w/out intermission
Location: Online
Ticket Prices: $10