This Is Not a Show About Hong Kong, a visually stunning and richly symbolic dance-theatre spectacular, will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022.
A recipient of New Diorama Theatre and Underbelly’s agenda-setting Untapped Award, supported by Methuen Drama, this ambitious new piece was created by Max Percy and a semi-anonymous cast and creative team.
This is not a show about Hong Kong. This is not a show about the effects of the blanket censorship triggered by the Chinese government’s National Security Bill. This is not a show about the resultant loss of freedom in the Special Administrative Region. This is not a show about Hong Kong’s complex colonial history and even more complex colonial future. This is just a show about that deep, sinking, helpless feeling that we can’t quite put into
words.
Powerfully symbolic, emotive, colourful and immersively musical, the performance blends dance, physical theatre, drag, puppetry and music to create a decolonised narrative featuring ambiguous poppies, Confucianist metaphors, a hungry ghost and a deadly game of ‘Marco Polo’.
Max Percy is an award-winning theatre maker and facilitator from Hong Kong, creating ambitious theatrical experiences across various art forms including dance, theatre, film and research. His work explores queer and Asian identity whilst experimenting with new forms.
If this were a show about Hong Kong, and if it were to be performed in Hong Kong, then under the conditions of the National Security Bill, performances could be summarily banned, and Max and his collaborators could face a minimum five years in prison.
Luckily, this is not a show about Hong Kong.
Directed by Max Percy, This Is Not a Show About Hong Kong is produced by Natalie Chan with set and costume design by Rimu, sound design by Shar, acting by Lala Leung and voice-over artistry by Hannah Raymond-Cox.
