HKUST Arts Festivals 2023 - Opening Ceremony - Resplendent Beauty on Cantonese Opera Repertoire and Costumes

Cantonese opera is a unique genre of performing art in the Lingnan area in southern China. It applies singing, acting, recitation and martial arts to a large variety of drama plots, and combines stage design, costume design and music accompaniment to become a folk art in the traditional society. The earliest known records of performances by Cantonese opera troupes in Hong Kong can be traced back to the mid-19th century, and the relatively liberal social atmosphere and afuent material life favored a rapid development in post-war Hong Kong. In 2009, in recognition of its historical signicance and cultural value, Cantonese opera was inscribed onto UNESCO’s Representative List of World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Despite its high cultural status, Cantonese opera is struggling to maintain a sustainable development, a challenge posed by the rapid expansion of entertainment businesses in past decades. HKUST Center for the Arts and the Library co-organize the exhibition as a major event of HKUST Arts Festival 2023. It echoes the theme of AF2023, Arts in Multicultural Hong Kong, to present and hopefully to revive this precious cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

展覽選取四部經典名劇為主題，分別為葉紹德的編劇作品《梁山伯與祝英台》及《穆 桂英大破洪州》、唐滌生改編的《帝女花》以及李少芸編寫的《連城璧》，每齣戲寶 皆以不同時代背景的故事主題為核心，呈現粵劇劇種的多元性。劇作家針對相關題 材及敘事結構，編上曲牌（傳統曲調調名）和口白（對白唸詞），創作及改編出齣 齣好戲。 除了文學修養和寫作技巧，劇作家也必須把演員出入場的方式、換裝的時 間、舞台佈景的轉換等細節納入考量，因此必須對粵劇台前幕後的運作有所掌握。 除了精湛的劇本，角色的描繪、佈景的安排以及服飾的搭配也十分講究。人物方面， 以四部劇中折子戲裡的主角作展示，其構成包括皇室宗親、達官貴人、武打將領乃 至平民百姓等人物。這樣的安排旨在將粵劇的經典人物及其服飾穿搭， 分別以蟒、 靠、褶及帔四種主要的粵劇服飾類別，及佈景道具的搭配作展示。展覽分別在科大 圖書館和逸夫演藝中心以實體和多媒體形式展出，內容豐富，不容錯過。