Main
Description
Stage director Edward Lam enlists award-winning screen veteran Elaine Jin Yam-ling and musical theatre stars Margaret Cheung and Jordan Cheng for a highly experimental work of theatre that explores loss and longing.
Each playing a version of themselves, the three performers sing, act and interact with an invisible fourth “character” — the final missing piece at the core of the story that stirs nostalgia, intimacy and bittersweet emotions.
In hard times, we are constantly reminded of the people or things that are missing from our lives, and find ourselves asking, “How do I live without you?” Through a series of classic songs and personal stories, Hard Times hopes to offer a sense of solidarity and catharsis for those still waiting for reunion, for recovery, or for a new start as we slowly come out of the shadow of a global pandemic.
Lam’s latest artistic exercise is a site-specific work customised for The Room, which incorporates the venue’s unique features into the conceptualisation and content of the experience. The acclaimed theatre-maker also collaborated with the performers in exploring an innovative form of theatre that combines singing and acting, while introducing to the audience a new way of participation.
This work-in-progress invites both its creators and viewers to step out of their comfort zone, and together immerse themselves in the creative process of an audacious future work that’s taking shape right in front of their eyes. The finished production of Hard Times is expected to officially open in the autumn of 2023. More detail will follow in the coming months.
Artistic Team:
Director: Edward Lam
Performers: Elaine Jin Yam-ling, Margaret Cheung, Jordan Cheng
Dramaturg: Hsu Yen-mei
Creative Coordinator: Ho Ting-wai
Music Director: Jordan Cheng
Sound and Music Designer: Chung Chak-ming
Scenography: Jonathan Wong*
Lighting Designer: Au Yeung Hon-ki
Art Director and Image Designer: Kary Kwok
Video Director and Editor: Darwin Ng
Production Manager: Joyi Tsang
Project Coordinators: Tiffy Lau#, Meredith Wong#
Deputy Producer: Franco Yau#
Producers: Lai Siu-fai, Bobo Lee#
#Staff of West Kowloon Cultural District
*Appearance by kind permission of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Co-presented and co-produced by:
Freespace and Edward Lam Dance Theatre
