ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK 2022

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Tai Kwun is pleased to announce the return of ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK, an award-winning co-presentation by international physical theatre master and educator David Glass and Hong Kong theatre veteran Olivia Yan, which will run in two phases from April until July 2022, online and onsite. The first edition of this project received the Award for Arts Promotion at the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards in 2021.

Established in 1997, the Lost Child Project began in over 22 countries, with founder David Glass embarking on a vision of empowering marginalised children and young people through theatre and the arts. The mental health and wellbeing of young people in Hong Kong is an increasing concern, and motivated Olivia Yan to initiate the ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK in 2019, using theatre as a tool to ignite young people and the “inner-child” of adults.

This year, the project will take on the theme of “YES AND!…”; a playful rebuttal for confronting one’s feelings of negativity, confusion and frustration. “YES AND!…” harnesses the power of the arts, activating optimism against our negative emotions and outworn mindsets, empowering us to break free from defeatist patterns of “YES…BUT”, whilst rebuilding the confidence and hope of the youth and every “Lost Child”.

Using the French term “ÉLAN” (vigorous spirit) as its inspiration, the project brings together artists, academics, and the community to investigate the mental health of children and adults via an eclectic programme of dance, theatre, music, storytelling, workshops and forum. “ÉLAN” fuses together the digital and real-world through social media and technology, sparking creative forces across communities.

Over 100 professionals and participants from various fields, such as arts, social work, education, as well as people from all walks of life, have been drawn together to complete the ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK, which serves as a combination of arts and psychological therapy. David Glass has worked intensively with the young people virtually on the performance to bring this powerful and high-impact community project to fruition.

David Glass, Founder of David Glass Ensemble UK and The Lost Child Project, International Consultant of ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK, said, “The title of this year’s Lost Child Festival is ‘YES AND!…’ and through that affirmation, we might imagine a better world with and for our young!”. “’YES AND!…’ invites every ‘Lost Child’ in the maze to join this initiative. Not just for oneself but also your companion to find the light ahead to carry on our stories”, Olivia Yan, Artistic Director of O Theatre Workshop and Artistic Director of ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK, added.

Separated into two phases, this year’s edition of ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK will begin with Master Land: The Romeo and Juliet Wars – Work in Progress. Using the legendary characters of Romeo and Juliet to investigate how family, romance, and social expectations become the spark of generational conflict, we depart from the original 400-year old plot and instead, attempt to discover a way out for “youth” and cheer for “passion” with the topic of “love, madness, and death”. In this workshop, the theatre will be a space for dialogue to discuss why one gets lost towards the future from a broader and open-minded perspective.

Zoom Theatre Presentation of Master Land: The Romeo and Juliet Wars – Work in Progress (Online)
Date & Time: 16 April 2022, 8pm; 17 April 2022, 5pm
Registration will be required on Tai Kwun’s website: https://www.taikwun.hk/en/programme/detail/master-land-the-romeo-and-juliet-wars-work-in- progress/961

ÉLAN will return to Tai Kwun for its second phase in the summer, spanning over two days – 2 and 3 July. During the first weekend of July, Tai Kwun audiences can take part in the dance video production No Man is An Island: M & M Pilot Project Screening, where choreographers Abby Chan, Angela Hung of StudioDanz, Hugh Cho of TS Crew and Eve Leung of R&T, together with young dance talents of different ages and artistic experiences, gather to create and perform a video of dance with video director Jimi Law.

Furthermore, visitors to Tai Kwun s can also enjoy an immersive theatre production, Our Social Land: The Perfect MATCH, in which they can visit each players’ secret room as they covertly learn from the seniors, and feel the ups and downs of each story, while experiencing an exclusive journey of “life practice”.

In the storytelling session My Story Land: The Weight of Life, the public will grapple with ideas about connectivity and community among social workers.

In the culminating final event Blah Blah Land: David Glass “An Unnaturalistic Life” a Long Table Sharing, David Glass, whose career in theatre has never been regarded as “ a real job”, will share his personal story illustrated by film and photographs from a lifetime of work and travel.

A group of young creative talents from different fields will also gather at Tai Kwun and share their artistic experiences and connectivity with the community throughout the pandemic times. The full guest line-up shall be announced soon.

Programme details are subject to change, please refer to the Tai Kwun website for updates.

UPDATE:

No Man Is An Island: M & M Pilot Dance Video Project Screening (Tai Kwun site)
Date & Time: 2 July 2022, 2pm – 3:15pm
Location: Laundry Steps

No Man is An Island: M & M Pilot Project, a dance project led by choreographers Abby Chan, Angela Hung of StudioDanz, Hugh Cho of TS Crew and Eve Leung of Rhythm & Tempo. Additionally, the team has created a 60-minute video to showcase their passion for dance and life. Audiences can experience the film and look back on previously recorded dance sessions led by the instructors as they share a myriad of moves from young dance talents of different ages and artistic experiences, thanks to video director Jimi Law.

Our Social Land: The Perfect MATCH (Tai Kwun site & online)
Date & Time: 2 July 2022, 5pm – 6pm (onsite); 2.30pm – 3.30pm & 4pm – 5pm (Zoom)
Location: Laundry Steps, or registration will be required on Tai Kwun’s website for Zoom access https://www.taikwun.hk/programme/ticketing/963
Remarks: There will be a maximum quota of 120 persons per time slot

Visitors can join the interaction and sharing session of Our Social Land: The Perfect MATCH at Tai Kwun or online. Following a series of online theatre workshops in the spring, The Perfect MATCH is a multimedia production co-created by a group of seniors who played as amateur actors alongside young theatre-makers. With stories full of ups and downs, the experience is sure to offer an exclusive journey towards understanding what is meant by “life practice”.

My Story Land: The Weight of Life (Tai Kwun site)
Date & Time: 2 July 2022, 3:15pm – 4pm
Location: Laundry Steps

Local raconteurs will be elated by the storytelling session My Story Land: The Weight of Life, in which the public must grapple with ideas about connectivity and community among social workers. With the concept created by theatre-maker Rico Wu, both the video showcase and various digital screens integrate forms of fable and devising theatre as we gaze at our current state of life through the eyes of a social worker. Participants will engage with the act’s two concepts, first through the art of video storytelling and next with the interactive QR codes, which have been scattered across Tai Kwun site.

Blah Blah Land: David Glass “An Unnaturalistic Life” Long Table Sharing (Tai Kwun site)
Date & Time: 3 July 2022, 2pm – 5pm
Location: JC Cube, registration will be required on Tai Kwun’s website: https://www.taikwun.hk/programme/ticketing/965

David Glass, whose career in theatre has never been recognized as “a real job,” will tell his personal narrative accompanied by video and images from a lifetime of work and travel in the concluding final event Blah Blah Land: David Glass “An Unnaturalistic Life” Long Table Sharing. Joined by, Ali Lee (a Hong Kong-born actress), Lai Ying (a singer-songwriter and KOL), Changlin Fashi (a photographer dedicated to the promotion of Zen art), Comma Leung (founder of inclusive design studio Mosi Mosi), Jenny Li (co-founder of Sangwoodgoon organic farm and Sangwood KidsClub), and Tommy Kwan (writer) will also gather at Tai Kwun to share their artistic experiences and connections with the community throughout the pan.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

A 3-year project with physical theatre master and educator David Glass and O Theatre Workshop. Its core mission is to use theatre and arts to empower marginalised children and young people in Hong Kong. After the exploration rounds of workshops in 2019, ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK was launched in 2020 with the support of Tai Kwun.

ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK is a cross-disciplinary advocacy campaign using creative interventions such as training workshops and performances. With the core values of “We do not solve problems, We play problems”, social workers, arts practitioners, teachers and students are invited to further their artistic research and use various media and art forms to reach the communities.