"May 35th" Gengzi Edition - Crowd Funding Join Forces for Global Live Online Performance

June 2019 marked the 30^th anniversary of the “June Fourth Incident”. Local art group Stage 64 joined hands with renowned playwright Candace Chong Mui-ngam to create May 35^th. The first 5 premieres as well as the 6 additional shows were all sold out with great acclaims, followed by 6 nominations in the subsequent Hong Kong Drama Awards, including Best Script!

The social movement in the past 6 months has made Hong Kongers no strangers to tyranny and brutality, and has transcended the meaning of "June Fourth" within us. Especially when we are living in a world full of lies and fake news, the play "May 35th" is for mourning and also a warning! In 2020, Stage 64 invited famous director Chan Chu-hei to create the Gengzi Edition of "May 35th”, alongside a whole new cast and production team.

The continuing situation of Coronavirus pandemic and the compulsory closure of theatres by the Government left us no choice but to cancel the "May 35th" performance, which was originally scheduled to stage at Arts Centre in May. But what if we adhere to our beliefs? Here comes the bold decision--to live stream this astonishing show, globally for free, on the night before June 4th, 2020 (Presented in Cantonese, with Chinese and English subtitles). The live version will then be shared online throughout the day on June 4th. What’s more? The performance will be filmed and released in cinemas. Let the truth speak for itself, justice be sought after.

Why 35 days in May?

When "June Fourth" became the date that must not be named and cannot be searched online in China, May 35^th seems to be the only way out. "This is the story I always wanted to write. I felt even more connected to the mother who lost her kid, when I became a mother myself, while taking care of my frail aging mother." Said playwright Candance. This allowed her to figure out the best entry point of this touching story and finally made it after two years of interview and research.

Synopsis:

Another year has just passed. Octogenarians Siu Lum and Ah Dai are afflicted with the usual ailments of old age. They await death—a natural occurrence that is a part of life.

But 30 years ago, their son Chit met an unnatural death. Even today, many unanswered questions still surround the incident.

Siu Lum looks forward to being released from those bitter years lost searching for accountability. On the other hand, Ah Dai, who had been cowardly for years, grows all the more impetuous. Decades ago, he avoided such conflicts, concerned only about preparing for their future. With his spouse now staring death in the face, what is left to fear?

The two set an ambitious goal: On May 35th, they’ll hold a proper gravesite ritual for their son.

A normal activity that takes place in broad daylight in an abnormal country is still against the law.

“Let’s challenge this abnormal bottom line,” said Ah Dai.

“Spouse, finally, I believe you love me,” Siu Lum replied.

It’s a date: to commemorate May 35th openly, in broad daylight.

Great acclaims from 2019 version:

• "The script, direction, acting, as well as the light, set, sound and costumes are perfectly interwoven. The sentiments still move me to tears from time to time. A must-see performance for Hong Kongers." Renowned actress, Deanie Ip
• "I'm not only an audience, but the witness of history. The truth deserves to be told, precisely and continuously." Renowned actress, Louisa So
• "Just like a prophecy. Playwright Candance Chong wrote every word with conscience and insights." Chan Wing-yan of Ming Pao Weekly
• "This original Hong Kong production is brilliant, concise and touching. The sophisticated mix of humour and sorrow sparks with passion. When it depicts the old couple fighting against the fatal illness, and above all the mourning grief of losing their son, the emotions are so genuine which makes it no ordinary tearjerker." Theatre critic, Shek Ki
• "Down to earth plot projecting high principles such as morality, humanity, politics and philosophy. That's what makes Candance Chong so outstanding." Theatre critic, Kong Yan-wing

Gengzi Edition．Global live streaming

Candance Chong Mui-ngam has visited the Mainland for screenplay research. There she met up with some interviewees, whose family members were June Fourth Massacre victims. It turned out some mysterious figures paid her a "visit" in return with "unexpected concern". She couldn't help but worrying: Is the creative freedom deprived even in Hong Kong?

Witnessing the escalating brutality against protestors, the eagerness of enacting Basic Law Article 23, how much longer can a play like "May 35th" be staged in Hong Kong?

Worse still are the tremendous fake news on the Internet and the tampering with history. Can you imagine how "June Fourth Incident" and "Anti-Extradition Bill Protest" will be interpreted in the near future?

We have no clue, but! As long as we have this opportunity to express, we will go on. Even when the protest across the city was still intense, Stage 64 started to plan for another "May 35th" , the Gengzi Edition.

In the Lunar calender, 2020 is called the year of the Gengzi. Historically speaking, the year of the Gengzi were always catastrophic. After months of social unrest, Stage 64 invited prominent director Chan Chu-hei, to re-create "May 35th" into Gengzi Edition with new cast and crew.

Then comes the Coronavirus pandemic and the compulsory closure of theatres by the Government. That left us no choice but to cancel the "May 35th" performance, which was originally scheduled to stage at Arts Centre in May. But what if we adhere to our beliefs? Here comes the bold decision--to live stream this astonishing show, globally and for free on the night before June 4th, 2020 (Presented in Cantonese, with Chinese and English subtitles). The live version will then be shared online throughout the day on June 4th. What’s more? The performance will be filmed separately and released in cinemas. Let the truth speak for itself, justice be sought after.

Crowding Funding Goal

HK$350,000, but we can go further if we get HK$500,000.

A stage production costs a lot. Generally we need to sell several thousands of tickets to break-even. Considering the circumstances of coronavirus pandemic, we can no longer perform in theatres and therefore no income from box office. In addition, due to the sensitivity of the theme / topic, in spite of our best endeavours, it is impossible for May 35th (Gengzi Edition) to receive any commercial sponsorship. What we need now is everyone exert their power and generosity, elevating May 35th (Gengzi Edition) to online streaming platform and even to cinemas, bringing the story to the rest of the world.

$350,000

• Production of stage performance "May 35^th” (Gengzi Edition) for global online streaming.
• Production of stage performance "May 35^th” (Gengzi Edition) as a film for release.
• Renting of screening venues, curate screening & sharing seminars

$500,000

• Sponsorship of the staging of May 35th (Gengzi Edition) in 2021
• Reprinting of May 35th screenplay to be given to schools and public libraries for free
• Sponsorship of May 35th school tour
• Sponsorship of school seminars and overseas screening etc.

Introduction of Stage 64

Established in 2009 (20th anniversary of the June 4th incident), Stage 64 is a registered non-profit making theatre organization dedicated to the memory of June 4. We thought that merging civic education and performing arts was a great way to raise awareness of China and Hong Kong democratic development among the general public, especially youths.

Website: www.stage64.hk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stage64

Production Team:

• Playwright：Candace Chong Mui Ngam
• Director：Chan Chu Hei
• Actor：Kiu Po-chung、Patra Au Ka-man、Lai Chai-ming、Kwok Siu-kit
• Live Musican：Celloman
• Set & Costume Designer: Yoki Lai Miu-Chi
• Lighting Designer：Gabriel Fung kwok-kei
• Sound Designer：Chan Wai-fat
• Producer：Lit Ming-wai、Cheung Ka-wang、Gladys Wong Yee-mun
• Production Manager：Lau Hon-wah

Introduction of Playwright – Candace Chong Mui Ngam

Candace Chong Mui Ngam graduated from the Royal Holloway College, University of London, with a Master’s Degree in Playwriting. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an Advanced Diploma in playwriting from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Apart from writing spoken drama, Chong is also a translator of plays. She has also collaborated in musical theatre as a book writer and librettist. In 2011, she was invited by David Henry Hwang as his Chinese translator for the bilingual Broadway comedy Chinglish.

Chong is a recipient of the Best Artist Award (Drama) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (2010). She was selected by the South China Morning Post as one of Hong Kong’s 25 most inspirational and influential women, having won five Hong Kong Drama Awards (Best Script) for Alive in the Mortuary (2003), Shall We Go to Mars (2004), French Kiss (2006), Murder in San Jose (2009) and The Professor (2014). In 2003, she was awarded “Outstanding Young Playwright” by the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies. In 2004, she was awarded the Asian Cultural Council’s Lee Hysan Foundation Fellowship, allowing her to spend 12 months in the United States.

Chong’s plays have been translated and presented in Seoul, Tokyo, Macau, Singapore, Shanghai and Milan. Her opera libretto for Dr. Sun Yat-sen was commissioned and premiered by Opera Hong Kong and received its U.S. premiere at the Sante Fe Opera in 2014. Her play, Wild Boar, was presented in translated readings at the Festival Tramedautore in Milan and New York’s Signature Theatre as part of the company’s contemporary Chinese Playwriting Series. The English-language version of Wild Boar was produced in 2017 by the Chicago theatre group Silk Road Rising.

Most recently, Chong’s works have entered into school and college curriculum. Alive in the Mortuary, a play about Doctors without Borders, has been included in drama teaching materials distributed by the Education Bureau to more than 400 schools. Her musical Sing Out, chronicling young people’s coming of age, has garnered numerous Hong Kong Drama Awards. In the next three years, Sing Out will become a secondary school outreach project spearheaded by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, designed specifically to foster character-building through the arts. Chong’s French Kiss and Murder in San Jose have both been adapted as films, featuring such Hong Kong stars as Jacky Cheung, Karina Lam and Sammy Cheng.

In early 2018, Chong’s libretto for the chamber opera Mila was commissioned and premiered by the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. She also penned two original scripts—My Very Short Marriage and Fatal Incident on the Highway. Her collected plays, published by Cosmos Books Ltd., received the 9^th Hong Kong Book Prize.

*All the royalty income from “May 35th” will be donated to Stage 64 or any charity organization related to June 4th.