HKAPA

Hailed as one of Hong Kong’s most talented theatre directors by the media, Mr Tang Shu-wing is an internationally-acclaimed theatre director who has helmed more than 50 drama productions.

After graduating from Queen’s College and the Faculty of Law at The University of Hong Kong, Mr Tang pursued Theatre Studies at the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, with a focus on physical theatre and dance art. He later went to India for spiritual enlightenment, where he realised that theatre may be a means of understanding life through self-recognition. With such a versatile cultural background, Mr Tang is well placed to blend traditional and contemporary approaches.

In 2004, Mr Tang joined the Academy as a lecturer in the School of Drama, being appointed Dean five years later. His professional and creative training approach has helped foster a new generation of talent, with his productions winning numerous awards for the Academy, as he advocates physical theatre and minimalist aesthetics locally and internationally.

In 2011, Mr Tang established the Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, devoted to interdisciplinary cross-cultural productions that promote Hong Kong theatre arts internationally. His nonverbal physical comedy Detention has been staged 127 times, reaching an audience of nearly 25,000. A collaboration with renowned choreographers Mui Cheuk-yin and Xing Liang, his production Thunderstorm, acclaimed as the perfect combination of drama and dance, won three major awards at the 2013 Hong Kong Dance Alliance Dance Awards. In 2012 and 2015 respectively, his innovative productions of Titus Andronicus and Macbeth in Cantonese were staged at the celebrated Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Macbeth, with its unique stage aesthetics and physical approach, was followed up with a six-city tour of Europe this year with overwhelming response. Mr Tang’s Titus Andronicus 2.0, which premiered in 2009, brought minimalist aesthetics and physical theatre to a new level and is still performed in many international festivals today. Another Tang’s production, the opera Datong, was a highlight presentation at the London celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR.

Mr Tang’s publications Analysis and Reflections on the Theories of Acting of Meyerhold, Titus Andronicus - Approach in Minimalistic Aesthetics & Physical Theatre and Writing from the Seine - My Reflection and Interpretation on Theatre have had an impact on the Chinese theatre industry.

To help bring on a new generation of artists, Mr Tang established the Physical Theatre Youth Training Programme three years ago, and undertakes a range of community service work, including serving as Honorary Advisor to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for many years.

Mr Tang’s major awards include being named Best Director three times at the Hong Kong Drama Awards, and receiving the 2008 Award for Arts Achievement in Drama from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the 2012 Award for Best Artist in Drama in The Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. He has also been recognised with the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service Award, an Honorary Fellowship from Lingnan University and l’Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.