The Costume Shop is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art facility that incorporates the vast variety of costume technology instruction and production work needs of the Academy. The main workshop area, filled with natural light via skylights, features 13 cutting tables, 16 industrial sewing machines, 15 home sewing machines, 10 serger/overlock machines, 4 industrial steam presses, speciality fusing presses, an eyelet/button cover machine, and a commercial grade keyhole button machine. Costume Shop has an extensive selection of female and male mannequins available for student and production use.
In addition to the main workshop area, there is a fitting room, wig room, makeup room and millinery room. The separate laundry room and running wardrobe space house a variety of industrial washers and dryers. Costume Shop also accommodates an in-house fabric, haberdashery store, and dye and craft facility. The dedicated dye facility is fully equipped with two large industrial dye vats, stainless steel sinks, and granite workspaces.
Within the Costume Shop, we house a small library of reference material for student use, ranging from costume history and pattern drafting to all related aspects of costume technology.
The costume stores located on the premises are meticulously organised and inventoried to facilitate easy access to the Academy's vast collection of costumes. The collection has been curated for use in Academy productions and includes a wide range of costumes spanning three decades. From drama and dance to opera, the costumes in the collection have been carefully chosen to suit the needs of any Academy's production.
The Scenic Art Workshop is one of the largest and most sophisticated workspaces for scenic art in Asia. It comprises of a 23m x 16m floor space with a 3.8m floor recess that accommodates a purpose built paint frame measuring 22m x 10m. It was originally designed by renowned engineer Mike Barnett and is virtually identical to the London’s National Theatre Scenic Art Workshop, possibly the best in Europe. The paint frame can be remotely moved up or down from controls either on ground level or higher up. Like the National Theatre, the Academy’s paint frame also has two integrated paint towers that allow the operators to paint from any height or location they wish.
The painting platforms measure 3m x 1.9m each and can be combined to create one synchronised platform for larger teams of up to 8 painters to work together. The facility can accommodate cloths to be painted of up to 21m x 10m or several cloths of smaller sizes painted at the same time. There are also 3 bar hoists spanned across the workshop, each rated to 500kg. One of these contains 8 lighting positions with connected dimmers to allow scenic artists to test under various lighting states before the work goes on stage.
The Property Making Workshops consist of three workshops on three levels, with access to a fume extraction facility. All areas function as teaching spaces and production/project facilities. The main props workshop is a general-purpose area, above ground level, equipped primarily with tools and equipment for woodwork, moulding and casting. There are three heavy benches and other tables, plus storage for materials, handheld power tools, and hand tools. Materials or finished props can be transported to and from the area by a chain hoist if required.
For woodwork, fixed equipment includes a table saw, cross bench saws, pillar drill, a lathe, two large band-saws and one smaller one, a disc/belt sanding machine and two compressors. In the Moulding and Casting area we have a ‘roto-caster’, two pug mills, an industrial oven, and a vacuum de-gasser, plus two large sinks with plaster traps. In addition there is dust/fume extraction equipment fitted to most machines.
Above the main workshop, a second area is the mezzanine level with an acrylic wall overlooking the main workshop, fitted with sliding doors and another chain hoist. This area is a dust free area housing two vacuum-form machines and a laser cutter.
The third area is below the main workshop and again approximately half the size. This area is dedicated to metal work, and contains two MIG welding machines, three arc welders, one Oxy-Acetylene porta-pack, a disc/belt sander, cut-off saw, plasma cutter, and a pillar drill. Handheld power tools include grinders, drills, pop-riveters and a sheet cutter. There are wall-and-floor-mounted fume extraction machines, plus a metal storage rack, metal welding tables and a heavy wood bench.
This facility is designated as an area where work involving toxic fumes can be carried out safely, without affecting other staff and students. The space consists of a small room with fume extraction equipment installed that can be sealed off from a slightly larger space that is more general purpose. The space permits the use of fiberglass resins and other chemical based materials, such as polyurethanes, spray paints and any materials that could create harmful odours.
The Scenic Construction Workshop consists of an area of approximately 580 square meters. This encompasses a “working” area of approximately 500 square meters, complete with motorized hoists for the construction and assembly of scenic elements, a storeroom and a fume extraction room. Additional to the main construction workshop area there is a dedicated teaching area for formal construction technique lessons. The workshop is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which gives students the opportunity to work with all associated scenery construction materials such as wood, metal and GRP. The modern machinery and equipment in the workshop allows for all associated techniques and disciplines to be carried out, whilst meeting the highest standards of health and safety. These include woodworking machinery and metal working/welding equipment. The recent addition of a computer numeric control router brings the workshop up to international industrial standards, which is not usually found in a teaching establishment.
The Stage Technology Laboratory is where the Technical Direction students refine their artistry, craftsmanship, leadership, creativity and the skills of management and problem solving. It is often referred as the “Tech Lab”. It functions as a teaching space, storage as well as a production/project facility where trails and experiments of various kinds of stage effects, rigging, mechanical configurations and installations take place.
Due to the nature of jobs that TD students would face in the theatre as well as the entertainment industry, a wide range of hardware, tools, materials, equipment and machineries can be discovered in the Tech Lab. Tools include cordless impact drills, grinders, Fein, Dremel, circular saw, jigsaw, reciprocal saw, hammer drills, band saw, chop saw, belt & disk sander, drill press, scroll saw, and etc.
The Fireproof cabinet allows the storage of flammable goods that are used in the creation as well as the applications of specified special effects on stage. The grid and the pin rail are designed for experiencing different types of rigging projects with the assist of the access platform and the option of using motorized hoists. The garage door allows item which is large in size to be brought in to the lab for experiments and/or alternations.
The Tech Lab also contains a mezzanine level. It was designed to be a place where brainstorming, planning, meetings take place in addition to the execution of production/project related documents and plans.
Almost every item in the Tech Lab is portable. It was intended for the potentials of different projects where specific setups are required. Proper footwear and personal protective equipment are required during the happening of any projects in the Tech Lab.
The Integrated Media Studio is a fully equipped and flexible venue for MDT students to explore the world of media and technology design. Besides classes, seminars, workshops, the studio also provides a space for sound, lighting and video experiments, with its high ceiling, overhead truss structure and vast size, the studio can be a performance space too.
Collective Media Atelier (CMA) is an innovative lab designed for students to research and practice in immersive media for live performance. Equipped with state-of-the-art L‑Acoustics professional loudspeaker systems and spatial audio processing unit (L-ISA), the CMA offers an exciting glimpse into the future of immersive sound experiences. Within the CMA, students can unleash their creativity by exploring the possibilities of 3D audio mixing using a combination of speakers and headphones. This opens up endless possibilities for sonic exploration and artistic expression, allowing students to push the boundaries of their projects.
The Sound Lab is the premier arena of sound learning, listening, seminars, and workshops. Our lab is designed to provide students with the perfect environment to delve into critical subjects and explore the fascinating world of sound.
Equipped with the latest Mac computers and diverse software, including leading digital audio workstations (DAWs), extensive sound libraries, software instruments, audio plugins, and scientific tools for sound technologies, we offer a comprehensive platform for students to enhance their skills. Our setup is connected via Dante, a cutting-edge combination of software, hardware, and network protocols that enables the seamless transmission of uncompressed, multi-channel, low-latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network to all the venues in the HKAPA.
In The Sound Lab, we provide rigging features that allow studios to explore the spatial sound possibilities offered by different protocols. With multiple full-range Genelec 8-series studio monitors, students can experience the true sound of their mixes with astonishing performance and versatility.
Music Recording Control Rooms are where excellence in sound production is achieved through cutting-edge equipment and innovative technology. Two specialised control rooms dedicated to different aspects of music recording.
Control Room D is the hub for stereo recording production, featuring the renowned Solid State Logic SSL Duality 24-Channel Console. This worldwide industry standard console empowers engineers and producers to work seamlessly, combining a traditional analogue path with exceptional DAW control and integration. The Pro Tools HD system, the industry's professional studio standard, complements the console, ensuring a seamless workflow.
Control Room F is the ultimate destination for those focused on spatial mixing. Equipped with a Pro Tools HD system and driven by the Grace Design monitor controller, this room delivers an immersive audio experience. The Adam S-Series monitor speaker rig guarantees exceptional monitoring accuracy, while the Holophonix system pioneers spatialisation with its unlimited virtual sources and buses. Dolby Atmos mixing and reproduction are seamlessly integrated into Control Room F, enabling captivating soundscapes. Additional processing units like the Waves LV1 and UAD Ultimate systems further expand the creative possibilities.
Our department recording facilities extend beyond the control rooms, featuring a dedicated drum booth equipped with the celebrated Yamaha Maple Custom 5-piece drum set. Capture the perfect drum sound using a range of high-end microphones from Neumann, Schoeps, DPA, Sennheiser, Shure, and AKG.
The student could experience the pinnacle of recording technology and unleash their creativity in our Music Recording Control Rooms, capturing stereo excellence or diving into the world of spatial mixing. Our facilities are designed to elevate future productions to new heights.