Book of Mountains and Seas｜New Vision Arts Festival 2023 Show Introduction

• Huang Ruo | Basil Twist | Miles Lallemant | Ars Nova Copenhagen

A marvel of puppetry and vocal theatre inspired by an ageless tome

A daring new music theatre work by composer Huang Ruo and puppeteer, designer and director Basil Twist, Book of Mountains and Seas recasts ancient Chinese creation myths featuring singers from Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside two Hong Kong percussionists, massive puppets and striking lanterns.

Inspired by the eponymous compilation dating from 4th century B.C., this new work expands on four stories therein — The Legend of Pangu, The Legend of Ten Suns, The Spirit Bird, Kua Fu Chasing the Sun — that have since become part of Chinese mythology. Twist, a puppetry master in his own right, injects art and life into objects large and small, engendering a world that traverses magic and realism, ethereal and terrestrial, light and dark, being and nothingness.

Geography, travelogue, shamanism, mythology and fiction all rolled into one, the classic text features tales that seem occult yet timeless. In light of our current climate crisis, these creation stories, conjuring a sense of respect and awe for the environment, challenge us to be good stewards of the natural resources we have at hand.

Show Details

• Book of Mountains and Seas｜New Vision Arts Festival 2023
• Date: 3-4 Nov 2023
• Time: 20:00
• Venue: Auditorium, Kwai Tsing Theatre
• Address: 12 Hing Ning Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong

Ticket Details

• Ticketing website: Urbtix
• Price: HKD 460 / 380 / 280 / 200

Remarks

• Approx 1 hr 15 mins with no interval
• Please arrive on time. Latecomers will only be admitted at a suitable break
• Performed in Putonghua with Chinese and English surtitles
• Meet-the-artist session after 3 Nov performance

Credits

Composer / Librettist | Huang Ruo

Director / Production Design | Basil Twist

Lighting Design | Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa

Featuring | Ars Nova Copenhagen

Conductor | Miles Lallemant

Produced by | Beth Morrison Projects

Puppet Build Chief | Rachel Schapira

Puppeteers | Lute Breuer, Ben Elling, Rosa Elling, Alexandra Goss, Rachel Schapira, Ashley Winkfield

Percussion | Karen Yu, Samuel Chan

Vocalists | Madeline Apple Healey, Ann-Christin Wesser Ingels, Melanie Russell, Hanne Marie le Fevre, Laura Lamph, Iris Oja, Luís Toscano, James Robinson, Jakob Skjoldborg, Asger Lynge Petersen, Rasmus Kure Thomsen, Mikkel Tuxen

The source of the above information: New Vision Art Festival official website