Students of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) rehearse Flirting Scholar, a bilingual theater piece in Mandarin and Cantonese. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is, quite literally, in the process of making a name for itself, having been called the Open University until only a year ago. Its new logo is based on the letters ‘M’ and ‘U’, so the title Me&U for an annual festival showcasing students’ creativity seemed a natural fit. The Me&U festival’s public launch is tentatively set for next year.
As a trial run for Me&U, HKMU students are staging a show for their fellow students and teachers on September 18. A trilingual evening of theater, music and dance, Stories of Love is directed by Octavian Saiu, academic consultant at the university’s School of Arts and Social Sciences. He invited students from all disciplines with any amount of theater, music or dance experience (or not) to audition.
Saiu — who holds a PhD in theater studies from his native Romania’s National University of Theatre and Film, as well as a PhD in comparative literature and a Habilitation (the highest category of degree in many countries) in theater and performing arts from a New Zealand university — doesn’t call himself a director though.
HKMU students work together on the music section for Stories of Love. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
“I’m not a practitioner of theater — I’m a spectator. A professional one,” he says. Founder of the International Association of Theatre Leaders, Saiu is a professional theater critic, a facilitator of cultural exchanges, as well as a speaker and conference chair at major theater festivals and academic events around the world. “I’ve been blessed to see the works of all the important theater artists of our time,” he explains, “and to collaborate with most of them.”
When it comes to Stories of Love, Saiu says the show’s meaning transcends its artistic value. “It will not be perfect; it will not even be of a professional standard, perhaps. That is less important than the fact that the students are so emotionally and spiritually invested in it,” he says. “They are conveying their message of love through words, images and sounds. They are together in a genuine spirit of community and communion.”
The theatrical portion of Stories of Love comprises a thoroughly modern take on an iconic scene from Romeo & Juliet as well as a piece, in Cantonese and Mandarin, based on the Hong Kong comedy film Flirting Scholar. The dance segment showcases diverse styles, from traditional Chinese to K-pop; while the music section includes a piece each in Cantonese and Mandarin, show tunes in English from great stage and film musicals, as well as original student compositions.
A global facilitator of cultural exchanges, Octavian Saiu is shepherding the production in his role as academic consultant at HKMU’s School of Arts and Social Sciences. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
“We also have an atypical, interactive style of emceeing,” continues Saiu. “So the linguistic aspects are embedded in a broader, more complex sense of diversity. Not to mention that there’s some gender-blind casting. … A key concept of the entire show is therefore diversity, with all its beautiful and inspiring connotations.”
Charles Kwong, dean of the school, elaborates: “A university, and particularly a School of Arts and Social Sciences, is a place to nourish and spread humanistic values in which love, diversity and inclusiveness are vital elements.” He adds that the title Me&U is a nod to the importance of fostering strong bonds between the university and the broader community: “We engage ourselves in the community by participating widely in social services and voluntary work, designing programs and conducting research to address issues of concern in society.”
Saiu says the future festival will be a platform for HKMU students to explore their creativity in a variety of ways — just as they’re doing with this pilot program. “It’s a celebration of the university and its students.”
