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This year marks the 450^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Birth as well as the 10^th anniversary of the Chinese Universities Shakespeare Festival.  The performance finals will be held from 26 to 28 May at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).  Twelve competing teams from mainland China, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong universities will present selected scenes from Shakespeare’s renowned plays in innovative and entertaining ways to all audiences.  Seat reservations are available to all secondary schools and individual tickets will also be available to the public.  Admissions are free.

Jointly presented by the Department of English and the Office of the Arts Administrator at CUHK, and sponsored by the Dr. Tien Chang Lin Technology Innovation Foundation, the Chinese Universities Shakespeare Festival has proved to be an ideal platform for students to experience the drama and imagination of the finest English poet ever.  It has also successfully promoted English learning and cultural exchange between East and West.  Over the past nine years, 92 universities in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau have participated in the festival, and the event has attracted over 12,000 local secondary school teachers and students to watch the performance finals.

Twelve finalists out of 39 teams survived from the first round competition held in February, including Hainan University, Ludong University, Nanjing University, Northeast Normal University, Renmin University of China, Soochow University (Taiwan), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, University of Macau, Wuhan University, Xiamen University of Technology, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

To enrich the educational experience for participating students, master classes were arranged for all competing teams over three days in last December and January in Beijing and Hong Kong. The classes were conducted by professional instructors to help each team identify areas of strength and areas that could be enhanced with new approaches.

The adjudicators of the Festival are internationally acclaimed English scholars and theatre professionals, including Prof. Tony Turner, Former Ethel Tory Head of Drama at Australian National University; Dr. Philippa Kelly, Resident Dramaturg at California Shakespeare Theatre; and Mr. Paige Newmark, Artistic Director at Shakespeare WA.

The champion team will enjoy a one-week trip to the UK to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, the University of Oxford, and the grand theatres in London.  Other winning teams will be awarded electronic products generously donated by Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund.

Seat reservations are available to all secondary schools and individual tickets will also be available to the public. Admissions are free. Interested parties may call 3943 1983 or 3943 7828 for details. Free shuttle buses will be running between University Station and Sir Run Run Shaw Hall from 2:30 pm and after the performances.