Basic Cantonese Opera Script Writing (In Chinese)

Abstract

Script is a basic element and one of the most important parts of a play or a staged performance. Yet in Hong Kong, there is a lack of equipped Cantonese opera script writers, thus there is a crucial need to systemize the teaching on Cantonese opera script writing. The first Cantonese opera script writing course was launched in 2008 under the encouragement of the late renowned scriptwriter Yip Shiu-tuck. It was hoped that his experience and knowledge can be passed on to the new generation.

Since 2006, the Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research (CACLER) of the Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong, worked together with partnering schools to incorporate Cantonese Opera into the secondary school curriculum and on related researches. With the efforts of Mr. Yip and the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong (Barwo), the Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong launched the first Cantonese opera script writing course in 2008. Thank to the support from the Cantonese Opera Development Fund, CACLER cooperated with Barwo to start the “Action Research on Teaching Cantonese Opera Script Writing” alongside the course.

The first stage of the project was to start a script writing course taught by the opera experts of Barwo. Instructors included Yuen Siu-fai, Chi-Kei Lee, Law Ka-ying, Lui Hung-kwong, Sun Kim-long, Ko Yun-kuen and Ko Yun-hung. They also drafted the content of the course and provided teaching materials, while the research team from HKU recorded and analyzed the teaching and learning process. The later stage of the project focused on analyzing and organizing the teaching materials, polishing the course contents, assessing learning outcomes and structuring teaching theories.

The book Basic Cantonese Opera Script Writing is the research output of the above project. It is also the first textbook on Cantonese opera script writing in Hong Kong. It plays an important role in inheriting Cantonese opera, by systematically explaining the learning content of Cantonese opera script writing.