Summary of Key Points
Macau's theater has a history of over 40 years, evolving from a group of amateur enthusiasts who "generated energy with passion" to attempting a transition towards professionalism. However, it continues to face challenges such as limited funding, scarce venues, and a small audience base. Most theater companies are non-profit organizations that rely on government grants and their own financial contributions to survive. In recent years, the Hengqin International Performing Arts Festival has provided a platform for Macau's theater to showcase its talents to the Greater Bay Area. Established troupes are seeking innovation, while new companies are experimenting with new forms. There are also "one-person theaters" that are making a niche for themselves. Macau's theater industry is trying to break the stereotype that the city is only known for gambling and tourism, exploring a development path that combines local traditions with the mainland market.
I. Macau Theater: From Community Entertainment to Professionalism
Macau's theater began with simple beginnings in the 1970s, when there were few forms of entertainment, and theater was a low-cost activity for the community. For example, the Macau Theater Society, founded in 1979, consisted of teachers, workers, and civil servants who performed in community halls and school playgrounds, with an audience mainly consisting of friends and neighbors. The goal was simple: to bring theater to the locals, purely as a hobby.
However, things changed after 2017. A group of young people who had studied theater abroad returned, bringing professional training methods, and the number of theater companies increased to forty or fifty. These companies began to move towards professionalism. For instance, the Macau Theater Society no longer performed only traditional plays but collaborated with famous mainland directors and moved their performances to larger theaters. New companies, like the Jacques Experimental Theater, mixed elements of Peking opera with modern drama to create experimental works. Nevertheless, the path to professionalism is difficult: there are only a few core members, and most actors are hired externally, with insufficient funding.
II. Survival Challenges: Lack of Funds, Limited Venues, and Small Audience
Macau's theater industry faces several major challenges:
1. Insufficient Funding: Government grants cover only half of the expenses, and the rest must be covered through commercial performances or self-financing. For example, the Macau Theater Society needs 200,000 Macau patacas to produce a play, with the government providing 100,000; in 2024, the Brothers' Art Troupe suffered a six-figure loss, and its founder, Wu Jiawei, had to take on additional jobs to pay off debts.
2. Scarcity of Venues: Macau has only one large cultural center that can accommodate theater performances, and even there, plays are selected carefully. Other venues are small and can hold at most a hundred people, making it difficult to make a profit.
3. Small Audience: The local regular audience is limited to a few thousand people. In the past, performances were mainly for club members; now, tourists account for 20% of the audience, but the total number is still small. Plays often only run for three performances before ending, making it hard to tour or repeat shows, preventing the development of new works.
III. Different Approaches of Established and New Troupes
There are two types of theater companies in Macau:
- Established Troupes (such as the Macau Theater Society): With a history of over 40 years, they were once considered outdated but are now actively seeking change. They participate in international tours and collaborate with mainland directors, performing at the Hengqin International Performing Arts Festival. The president of the society, Qin Xianwei, says, "If we don't progress, we will be eliminated; we need to go out to survive."
- New Troupes (such as the Jacques Experimental Theater and the Brothers' Art Troupe): These companies are more experimental. Yuan Yihao of the Jacques Experimental Theater, with a background in Peking opera, combines Kafka's existentialism with traditional theater techniques in his experimental play "The Lover's Gaze." Wu Jiawei of the Brothers' Art Troupe creates absurdist Cantonese musicals, managing all roles, including acting, writing, and finance, and relies on cost-cutting and commercial performances to pay off debts. They have even taken their shows on tours in Hengqin.
Their common goal is to find Macau's unique cultural identity. Yuan Yihao describes Macau's culture as "feminine and yet developed," while Leung Kin-ming emphasizes its "laissez-faire nature with high standards on both ends," suggesting that this contrast makes their works more innovative.
IV. The Hengqin International Performing Arts Festival: Opening Doors to the Greater Bay Area
The Hengqin International Performing Arts Festival has transformed Macau's theater scene. In 2025, the festival lasted for five days, and some tickets were sold out; in 2026, it will last longer (half a year), with 13 Macau companies presenting seven works that are debut performances in the mainland, covering various forms such as drama and musicals. This is a great opportunity for Macau's theater companies to reach a wider audience and learn from mainland theater practices. For example, Wu Jiawei's play "Troublesome Trouble" was well-received in Hengqin, inspiring him to consider performances in Guangzhou and Shanghai. The festival acts as a bridge, connecting Macau's theater to the Greater Bay Area market and potentially helping the companies attract more audiences and business opportunities.
V. Macau's Unique Elements: One-Person and Flexible Theater Practices
Macau's theater industry features unique phenomena, such as "one-person theaters" or "two-person theaters":
- For example, Wu Jiawei of the Brothers' Art Troupe manages administration, rehearsals, and finance, working tirelessly 24/7. Yuan Yihao is the founder of the Jacques Experimental Theater and also works in other companies.
- This flexible ecosystem is a result of the limited resources. Due to the small number of people and funds, companies often collaborate with each other—few founders discuss and then divide tasks, with one acting as the director and another as the writer to create a work.
This flexibility has its advantages: the small market eliminates the pressure to be commercially successful, allowing for bold experimentation. Yuan Yihao says, "The theater is a place to raise questions, and there's no fear of being niche."
VI. The Future: Can Macau Theater Become a New Symbol of the City?
The audience for Macau's theater has changed, with 50% being local residents, 30% students, and 20% tourists, indicating that it is no longer a niche hobby. In the future, tourists may visit Macau not only for gambling and the Macau Ferry but also to watch plays. Liu Guoyou, the supervisor of the Macau Theater Society, believes that theater can document the city's history, break stereotypes, and tell Macau's own stories.
Although the road ahead is long, the opportunities provided by the Hengqin Festival and the perseverance of the theater companies give Macau's theater a chance to thrive. Perhaps one day, Macau will be remembered for its theater as well as its gambling.