Brecht’s First Play_Eng version- 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival
Commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Dead Centre and Beijing Repertory Theater
Adapted from Bertolt Brecht’s first play, Baal
19-21.03.2026 / 8:00pm 21-22.03.2026 / 3:00pm
Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall
Approximately one hour and 40 minutes with no interval
Commissioned by the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Performed in Putonghua with Chinese and English surtitles
This production contains strong language, adult content, disturbing scenes with violence, smoking scenes , strong smoke effects and the smell of smoke
During the performance, live video feeds from the stage and auditorium will be projected for real-time display only. These images will not be recorded, archived or retained in any form. The auditorium may be exposed to strong lighting during the live projection
Recommended for ages 16 and above
Co-Production:
House Rules
※ Please switch off mobile phones and all electronic devices so they will not emit sound or light during the performance, disturbing the performers and other audience members.
※ Unauthorised photography or recording of any kind is strictly prohibited.
※ Please keep noise to a minimum during the performance.
※ The content of all works is independently produced by the creative team, and does not reflect the views or opinions of the Sponsor.
※ The content of this programme and the opinions featured in this publication are solely those of the artists/guest writers and do not represent the views or opinions of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (“HKAF”).
※ No refunds or changes will be offered if ticket holders are refused admission due to late arrival. In the event of any dispute, the HKAF reserves all rights to make the final decision.
※ The English version of the house rules on the HKAF website and front-of-house announcements will prevail in the event of any dispute.
Contents
Chief Executive’s Message
Chairman’s Message
Foreword
Creative & Production Team
Cast & Characters
About Bertolt Brecht
Synopsis
Interview
Creative Note
About Dead Centre
About the Beijing Repertory Theater
About Tempest Projects
Creative & Production Team Profiles
Cast Profiles
Producers’ Profiles
About the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Committee & Staff List
Acknowledgements
Chief Executive’s Message
I am pleased to congratulate the Hong Kong Arts Festival on the organisation of its 2026 season. This year’s Festival, the 54th edition, features some 180 performances, encompassing music, Chinese and Western opera, theatre, dance, arts technology and a dazzling variety of performing arts productions.
The Festival opens on 27 February with Ballet Nacional de España’s acclaimed operatic ballet La Bella Otero , recreating the glamour of Paris’ golden era on stage. The Festival concludes on 27 March with the large-scale dance theatre production DreaminThePeonyPavilion , directed and choreographed by Li Xing, injecting fresh life into the timeless love classic. This year’s music performances present a number of brilliant pianists, including young Korean piano sensation Yunchan Lim, and Hong Kong-born Aristo Sham, the gold medallist and audience award winner at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
As ever, the Festival features a diverse range of outreach and educational activities. This year’s PLUS programme focuses on a wide cultural experience for arts lovers and deeper understanding of world-class artists, contributing to promoting engagement in cultural events and consolidating Hong Kong’s positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
I am grateful to our many sponsors and donors for their generous support. My thanks also, as always, go to the Hong Kong Arts Festival for once again bringing Hong Kong, and the world, a shining season of arts and culture, entertainment and wonder.
John KC LEE Chief Executive Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Chairman’s Message
A warm welcome to the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival. As a leading international performing arts event, the Festival continues to uphold its mission of enriching our city’s cultural life and promoting the best of the performing arts to different sectors of our community. This year, the Festival brings to Hong Kong more than 1,100 distinguished local and international artists from a wide range of artistic disciplines in over 180 performances of more than 45 programmes, as well as about 300 “PLUS”, outreach and education events.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the HKSAR Government, acting through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, for its annual subvention and matching grant. My heartfelt thanks also go out to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, our corporate sponsors, charitable foundations and donors for their generous support. Their invaluable contributions empower us to actively advance the community through the performing arts.
My genuine appreciation goes to all our internationally renowned and most talented artists for their creativity and outstanding performances on stage. Their dedication profoundly motivates us to continue showcasing exceptional productions, commissioning new works and nurturing local talent. I am also deeply grateful to the HKAF team for its commitment and efforts to bring this Festival to life.
Finally, I extend my warmest thanks to all audience members. We truly hope you enjoy this artistic journey and discover moments of delight, resonance and inspiration throughout the programmes being presented this year.
Lo Kingman C hairman Hong Kong Arts Festival
The 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival once again brings together great masters and outstanding artists, presenting more than 180 performances across music, dance, theatre, opera, Chinese opera, arts-tech and interdisciplinary creations—showcasing the exceptional craft of leading local and international talent.
One of this year’s themes is an exploration of “Courage and Peace”. At a time when the world is troubled by war, displacement, economic downturns and other hardships, artists respond from their own distinctive perspectives and in their own languages on stage, reminding us of the need to be resilient and hopeful.
Some works in this year’s Festival adopt a minimalistic theatrical approach, enabling us to transcend the constraints of geography and resources. We also continue to embrace arts-tech, using mixed-reality technologies to open up new performance possibilities.
As always, the Festival presents more than 300 outreach and education activities. Our PLUS events feature a curated series of talks, masterclasses, backstage tours and guided cultural walks. Our comprehensive education initiatives tailored for primary, secondary and tertiary students are aimed at enabling students to gain a more indepth understanding and appreciation of the works we present.
I sincerely thank you for joining us at this performance, and we hope that you find joy and resonance in the experience.
Flora Yu Executive Director Hong Kong Arts Festival
The Hong Kong Arts Festival is made possible with the funding support of:
Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) was a German playwright, poet and theatre director born in February 1898 in Augsburg, Germany. He is best known for his contributions to modern theatre and his development of the “epic theatre” style, which aimed to provoke critical thinking and social change rather than mere emotional engagement.
Brecht’ s works—which often broke the fourth wall, making the audience directly conscious of the fact that they were watching a play—addressed themes such as social injustice, war and the human condition, reflecting his Marxist beliefs.
During the 1920s, Brecht collaborated with composer Kurt Weill, producing iconic works such as TheThreepenny Opera, which critiqued capitalism and societal norms. His innovative techniques, including the use of narration and direct address to the audience, changed the way that people looked at the theatre.
Brecht’ s career was interrupted by the rise of the Nazi regime, leading him to flee Germany in 1933. He spent years in exile, living in various countries including the United States, where he continued to write and develop his theatrical ideas.
After World War Two, Brecht returned to East Germany, where he founded the Berliner Ensemble, a theatre company that became renowned for its productions such as MotherCourageandHerChildren He died in August 1956.
Synopsis
Baal is a poet and singer who is anti-social, obnoxious and nihilistic. Bertolt Brecht’s original play follows him through his decadent and chaotic life as he is wooed by wealthy patrons, sleeps with female fans, walks out of gigs halfway through and completely rejects bourgeois society. He wanders out of the city with his closest friend, abandoning his pregnant lover, in search of authentic experiences. But his journey becomes a nightmare and he murders his friend, before dying alone in the wilderness.
But this is only part of the story of the HKAF programme Brecht’s First Play: the above synopsis is full of problematic behaviour and unpalatable elements, so the story will be presented in a way that is suitable for modern audiences: Baal (the man) will be cancelled.
When Cancel Culture Meets Brecht’s Problematic Baal
Baal—the first play by German provocateur Bertolt Brecht—has posed a thorny challenge to the theatre world since its debut a century ago. The titular character, a charismatic and rebellious young poet, is notorious for his misogynistic and violent nature. Brecht’s Baal rejects societal norms, indulges in excess and captivates the literary scene, only to spiral into self-absorption and moral decay. Yet by presenting Baal as an amoral force rather than a misunderstood anti-hero or rock star, Brecht poses a question: what should we do with him?
For Irish theatre group Dead Centre and their partners at the Beijing Repertory Theater, the answer is: we cancel him. And they don’t mean figuratively— their adaptation literally blurs out the character live on stage.
Cancel culture may feel like a modern phenomenon, but the Artistic Directors of Dead Centre Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd tell the HKAF that it’s “a new name for an old idea”. “Every society has looked to expel people who seem to represent what is wrong with that community… Whether it’s the cursed Oedipus sent into exile or a disgraced figure like Harvey Weinstein, the phenomenon of ‘cancelling’ has a long history,” Moukarzel and Kidd say.
Dead Centre and the Beijing Repertory Theater have a reputation for reinventing classic works and Baal is on brand for both companies as Brecht himself famously spent much of his career re-writing the text. “He struggled with whether the character of Baal was useful to an audience—was his antisocial behaviour instructive, or was it merely destructive? This creative struggle is interesting as it raises the question central to his whole approach to theatre: what is art for? Can it change the world?”
Long before this Sino-Irish collaboration came about, Brecht himself looked to China and Chinese actors to help him develop his famous Verfremdungseffekt, or alienation effect. “He was looking to combine Chinese stage aesthetics with his European literary sensibilities to create a new form of theatre,” Moukarzel and Kidd say. “Collaborations are the source of all creativity: ideas, and people, like to travel the world to create connections and discover commonalities.”
This article was originally published on the HKAF’s News & Features website in January 2026
We are interested in Bertolt Brecht not only as a playwright, but also as a thinker. We are attempting to understand the radical gesture represented by his attempt to create a distance between an audience and a story—to “alienate” audiences from a character. His first play seems like an appropriate work in which to implement these theories—written before he developed most of his ideas, it has not yet been “alienated”.
We are particularly excited to work on this piece with a Chinese company. Although Brecht never visited China, he was hugely influenced by Chinese philosophy and the approach to acting found in Peking opera. Combined with his lifelong interest in the communist cause, his connection with the country was strong. Perhaps only a Chinese company can do justice to his first play.
Text: Ben Kidd, Bush Moukarzel
About Dead Centre
Ben Kidd and Bush Moukarzel are the Co-Artistic Directors of Dead Centre. The theatre company’s projects include DeafRepublic (Royal Court Theatre, London), The Education of Rudolf Steiner (Schauspiel Stuttgart), Alles, was der Fall ist and TheInterpretationof Dreams (Burgtheater, Vienna), Good Sex, Chekhov’s First Play, Hamnet, Beckett’s Room and To Be a Machine (Version 1.0) .
Its opera projects include die Dunkles Seite des Mondes (Staatsoper, Hamburg), LASH and Teorema (Deutsche Oper, Berlin) and Bählaams Fest (Ruhrtriennale).
The company’s work has toured extensively around the world, including to the Young Vic, Battersea Arts Centre (London), Schaubühne (Berlin), Dramaten (Stockholm), BAM (New York), Théâtre de Liège, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Helsinki Festival, the Teatro Piccolo (Milan), the Noorderzon Festival (Groningen), the Kampnagel Summer Festival (Hamburg) and the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.
Ben Kidd (left) and Bush Moukarzel (right)
About the Beijing Repertory Theater
Founded in 2017, the Beijing Repertory Theater (BRT) is committed to developing a unique spirit and aesthetic disposition. As a theatre company, it rallies likeminded theatre artists to pursue a collective voice, directing its attention to the tension between individuals and society, the human living space and the environment. By casting new light on classic works as well as encouraging new writing, the BRT seeks to offer a new interpretation of the past.
The BRT staged Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea as its opening production. Other notable BRT productions include Beneath the Surface, Mrozek Shorts, The Elephant Man, The Cherry Orchard and TaibaiJinxingIsaBitAnnoyed.
About Tempest Projects
Tempest Projects is an international performing arts company founded by Weng Shihui, and based in London and Shanghai. It was founded on the core belief that the theatre is about creating encounters that bring an understanding to otherness. It commissions, produces and tours work that is both radical and popular, and created by a selection of robust and dynamic international artists for a wide audience in China and across the world.
The company’s production and touring credits include the Sino-French coproduction 20,000LeaguesUnderthe Sea (directed by Christian Hecq and Valerie Lesort), WutheringHeights (Emma Rice Company Asia Tour), the immersive VR live show Le Bal de Paris de Blanca Li, Ontroerend Goed’s A Game of You, The Smile Off Your Face and Handle with Care, the sound installation Congregation (by Ray Lee) and The MakingofBerlin (by BERLIN).
Creative & Production
Profiles
Video Designer
Sébastien Dupouey
Berlin-based French visual artist,
set designer and videographer
Sébastien Dupouey is a graduate of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. His work combines video, scenography and experimental approaches to create immersive visual worlds. He has regularly collaborated with international acclaimed artists such as Falk Richter and Thomas Ostermeier. His major collaborations for the international theatre and opera scene include the Deutsche Oper (Berlin), the Residenztheater and Münchener Kammerspiele (Munich), the Deutsches Schauspielhaus (Hamburg) and the Manchester International Festival.
Lighting Designer Chen Xiaji
Chen Xiaji is a lighting designer at the Beijing Contemporary Art Theatre.
Having long been dedicated to frontline stage creation in China and collaborating closely with directors of diverse styles, he has developed a visual narrative approach with restrained sensibility, nuanced perception and an economy of expression. His major works include: OedipusRex (directed by Li Liuyi), A Number (Zhang Nan, 2018), The True StoryofAhQ (Michel Didym), A Madmans Diary (Li Jianjun), the Beijing Dance Theater s dance drama Ye Yan (“The Night Banquet”) and the Chinese versions of the musicals Next to Normal and The Hedgehog
Sound Designer Annie Jing Yin
Annie Jing Yin is a sound and interdisciplinary designer, and theatre practitioner. Her recent work includes immersive theatre productions The Blackbox Game and Three-Body: BeyondGravity, the multi-sensory dining experience Sù—Connection with theOrigin and the brainwave-sound experience I Am Vibration. Her work has been presented internationally at the Prague Quadrennial, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival and World Stage Design. She holds a Master’s degree in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama and a certificate in Olfactory Design from Politecnico di Milano.
Costume Designer Viola Zhang
Viola Zhang is a costume designer who holds a Master’s degree in Costume Design from the Accademia Costume & Moda and a Bachelor’s degree in Scenography from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. She has worked at the Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma and the Teatro Massimo. Her credits include the productions White Snake Sleeping Beauty Doll’s House ADoll’sHouse, Part 2 and Hamlet 1001
Sound Designer Tian Dongyi Tian Dongyi is a sound designer. His main works include the plays TheLady from the Sea TheCherryOrchard HeartofAlmondJelly TheBigSmall Class Romeo and Juliet The Red Detachment of Women and Dream of the Red Chamber; the immersive musical Rock Mulan; the dance theatre
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Producer, Set Designer
Han Jiang
Han Jiang trained in the Department of Stage Design at the Central Academy of Drama. He is a well-known stage and dance producer, and co-founder of both the Beijing Repertory Theater and the Beijing Dance Theatre. His notable production credits include Wild Grass, Golden Lotus, TheLadyfromtheSea and Of Mountains and Seas. Han’s productions and designs have been performed at international arts festivals such as the Next Wave Festival in Melbourne, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
Producer Weng Shihui
Weng Shihui is an international performing arts producer based in London and Shanghai. During the past decade, Weng has worked with a wide range of UK national arts institutions as a producer, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre of Scotland and Creative Scotland. In 2021, she founded Tempest Projects focusing on commissioning new work with an international perspective. Her credits include the Sino-French coproduction 20,000LeaguesUnderthe Sea, Ontroerend Goed’s A Game of You and The Smile Off Your Face, Hamlet, King Lear and The Merchant of Venice
About the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Launched in 1973, the Hong Kong Arts Festival is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city. In February and March every year, the Festival presents leading local and international artists in all genres of the performing arts, placing equal importance on great traditions and contemporary creations. The Festival also commissions and produces work in Cantonese opera, theatre, music, chamber opera and contemporary dance by Hong Kong’s creative talent and emerging artists; many of these works have had successful subsequent runs in Hong Kong and overseas. The Festival also presents “PLUS” and educational activities that bring a diverse range of arts experiences to the community as well as tertiary, secondary and primary school students. In addition, through the “No Limits” project co-presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Festival strives to create an inclusive space for people with different abilities to share the joys of the arts together.
The HKAF is a non-profit organisation . The total estimated income for FY2025 / 26 (including the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival and 2026 “No Limits”) is approximately HK$159 million. Current Government annual baseline funding accounts for around 12% of the Festival's total income. Around 24% of the Festival’s income needs to come from the box office, and around 44% from sponsorship and donations made by corporations, individuals and charitable foundations. The remaining 20% is expected to come from other revenue sources including the Government’s matching grant scheme, which matches income generated through private sector sponsorship and donations.
Full Organisational Profile: https://www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/ about-us/index.html?
Committee and Staff List
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PATRON
HONORARY LIFE
PRESIDENT
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Treasurer
Honorary
Members
The Hon. John KC Lee, GBM SBS PDSM PMSM
The Hon. Sir Run Run Shaw, GBM CBE (1907-2014)
Prof. Lo Kingman, SBS MBE JP
Mr Sebastian Shiu-wai Man
Mr Colin Farrell
Ms Joanna Hotung
Ms Leonie Ki, GBS SBS JP
Sir Lam Kin Chung, KCR
Mr Anthony Lau
Ms Kristine Li
Mr Ma, Ching Cheng
Mr Hugh Simon
Mr Tam Wingpong, SBS
Dr Yan Lan
PROGRAMME COMMITTEE
Chairman
Members
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chairman
Members
Mr Sunny Yeung
Mr Tam Wingpong, SBS
Prof. Giorgio Biancorosso
Mr Edmond Huang
Mr Peter C L Lo
Prof. Fredric Mao, BBS
Mr Joseph Seelig, OBE +
Prof. Jue Yao, SBS JP
Mr Colin Farrell
Ms Margaret Cheng, JP
Mr Nelson Leong
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson
Members
ADVISORS
Dr Yan Lan
Ms Catherine Leung
Mr Carey Cheung
Ms Ophelia Fung
Ms Samanta Sum-yee Pong
Mrs Helen Lin Sun
Ms Yi Wen
The Hon. Ronald Arculli, GBM CVO GBS OBE JP
Mr Martin Barrow, GBS CBE
Mr Victor Cha
Dr John CC Chan, GBS JP
Dr Darwin Chen, SBS ISO
Mr Angus H Forsyth
The Hon. Charles YK Lee, GBM GBS OBE JP
Mrs Mona Leong, SBS BBS MBE JP
Dr The Hon. Sir David KP Li, GBM GBS OBE JPP
Ms Gabriela Kennedy
HONORARY
SOLICITOR Mayer Brown Hong Kong LLP
AUDITOR
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Honorary Programme Advisor
STAFF
Executive Director
Flora Yu
Assistant to Executive Director Connie Ho
PROGRAMME Programme Directors Grace Lang, So Kwok-wan
Associate Programme Director Kenneth Lee
Senior Programme Managers Shirley So, Janet Yau*
Programme Managers Cathy Cheng*, Sophie Liao*, Katie Ma*, Neva Wong*
Project Manager Li Long-hin*
Programme Coordinators
Programme Officer
LOGISTICS
Logistics Manager
TECHNICAL Senior Production Manager
Alice Chan*, Nicole Chow*, Dorothy Chung*, Ryan Yung*
Melissa Wong#
Elvis King*
Shirley Leung*
Production Manager Jacob Chan*
PUBLICATIONS Editorial Manager Eugene Chan*
English Editor Adam Wright*
Associate Editor Shao yi Chan*
Assistant Editor Lindsey Gan*
OUTREACH
Outreach Manager Carman Lam*
Outreach Coordinators Olivia Chan*, Giselle Li*, Tina Tang*, Ariel Wong*
