Waterloo Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon

Map

Story of Yau Ma Tei Theatre

Built in 1930 and ceased operation in July 1998, Yau Ma Tei Theatre is the only surviving pre-war cinema building in the urban area of Hong Kong. The Red Brick Building adjacent to the Theatre was originally built in 1895 as an engineer’s office of a major pumping station in Kowloon. It is the oldest surviving water pumping station building of the Water Supplies Department. Yau Ma Tei Theatre and the Red Brick Building were accorded Grade 2 and Grade 1 status respectively by the Antiquities Advisory Board. After revitalization, Yau Ma Tei Theatre provides a 300-seat auditorium, a stage with an orchestra pit, a dressing room, a sound and lighting control room, a foyer and a box office. Together with the function rooms in the Red Brick Building, it is suitable for holding Chinese opera performances and related activities.

 

We have the honor to be the venue partner of Yau Ma Tei Theatre since 2012, and bring forth the Cantonese Opera Young Talent Showcase, with the main objective of nurturing new talents ranging from performers to backstage practitioners. With the support of eight Artistic Directors and participation of one hundred young talents, the Showcase stages more than one hundred performances and outreach activities each year. We hope to pass on the legacy to the young artists, and also attract new audience, encouraging them to appreciate the genuine beauty of the traditional Cantonese opera, which is the only art form of Hong Kong enlisted onto UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.