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Elaine Wu

Cantonese opera troupes will have exclusive rights from next year to reserve major public theatres for performances around Lunar New Year.

The government announced the decision yesterday amid fears that opera troupes would have to scramble for bookings after the Sunbeam Theatre in North Point, the exclusive venue for the local art form, closes at the end of August. The move will also lower advance payments for opera troupes at public theatres.

Stephen Chow Chun-kay, chairman of the Cantonese opera advisory committee, said the new arrangement should offset the impact made by the closure of the private theatre.

'To be fair, the government has shown that it understands and supports the trade's concerns,' he said.

Starting next year, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will reserve Lunar New Year's Eve, and four to five days after, exclusively for Cantonese opera at City Hall and the Cultural Centre.

Similar arrangements will be made at six other venues for the first 15 days of Lunar New Year at Ko Shan Theatre,  Sha Tin Town Hall, Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Kwai Tsing Theatre, Tuen Mun Town Hall and Yuen Long Theatre.

After Sunbeam closes, there will be  very few suitable venues  for Cantonese opera troupes to perform.

Sunbeam Theatre manager Yip Man-tak confirmed yesterday that the landlord had declined to renew the lease and that the August 21 performance would likely be the theatre's last show.

Yuen Siu-fai, a veteran opera actor and member of the advisory committee, said smaller troupes might have a hard time staging a performance after Sunbeam closes because government venues required more cash up front.

All public theatres require the organisers to pay their fees, which could be about $210,000 for a week's performance, four months in advance.

The advisory committee yesterday recommended the government relax its rules for opera troupes by only asking for a quarter of the rent before the performance and allowing troupes to pay the rest  from ticket sales. The government will also give Cantonese opera troupes priority  in September, which is their peak season.

Ko Shan Theatre has been made the de-facto  venue for local opera performances by giving priority to such bookings all year round.



Cantonese opera gets stellar deal as theatre closes down