Hong Kong theatres struggle to preserve costumes, props for public amid storage woes

Hong Kong theatres are struggling to preserve costumes and props from popular stage productions for public viewing amid a lack of space and funds, with some industry leaders calling for the creation of a dedicated archive to safeguard the city’s cultural gems.

As some call for the creation of an institution similar to the government-run Hong Kong Film Archive, local theatre companies are working to collect and curate items to share their histories with the public.

Among them is the Chung Ying Theatre Company, which has turned a basement room spanning less than 200 square feet at the former British Military Hospital in Mid-Levels into an archive.

“The theatre company was established in 1979, but the archive was not started until 2018,” said Christy Lee Shuk-kwan, the company’s head of programme and communications.

“We hope to keep items that are of commemorative value to us and at the same time record the story and meaning behind them. We hope they will be accessible to the public. Only then will the archive be a true account for the industry and be helpful for future research.”

The conservation effort was made possible thanks to a HK$1 million (US$128,000) grant over an 18-month period from the government’s Contestable Funding Pilot Scheme for the Major Performing Arts Groups.