Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Announces its 2018-19 Season Opening Performance THE BIG MEAL

At various festivals or special occasion, families often meet for special meals, gathering together members spanning several generations. The highlight of such gatherings is the time spent together as a family, while food is merely the "cherry on top". Different relationships within each family often reveal themselves at such occasions, which allow one to sample the many flavours of life, while we may have experienced similar scenarios ourselves.

The Big Meal, written by Dan LeFranc, formerly Visiting Lecturer running the MFA Playwriting Workshop at the Yale School of Drama, was lauded as Best Play of the Year by the Chicago Tribune before receiving its Off-Broadway premiere in 2012 and nominated as Outstanding Play at the Drama Desk Awards. The upcoming production is translated and directed by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Anthony Chan, starring Lui Si Lan, Chow Chi Fai, Mercy Wong, Wang Wei, ManMan Kwok, Eddy Au Yeung, Regan Tong (A Group), Tom Yan (A Group), Yives Hon (B Group) and Nate Leung (B Group), running from 15 to 27 May at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Two public previews will also be held on 12 and 13 May 2018. Tickets are now available at URBTIX.

The Big Meal captures many meals of five generations of a family, as scenes follow each other in tight succession, chronicling the many flavors - from sweet to bitter, sour to spicy - of family relationships. Some far-reaching beliefs and values are passed on subconsciously from generation to generation through meals - son becoming father, father becoming grandfather - as years fall by quickly.

Playwright of the Big Meal, Dan LeFranc, takes the audience onto a succinct yet powerful journey depicting different chapters of life through a series of 54 meals which involve five generations of a family, portrayed by eight different actors: a young person in one scene becomes a middle-age adult in the next, portrayed by a different actor. The fast pace of the piece alludes to how quickly life passes by and how changes could occur swiftly. Each person takes on to certain degree personality traits of his/her parents, be they desirable or not. Children are extensions of the parents. It is the playwright's intention to explore how the "DNA" of each family influences subsequent generations.

Like a roller-coaster ride, The Big Meal brings to life the many flavours of life. "This drama discusses the great number of things one does in his/her lifetime, including the extension of life through a new generation, who then in turns extends the family further with another generation. A similar theme was also explored in Footprints in the Snow. The five generations in The Big Meal seem to display more and more apathy towards their family with each younger generation, yet deep down there is love. The way of expressing such love is more subtle, simple yet easy to understand, expressed in a profound manner. Although the drama was written in the West, the subject of love for one's family is universal. For this production, I have made slight alterations in the script in order to better reach out to the Hong Kong audience," said Anthony Chan, translator and director of this production.

Translator / Director Anthony Chan
Anthony Chan is among the few distinguished theatre professionals with expertise in not only playwriting and directing but also set design, theatre education and stage management. His scripts (including translations and adaptations) number more than 100; he has directed more than 80s productions and designed sets for 13 shows. A former Head of Directing and Playwriting at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) who served for 19 years at the institution, he has dedicated himself to nurturing a new generation of playwrights and directors. He also devised the curriculum for the M.F.A. degree in Drama (Directing) before his departure from HKAPA.

A frequent award-winner, Chan was the 1991 Artists of the Year from the Hong Kong Artists' Guild. Other accolades include "Outstanding Achievements of the Decade" in 1994 and "Outstanding Translator-Silver Jubilee Commemorative Award" in 2009 from the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies. His works had also received numerous awards from the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies and the Chinese Drama Festival.

His scripts cover a wide range of topics, each a microcosm of dramatic mastery, including his classic piece Metamorphosis under the Stars; Footprint in the Snow-which was the winner of the Best Production of The 10th Chinese Drama Festival (2016); Dr. Faustus, the adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's masterpiece; Field of Dreams the Musical, the winner of Best Overall Performance Award at Hong Kong Drama Awards when launching 1st run in 2008; as well as A Bowlful of Kindnessfeaturing the good old salad days of Hong Kong. All of these reveal Chan's unique perspective and his ability to shape words for the stage, as well as his enthusiasm and talent in the dramatic arts.

Since assuming the position of Artistic Director at Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRep) in 2008, Chan has led the following productions: Caligula (translator & director), A Flea in Her Ear (adaptor & director), Boundless Movement (director), Scrooge - the Musical (translator), Love's Labour's Won (playwright & director), Cao Yu's Last Soliloquy (playwright), Reverie of an Empire (playwright), 18/F Flat C (director) , Wait Until Dark (adaptor & director), Hello, Dolly! the Musical (translator & director), Wolf in the House (director), The Imaginary Invalid (translator), 1894 Hong Kong Plague - the Musical (co-playwright), In Times of Turmoil (director), Reincarnation of the Prunus Mume (playwright & director) and many others. As an avid supporter of the development of local original drama and dedicated to the artistic mission of HKRep, Chan has contributed his talents in playwriting, directing and management, initiated Reader's Theatre, Black Box Theatre, Playwright Lab, fostered theatre literature studies and publication as well as education strengthened international exchange for the theatre company. Always keen to discover a new generation of theatre artists, he brings HKRep onto new milestones.

Chan obtained his M.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver, having received prior training in theatre, art and design. He was made Honorary Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in June 2013. He is currently a member of the China Theatre Association and an assessor of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

Please visit www.hkrep.com for more information

Advanced booking for the productions in the 2018-19 season is now available (until 28 May 2018), offering up to 30% discount. Programme details available at www.hkrep.com/1818 Subscription programme enquiry: 3103 5900.

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