WestK Performing Arts Centre to Open in Hong Kong

Opening in 2027, WestK Performing Arts Centre (WestK PAC) is the latest addition to the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong's cultural tourism landmark, spanning 40 hectares alongside Hong Kong's iconic Victoria Harbour. The Centre joins WestK's existing landmark arts and cultural facilities including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues such as the Xiqu Centre and Freespace, as well as the 11-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade.

Designed by leading Dutch architecture practice UNStudio, in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based architecture firm AD+RG, WestK PAC is envisioned as a flagship venue for dance and theatre in Hong Kong and Asia, and a multi-cultural platform for international performing arts exchange. Emerging as the newest world-class arts venue in Hong Kong, WestK PAC is dedicated to showcasing premier dance, theatre and musical performances, from large-scale international productions to experimental and interdisciplinary works, from around the globe.

Spanning a 7,747 square-metre site, WestK PAC comprises a 1,450-seat Grand Theatre, a 600-seat Medium Theatre, a 270-seat Studio Theatre and 148-seat The Hall. It also features a Dancehouse as the resident company centre, which has a gross floor area of 4,846 square metres and eight state-of-the-art rehearsal studios, physiotherapy room and other facilities, with space to accommodate three to four resident companies. The design takes full advantage of the Centre's spectacular waterfront location, providing sweeping views in both directions. Transparency and openness serve as the core of the design – with large sections of the facade glazed to provide opportunity to glimpse inside at artists rehearsing or to observe activities. Each theatre has its own foyer with overlooks, allowing all theatres to open simultaneously, so that theatre-goers and members of the public alike can enjoy a 'see and be seen' atmosphere.

Hong Kong Ballet will become WestK PAC's first Resident Company. Founded in 1979, Hong Kong Ballet comprises 50 dancers from around the world and has been led by Artistic Director Septime Webre since 2017. Internationally acclaimed for its dynamic repertoire, the Company presents classical and contemporary works by Webre and resident choreographer Hu Song Wei Ricky alongside those of some of the world's most celebrated choreographers, including George Balanchine, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Justin Peck, Jiří Kylián and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Hong Kong Ballet will inaugurate WestK PAC with the world premiere of Bruce Lee: Hong Kong Legend, a new ballet by Webre inspired by the life and global legacy of the martial arts and cultural icon, before embarking on an international tour.

WestK PAC's opening season will feature world and Asian premieres, international co-commissions and original Hong Kong productions, realising WestK's vision of establishing a leading performing arts destination and regional theatre hub. From large-scale dance theatre works, cross-regional theatre collaborations, original musicals to immersive and contemporary multidisciplinary performances, the dynamic line-up of opening programmes reflects the breadth and diversity of artistic practices that will define WestK PAC's distinctive artistic positioning. It offers audiences a vibrant and expansive celebration of artistic innovation and cultural exchange.

Paul Tam, Executive Director, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said, “The forthcoming WestK Performing Arts Centre (WestK PAC) is envisioned to be a distinctive artistic home for dance and theatre with its own voice, identity and creative purpose. The opening programme reflects this vision, bringing together world-class productions, ambitious cross-regional partnerships and original works developed in and from Hong Kong. We aim to establish WestK PAC as a platform where artists from different cultures and disciplines can interact and collaborate, and where local stories can engage global audiences. WestK PAC will contribute to define a new model for artistic exchange and shape the future of performing arts, strengthening Hong Kong's position as a leading cultural destination in Asia.”

WestK Performing Arts Centre Inaugural Season

World and Asian premieres of world-class dance and theatre productions, alongside spectacular musical blockbusters, to open the Centre

WestK PAC will present a wide range of world-class dance, theatre and musical theatre productions by renowned artists and leading art groups from around the world, offering audiences fresh and inspiring artistic experiences. Apart from internationally acclaimed Broadway productions and celebrated local musicals, highlights include:

• The world premiere of TENDERNESS DATA, a major new co-commission and co-production by acclaimed British choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor, inspired by research into physical intelligence, artificial intelligence and emerging quantum technologies. This is also one of the results of collaboration agreements signed by WestK Performing Arts with leading overseas arts and cultural institutions at the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit, held during Art March earlier this year.
• The Asian premiere of Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic, a bold performance work created by internationally acclaimed performance artist Marina Abramović. Drawing on Balkan folklore, ancient rituals and traditions, the work interweaves dance, music and performance art to explore eroticism, spirituality and the human body as a site of power, mystery and transformation. Co-commissioned by WestK Performing Arts with international partners and produced by Factory International, it offers audiences a powerful encounter with one of Abramović's most ambitious creations.
• The world premiere of The Crossing (Working Title), a newly commissioned co-production directed by renowned choreographer Marco Gerris, founder and Artistic Director of the acclaimed Dutch street dance group ISH Dance Collective. Set in the Kowloon Walled City, the work brings together an all-Hong Kong cast of artists working across street dance, urban sports and the performing arts in an unprecedented cross-disciplinary production.

A series of cross-regional co-commissions and co-productions making their world and Hong Kong premieres to celebrate the opening of the Centre

Wong Fei Hung | Dance Drama (World Premiere)

July 2027 at Grand Theatre, WestK PAC

• Wong Fei Hung (world premiere) is a new dance drama production inspired by the martial artist and physician Wong Fei Hung (1847-1925), one of the most enduring figures in the Chinese-speaking world. Bringing together creative talents from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangdong, the work draws on the southern Chinese region of Lingnan's rich cultural heritage and evokes shared memories across generations and cities, reimagining the legendary hero for today's audiences through a thrilling blend of contemporary dance and martial arts.

• Wong Fei Hung is directed by acclaimed choreographers Li Xing and Zhang Peng, with a script by celebrated playwright Lan Xiaolong, and original music by renowned film and television composer Akun, accompanied by live musicians from Hong Kong. The creative team also includes Hong Kong movie stunt-team, stage designer Jan Wong, internationally acclaimed lighting designer Tom Visser, award-winning Costume Designer Yang Donglin – recipient of multiple national honours including the Wenhua Award – and leading stylist Jia Lei. Performed by top Chinese Mainland dance artists and other dance performers from the Shanghai Dance Theatre and Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre, this work offers a powerful, modern interpretation of Wong's legacy of courage, integrity and resilience.
• Wong Fei Hung is presented by WestK Performing Arts and the production is made possible by Shanghai Media Group (SMG), SMG LIVE, the Publicity Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Tourism, Radio and Television. It is produced by He Sheng Dance Theatre · HS Production.

Thus Have I Heard: A Play Inspired by The Diamond Sutra | Theatre (Hong Kong Premiere)

October 2027 at Medium Theatre, WestK PAC

• Thus Have I Heard: A Play Inspired by The Diamond Sutra (Hong Kong premiere) is a new theatrical work that weaves the wisdom of the Diamond Sutra into a narrative interlaced across multiple dimensions of space. Co-commissioned by WestK Performing Arts and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and co-produced by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, the work continues the spiritual-healing journey sparked by Tang Shu-wing's acclaimed Bhagavad Gita and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, as well as the absurdist humour found in Nick Rongjun Yu's plays The Insane Asylum Next to Heaven and Left Unsaid.

• Bringing together leading theatre-makers from Hong Kong and Shanghai, the work imagines ancient wisdom for today's audiences, exploring questions of identity, attachment and enlightenment that resonate across cultures and generations.

• Thus Have I Heard: A Play Inspired by The Diamond Sutra is written by renowned playwright and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre Artistic Director Nick Rongjun Yu and directed by veteran Hong Kong theatre director, actor and educator Tang Shu-wing. It features a cross-regional cast of theatre artists from Hong Kong, Shanghai and India.

City of Floating Sounds | City Sonic Journey and Immersive Symphonic Experience (Hong Kong Premiere)

December 2027 at Grand Theatre, WestK PAC and designated city routes

• City of Floating Sounds, created by internationally acclaimed composer Huang Ruo, is an innovative large-scale music experience that transforms a city into a living, evolving symphonic composition.

• The Hong Kong premiere of City of Floating Sounds also begins as a city-wide sonic journey. Guided by a bespoke mobile application by creative technologist Josh Kopeček @ECHOES, audience will follow different urban routes while playing pre-recorded symphonic parts performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The journeyculminates at WestK PAC, where participants will join a live performance by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) and experience the multidimensional impact of music resonating from all directions. The work invites audiences to experience both the city and live music through discovery, reflection, and collective listening.

• This work is co-commissioned by WestK Performing Arts, Factory International, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Taichung Theater, produced by Factory International with music recorded by the BBC Philharmonic, the Hong Kong edition will culminate in a live performance by the HK Phil.

Hong Kong original productions nurturing and showcasing local performing arts talent

Bruce Lee: Hong Kong Legend | Ballet (World Premiere)

September and October 2027 at Grand Theatre, WestK PAC

• A new original ballet Bruce Lee: Hong Kong Legend (world premiere) draws inspiration from the remarkable life, enduring spirit and global legacy of international martial arts and cultural icon Bruce Lee. The work celebrates his journey from Hong Kong to international stardom and his lasting influence on martial arts, cinema and popular culture.

• Bruce Lee: Hong Kong Legend is presented by Hong Kong Ballet in collaboration with WestK Performing Arts. The production will receive its world premiere at WestK PAC before embarking on an international tour across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and North America.

• Created by Hong Kong Ballet's Artistic Director and Choreographer Septime Webre, the production brings together an international creative team, including Tony, Grammy and Obie award-winning librettist David Henry Hwang, Academy Award-winning set and Costume Designer Tim Yip, the World Wushu champion and veteran action director Jaden He and renowned composer Ng Cheuk-yin. Blending ballet with martial arts-inspired movement, the work features an original score performed by a full orchestra along with traditional Chinese instruments and a rock band.

The Impossible Trial – a musical | Musical (The Fourth Hong Kong Run and Premiere at the WestK PAC)

Spring 2028, Grand Theatre, WestK PAC

• The award-winning The Impossible Trial – a musical is the first original Cantonese musical commissioned by WestK Performing Arts, co-presented and co-produced with the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre. It will make a grand debut in spring 2028 at the newly opened WestK PAC, marking its third rerun in Hong Kong.

• Since the musical's premiere at WestK's Xiqu Centre in 2022, the musical has built strong critical acclaim and following. With a total of 110 performances across its tours and return runs, it has become one of the representative works of original Hong Kong musical theatre in recent years. In addition to its strong box-office performance, the production has achieved notable artistic recognition, receiving more than 30 major industry awards in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland since 2023. It has become a landmark work in original Chinese-language musicals.

• In 2025, The Impossible Trial – a musical toured Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, attracting close to 65,000 audience members across 53 performances. In August 2026, the musical returned to Shanghai Culture Square for a sold-out run of 20 performances.

• The musical features a creative team from Hong Kong, including composer, arranger and musical director Leon Ko, lyricist Chris Shum, playwright Cheung Fei Fan, director Fong Chun Kit, staging director and choreographer Ivanhoe Lam, scenographer Wong Yat Kwan. Co-presented with the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, the 2028 rerun will star Lau Shau Ching, Leung Chung Hang, Jordan Cheng, Ronny Yuen, Tunes Ting, Sheena Chan, Clinton Zhang, Man Fei Yeung and more.

My Dance Future: Talk & Show Series | Dance (World Premiere)

October 2027 at Studio Theatre, WestK PAC

• My Dance Future: Talk & Show Series (world premiere) is a new WestK Performing Arts commission, conceived and directed by veteran Hong Kong choreographer, performer and theatre maker Dick Wong and produced and presented by WestK Performing Arts.

• The work brings together five independent Hong Kong dance artists from different generations, ranging from their twenties to their sixties and representing Generation Z, Generation Y (Millennials), Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation. Drawing on their personal experiences and creative practices, the artists reflect on their artistic journeys, evolving perspectives and aspirations for the future of dance.

• Blurring the boundaries between discourse and performance, the series intertwines movement, storytelling and personal reflection in intimate performative talks tailored to each artist. Through this intergenerational dialogue, it celebrates the diversity and continuing evolution of Hong Kong's dance community, while imagining new futures for dance beyond the conventional stage.

This extensive network of partnerships will further strengthen WestK PAC as an important platform for cross-regional collaboration and cultural exchange, while enabling Hong Kong artists to develop their practice through the creation of a new work with internationally acclaimed choreographers, expanding the international reach of Hong Kong's performing arts and bringing forward-looking, impactful artistic experiences to the wider public.