YuYu MiMi – A Love Story

Venue: Sapphire Art Space 
Time: 2008-05-01, 02 20:00 
         2008-05-03 15:00
Ticket: ￥280 (VIP), ￥120/￥50 (students)

Ticket Hotline: 11185
On-line booking: www.gdwhp.com(广东文化票务网)
Programme Enquiries: Ms Zhang 020-87047533－212

Director/Artistic Designer: Hoi Chiu
Puppeteers/Dancers: Hoi Chiu, Maggie Blue O'Hara

[The puppet workshop]

Background

YuYu MiMi began in 2002 while Hoi Chiu, a director and puppeteer from Hong Kong, was travelling in Spain. He had attended an inspiring international puppet festival and while sitting in a cafe in Barcelona, he drew 20 fine-lined, black ink illustrations in his sketchbook The first drawing began by tracing the round shape of an ashtray, dividing the circle into four and then drawing a boy's face on one side and a girl's face on the other with a surreal face of the wind blowing in the center. Below the circle Hoi Chiu drew the words: Love Story. This was the birth of YuYu MiMi, before he knew the title or what this creation would soon develop into.

A year later he met a Canadian couple, Rick Scott and Valley Hennell, who have been producing music together for 25 years. They were in Hong Kong collaborating on The Five Elements, a musical stage show for the Hong Kong Arts Carnival, for which Hoi Chiu was director. Hoi Chiu loved the sound of Rick Scott's instrument, the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, and shared his story of the black ink drawings with them.

Rick and Valley felt a personal connection with YuYu and MiMi's story of love, separation and reunion. Coincidently, photos of them when they were younger resemble YuYu and MiMi. They bonded instantly with Hoi Chiu and were inspired to make his illustrations into a book, with poetic English text by Valley and an accompanying soundtrack of Rick's dulcimer music.

In 2004, Hoi Chiu travelled to Vancouver to direct the Canadian tour of The Five Elements. There he met Maggie Blue O'Hara, an actress/dancer and well known animation voice-over artist, and together they created All Theatre Company, an international, multimedia performance group. Hoi Chiu lived in BC for 10 months and, with Rick and Valley, turned YuYu MiMi into a puppet show, soundtrack and book. Hoi Chiu created illustrations, drawing and painting while Valley and Maggie wrote the English text.

At night, they would all sit by the fire as Rick held his dulcimer close to his heart, walked gently around the freshly done paintings and played songs inspired by the drawings.

History

YuYu MiMi is based on a collection of illustrations by Hong Kong's actor/director/puppeteer Hoi Chiu. It was adapted for stage for the 2005 Birmingham International Puppet Festival in England. In 2007, an expanded multimedia production waseatured in the prestigious Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The show features hand carved wooden puppets and sets designed by Hoi Chiu, an original score by award winning Canadian composer Rick Scott, English text and poetry by Valerie Hennell and stage adaptation by Maggie Blue O'Hara.

All Theatre Company was invited to premiere YuYu MiMi at the Birmingham International Puppet Festival in 2005. Hoi Chiu continued to master his woodcarving skills while building his YuYu and MiMi characters into puppets. Under his direction, Valley produced the soundtrack recording at the oceanfront house she and Rick share on a tiny island off the coast of BC.

Rick sang and played dulcimer with Maggie Blue as singer/narrator. Hoi Chiu and Maggie Blue travelled to England in June and the show was a success, considered to be "touching, authentic and innovative."

The new version of YuYu MiMi – A Love Story featured two puppeteers, namely Hoi Chiu and Maggie Blue, original songs, and video collage. It was premiered in Asia at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in March 2007, and will enjoy its Guangzhou debut in May 1-3, 2008.

Synopsis

YuYu MiMi is a unique exploration of first love, memories and the unspoken: a classic love story told through hand-carved rod puppets, Chinese paper-cut shadow puppets, contemporary choreography and original music.

Source: lifeofguangzhou.com

Editor: Jessie Hwang