--- id: "entity-93-en" name: "Rooftop Productions" type: "company" subtitle: "A Hong Kong theatre company creating contemporary original and devised performances" liveUrl: "https://www.rooftopproductions.hk/en/company/rooftop-productions" socials: ["website: https://rooftopproductions.hk", "email: info@rooftopproductions.hk", "instagram: https://instagram.com/rooftopproductions", "facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rooftopproductions.hk", "artmate: https://www.art-mate.net/doc/12050?lang=en", "youtube: https://youtube.com/RooftopproductionsHkLimited", "twitter: https://x.com/rooftop_hk", "bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rooftopproductions.hk", "linkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rooftop-productions-hong-kong"] --- # Rooftop Productions **A Hong Kong theatre company creating contemporary original and devised performances** ## Description ## About Us Rooftop Productions was founded in 2014 in Hong Kong by Ivor Houlker (from the UK) and Michelle Li (a local Hongkonger). We make original theatre works which are influenced by pressing social and cultural issues in Hong Kong at the moment. Our shows are devised; starting without a script, and working intertextually with things like interview transcripts, fragments of historical text or plays, philosophy or original material generated with our performers. We work in a multidisciplinary way, trying to integrate all the different aspects of theatre in our creative process, from live music to live video and even live interaction with mobile apps. In 2022, we won the *Award for Young Artists (Drama)* in the 16th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, for our pioneering work in arts-tech. ##Actor Training and Theatre in Education Apart from our professional shows, we also work with young actors and schools to promote contemporary training methodologies, and an understanding of modern theatre practice that goes beyond more traditional ways of teaching 'drama'. This means creating specialised courses that put students in contact with theatre artists who are well known in their fields, allowing them to gain first hand practical skills as well as a depth of theoretical knowledge to back it up. Our international background and education means that we're able to work in both English and Cantonese speaking environments, bringing specialist knowledge to both. ##Innovation and Technology ###Pushing Technology Forward We try to push the boundaries of live performance by integrating technology in innovative ways, while still retaining the liveness that makes theatre unique. The integration of technology into our scenography has been repeatedly recognised in awards, and we are known for using live video feeds and projection in our work, such as using live green screen in Testimony, or other complex live camera work as in Songs of Innocence and Experience.  We're also known for being the first theatre company in Hong Kong to write our own interactive apps for use in shows. ###Using Apps in Theatre In 2015, The Beautiful Oneswas our first official show as a company, which used an app to take the audience on a guided audio walk through the local area before returning to the theatre for the second half.  In 2017 we went on to make another app-based show, Lost Shoreline, expanding massively on the scale and level of interactivity in the app, using GPS and local phone numbers to give the audience the freedom to really explore the area. Thanks to the success and popularity of the app, we were invited to host talks and seminars about the creative experience. We were also invited to Tokyo for an exchange programme organised by the Goethe institute Japan. ###Online Theatre in 2020-2021 As theatre events moved online in 2020, we started work on Presence, an online platform to allow remote participation in theatre-inspired events. Presence uses specially built robot cars that can be remotely operated over the internet, allowing you to navigate a space and interact with performers via text-to-speech. After the first presentation of the R&D on Presence, we're already working on several shows that expand on the idea of hybrid online/real life performances. ## Previous Shows - **Karaoke** (8 – 9 Jan 2026) In Karaoke, Rooftop Productions’ Michelle Li presents a devised solo work exploring identity through archival stories, Canto pop, and family memories. - **History Play** (30 Oct – 2 Nov 2025) History Play Rehearsed Reading is a bold devised work reimagining Shakespeare’s Richard II through a genre-defying mix of rap, metal, and Cantonese opera. - **Karaoke ** (15 Oct 2024) Karaoke is a devised work by Rooftop Productions. Michelle Li uses song to navigate Hong Kong’s modern history, memory, and personal identity. - **Songs of Innocence and Experience** (27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024) Songs of Innocence and Experience is a vibrant devised work from Rooftop Productions, exploring the tumultuous journey to adulthood in contemporary HK. - **Presence** (17 – 26 Mar 2023) Presence Phase 2 is an immersive telepresence performance. Control robotic vehicles to explore real-world sites and unlock stories in this hybrid work. - **Songs of Innocence and Experience** (20 – 24 Jun 2022) Songs of Innocence and Experience at HKAPA is a poignant devised work exploring the threshold of adulthood, reimagining Milton’s themes of rebellion. - **Presence** (22 – 28 Mar 2022) Presence Phase 1: An immersive remote theatre experience by Rooftop Productions. Navigate physical spaces via ROV to explore agency, space, and exile. - **We Still Dance** (18 Nov – 30 Dec 2021) We Still Dance: Explore Tsuen Wan via immersive digital theatre. Rooftop Productions merges contemporary dance with AR tech to unveil the city’s past. - **Testimony** (15 – 18 Aug 2019) Testimony is a powerful devised work exploring the invisible history of Hong Kong's South Asian community, challenging systemic exclusion through art. - **The Furies Variations** (7 – 9 Dec 2018) The Furies Variations is a devised theatre piece reimagining justice through Aeschylus, Kafka, and live rock. Explore morality, law, and our society. - **Not The Maids** (11 – 13 Aug 2017) Not The Maids is a devised theatre production deconstructing the identities of Hong Kong's domestic workers, reclaiming their lives beyond the labels. - **Lost Shoreline** (22 Apr – 2 May 2017) Explore Lost Shoreline: an immersive audio-walk performance in Yau Ma Tei. Use GPS to uncover the city’s hidden history and the cost of urban renewal. - **Milk and Honey** (17 – 20 Jul 2016) Milk and Honey is a unique song theatre piece by Rooftop Productions. Exploring migration through myths and 20+ global folk songs, are you satisfied? - **The Beautiful Ones** (11 – 20 Dec 2015) The Beautiful Ones is a site-specific immersive theatre experience, blending audio tours and physical performance to explore human isolation in urbanity. ## Meet Our Founders - **Ivor Houlker** - **Michelle Li** ## Awards & Recognition - **Winner of :** Scenography of the Year - IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2024 - **Winner of :** Best Original Music (Drama) - 33rd Hong Kong Drama Awards - **Winner of :** Outstanding Production of the Year - 33rd Hong Kong Drama Awards - **Winner of :** Award for Young Artist (Drama) - The 16th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards (2021) - **Winner of :** Best Scenography - 12th Hong Kong Theatre Libre (2019-2020) - **Winner of :** Performance of the Year - IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2019 - **Winner of :** Best Scenography - IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2019 - **Winner of :** Best Scenography - 11th Hong Kong Theatre Libre (2018-2019) - **Winner of :** Best Stage Effect - 9th Hong Kong Theatre Libre (2016-2017) - **Winner of :** Best Stage Effect - 8th Hong Kong Theatre Libre (2015-2016) ## What Critics Say > ""Karaoke" is tightly structured, its balance between private and collective memory deftly calibrated. Li’s crisp diction and instinctive comic timing draw the audience close. Her recent collaborations with the Hong Kong company Rooftop Productions have been consistently surprising; one senses she is poised for yet another leap." — *Critic* > "This work echoes the growth experience of the devising actors... Some of the stories are also their personal stories, juxtaposed with John Milton's Paradise Lost. They handled the interweaving of the stories very smoothly, and because of their sincere and honest performance, the audience was very moved." — *RTHK Arts News* > "What touched me most was the personal stories between the performers and their own helpers at home. " — *RTHK Artscritique* > "The production was inspired by site-specific theatre, auto-theatre, immersive theatre, promenade theatre and other elements... it can be seen that a lot of effort was spent on writing the mobile app, and research into Yau Ma Tei. Allowing the audience to wander around the designated area is a very fresh experience." — *RTHK Artscritique* > "While telling stories of fallen angels, they made the audience think about their own relationships with power; I think it's very successful." — *RTHK Arts News* ## multimedia ![Lung Jes embodies the poetic longing of Milk and Honey in this key visual. The production explores metaphorical richness through striking, high-contrast imagery.](https://res.cloudinary.com/rphk/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1/rooftop-images/rooftop-productions-key-visual-from-milk-and-honey-with-jes-lung-holding-up-some-grapes)