--- id: "theatre-27-en" title: "Karaoke (2026 TFF) " subtitle: "" category: "theatre" startDate: "2026-08-21T06:30:00.000Z" endDate: "2026-08-22T11:30:00.000Z" status: "Upcoming Event" tags: ["Solo Performance"] venues: ["University Players Theatre, Taipei"] liveUrl: "https://www.rooftopproductions.hk/en/theatre/karaoke-tff" --- # Karaoke (2026 TFF) **Category:** THEATRE **Tags:** Solo Performance **Live Link:** https://www.rooftopproductions.hk/en/theatre/karaoke-tff ## Dates & Tickets - **Dates:** 21 Aug 2026 – 22 Aug 2026 - **Duration:** 1 hour 10 minutes - **Tickets:** NT$1000 - **Status:** Upcoming Event ## Description Award-winning Hong Kong creator Michelle Li weaves a sonic collage of coming-of-age stories of the millennial generation, reflecting the profound societal shifts of Hong Kong over the decades through the lens of memory. In the karaoke room, singing from the defiant lines of "How many storms have I weathered" to the vulnerability of "How hard it is for me to speak," and from the legacy of Anita Mui to the era of Jay Chou, Chinese pop classics have served as the emotional and cultural anchor for a generation of ethnically Chinese people. Even as "appearances have long since changed," the hope remains that the "feelings stay the same." “Karaoke” premiered at WestK Solo Fest 2026 (Hong Kong) with a full house and was highly acclaimed. It is being toured now. ## Feedback from the premiere “This work explores the inseparable, lingering relationship between people, their environment, and culture. It is not a didactic recounting of historical events, but a living page of history that you and I can understand; one we have personally lived through.” “Superb quality. Absolutely one of the best Hong Kong works I have ever seen in my life. From a personal story to the fate of Hong Kong; from popular culture to world history, the narrative is at once deeply personal and globally minded, both simple and richly layered.” “Once again, I am stunned by Michelle Li. An incredibly powerful and compelling performance! She masterfully controls the emotional tension and release of the audience, moving yet thoroughly entertaining. Through the performance, she bares the creator’s family story and most intimate emotions, while also articulating her reflections and feelings about social change and the broader political landscape. The personal and the societal mirror and illuminate each other. If you haven’t seen it, you simply cannot imagine it.” “The lyrics, text, archival footage, multimedia, and musical ‘editing’ are nothing short of virtuosic, a seamless series of ‘performative montages.’ It is truly exhilarating that Hong Kong has a performer who can so effortlessly and boldly ‘play with’ cross-media performance in this way.” “Rooftop Productions is currently one of the strongest and finest theatre collectives in Hong Kong. Karaoke" is filled with reflexivity and a philosophical approach of seeing society through the individual and the individual through society... It is the creator pouring herself out, writing a love letter to Hong Kong, her family, and herself.” ### Creator's Notes: *Karaoke* ### The Starting Point of Creation The creation of this piece began in 2023 at a singing workshop, taught by an international theater master from Europe. He gave us an assignment to present a traditional song from our own culture. "What? A traditional song?" All students from Hong Kong like me were deeply troubled. "What traditional songs does Hong Kong have? We have plenty of pop songs." Unlike some of the European students, who could easily come up with folk songs passed down for centuries, I wondered what song could possibly compare to that sense of historical context. What could I sing? Hakka fishing songs? But I'm not Hakkanese... How about nursery rhymes like ‘Bright moon, Shining on the Courtyard’? Well, my mom never sang that to me, at least not in my memory... Or perhaps *Feng Yang Fa Gu* that we learned in elementary school music class? Yet, the lyrics are in Mandarin, not even Cantonese... "Do I have to sing Cantonese opera? That's so cliché. Honestly, my mom couldn't even force me to sing that." A sudden thought gets in my head. The workshop took place on the top floor of The Hong Kong Arts Centre, with a fantastic view of Victoria Harbour. Across the harbour, the exterior wall of the M+ Museum was flashing crazily... “That's it! As a child who grew up in the British colonial era, I'll sing *Auld Lang Syne*." I even ran though a quick search online, Wikipedia said "The lyrics come from a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788, but inspired by an older Scottish folk song. Fantastic! An 18th century song, it’s even more traditional than Tong Tik-sang. Now, let me reconstruct the conversation I had with Ivor the night before the class, or perhaps the conversation in my head. “Really? You're choosing a song that the British sing at New Year? It’s kinda like *God of Fortune is Coming* in Lunar New Year.” “To me, it's not just a New Year's song.” “The lyrics are in English, and your mother tongue is Cantonese.” “Come on, Hong Kong used to be a British colony.” “You know you have better choices.” “No, I don't! Cantonese opera is not my culture; it's my mother's culture.” “You should listen to yourself.” “I don't want to sing Cantonese opera. Why force me to sing it? Why force me to accept it?” “Nobody is forcing you to accept it. But you know in your heart it's the better choice, at least more suited to what’s requested from you in this assignment.” As it turned out, singing Cantonese opera did indeed make me the teacher's pet in class. Looking out the window again, I felt slightly disappointed at myself. "Now, please continue writing. Document your experiences, emotions, and memories with words," the teacher threw out the next stage of the assignment. So, I wrote down that struggle before class. I wrote about the clips of singing Cantonese opera with my mom at karaoke when I was little. Feeling unsatisfied, I also wrote about singing with *Auld Lang Syne* at the farewell ceremony. Out of a desire to challenge the teacher, I decided to sing my favorite Canton pop songs during a traditional song course. Seeing a classmate writing about their parents' divorce, I tried to write about my own... In recording these struggles and oppositions, I gradually seemed to find my own story. Eventually, it became a piece of work, and it also allowed me to complete a healing journey of self-discovery. Looking back now, torn between the eastern and western culture seems to be the destiny of our generation of Hong Kong people. ### Memories are reconstructed I deeply realized the nature of this statement during the creative process (even as I write this article, I am reconstructing my own memories). Memories are very reliable, yet also very unreliable. What truly exists in the mind are only fragments, carrying intense emotions, and even prickly episodes. This is when photos, videos, written records, and interviews with family and friends play a huge role. They allow me to examine myself, to be faithful to the memories rather than just the emotions; slowly, they allow me to find the strength to look back. Even though this strength does not grant me a glimpse to the future, it allows me to grab a firmer stand in the present, so I won’t be too lost during these times where memories are gradually fading. I would also like to thank the creation and production team of *Karaoke*, especially the director, Ivor. Although I was all alone on stage during the performance, the creative process was never lonely. I am grateful to them for always listening to my stories, providing opinions and emotional support, and using their creativity to make the work better. I am also grateful to the producers in Hong Kong who trusted us; when the work was only twenty minutes long, they provided a platform for me to continue creating, giving me the opportunity to find the motivation to keep moving forward. Special thanks should also go to our co-presenter, production team and front desk helpers in Taiwan, especially to Wes and Vivien from Play In Thermae. If not for their encouragement, guidance and assistance, we will never be able to bring *Karaoke* to Taipei successfully. Thanks to you, the audience who come to the show, your presence completes it and thanks for supporting Hong Kong original works. ## Audience Information - **Language:** Cantonese and English, with Chinese and English subtitles - **Age Recommendation:** Suitable for ages 6 and above. ## Creative Team - **Creators:** Michelle Li, Ivor Houlker - **Concept:** Michelle Li - **Performer:** Michelle Li - **Writer:** Michelle Li - **Director:** Ivor Houlker - **Technical Manager:** Chun Yen Huang - **Lighting Designer:** Chun Yen Huang - **Sound Designer:** Homan So - **Video Designer:** Homan So - **Production Manager:** Lee Tsz Wai, Vivien - **Marketing Manager:** Wes Lin - **Graphic Designer:** Alfie Leung - **Presenter:** Rooftop Productions - **Surtitle Operator:** Elaine Ng - **Techinical Support:** LAIXIN Limited - **Front Desk Helpers:** Lin Huiying, Yang Hsuan-bang, Huang Siyu, Su PinWen - **Co-presenter:** Play in Thermae ## Venue ### University Players Theatre, Taipei - **Type:** Physical Location - **Map:** [View map](https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJPYSUZU6rQjQR5zNRc_jfec4) ![Map image showing the location of University Players Theatre, Taipei](https://imagedelivery.net/cnF_01lL_k87WoK7dlSk6Q/rooftop-maps/en/university-players-theatre/public) ## multimedia ![Karaoke_poster_20x30inch](https://imagedelivery.net/cnF_01lL_k87WoK7dlSk6Q/rooftop-images/karaoke-taipei-poster/quality=high,format=auto) ## Attribution & Copyright © 2026 Rooftop Productions. All rights reserved.