Songs of Innocence and Experience Key Visual

Songs of Innocence and Experience Poster

Rooftop Productions

Music Theatre

Songs of Innocence and Experience (HKAPA)

Name: Songs of Innocence and Experience
Start: Mon Jun 20 2022 11:45:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
End: Fri Jun 24 2022 11:45:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Location: Hong Kong APA Studio Theatre

In a world losing its innocence, what does it mean to grow up?

20–24 Jun 2022

Hong Kong APA Studio Theatre

1 hour 45 minutes

Creative Team Gallery Directors' Notes

University students are caught between innocence and experience; between respecting conventions and rejecting the old in favour of the new.

Songs of Innocence and Experience was created by this group of young people, reflecting on their personal experiences growing up. Their intertextual work exists in relation to John Milton’s Paradise Lost; much in the same way as William Blake’s collection of illustrated poetry, Songs of Innocence and of Experience.John Milton wrote Paradise Lost after the English Civil War, describing how a group of fallen angels lost the war in heaven, and mankind fell by eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge. This great and controversial work inspired countless later works. Can Milton’s story, along with our own experiences and reflections on growing up, help us to find a way to face ourselves, the present, and the future?

Cast

Today, I’m going to introduce my newest creation - my son!

Lo Man-chak

Himself / God

God, I don’t understand. Why was I created?

Caroline Chan

Herself/Satan (Lucifer)

Mak Ho-tin

Himself / Milton / Beelzebub

Lee On-sang

Herself / Moloch

Chew Yu-yeung

Himself / Mammon

Sum Cheuk-yiu

Herself / Abdiel

Mok Kok-pong

Himself / Michael

If I leave, will I still be able to come back?

Sin Lok-yan

Herself / Eve / Angel

But I’m not Jesus, I don’t have any great ability

Cheung Cheuk-hang

Himself / Angel

Songs of Innocence and Experience Rehearsal

Lau Ka-ying

Herself / Belial

Wu Lui-fung

Band Leader / Guitar/ Bass / Sheng / Chinese flute

Chin Wing-kar

Guzheng / Guitar / Bass / Cello / Ukulele / Keys / Tubular Bells

Tsang Yuen-lam Ivy

Keys / Tubular Bells / Cello / Bass

Sung Kwok-tung

Drums / Gong

Creative and Production Team

Directors	Michelle Li, Ivor Houlker
Producer	Michelle Li
Choreographer	Lee On-sang
Collaborating Actors	Lo Man-chak‡, Caroline Chan, Mak Ho-tin‡, Lee On-sang‡, Chew Yu-yeung¶, Sum Cheuk-yiu§, Mok Kok-pong, Sin Lok-yan§, Cheung Cheuk-hang§, Lau Ka-ying#, Chin Wing-kar, Wu Lui-fung
Lighting Designer	Bills Tin
Musician	Wu Lui-fung, Chin Wing-kar, Tsang Yuen-lam Ivy, Sung Kwok-tung
Sound Designer	Allison Fong Tsz-ching
Set and Costume Designer	Tracy Giu Yuen-man
Video Designer	Fong Hiu-tan
Associate Set Designer	Dominic Yau Man-tat
Graphic Designer	Alfie Leung
Promotion Photographer	Ivor Houlker
Choral Practice Leaders	Sum Cheuk-yiu, Cheung Cheuk-hang
Production Manager	Dickson Chiang Tak-chun

*Year 3
‡Final Year
§Year 3
¶Final Year
#Year 2
**Year 1

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Awards & Recognition

Awards and recognition for shows or achievemenets

Nominated for

Scenography of the Year

IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2022

Nominated for

Director of the Year

IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2022

Nominated for

Best Scenography

14th Hong Kong Theatre Libre (2022-2023)

Gallery

What Critics Say

Quotes from reviews and articles about us and our shows

Directors' Notes

First of all, we would like to thank the Drama School for their trust, especially Mr. Roy Szeto and Mr. Terrence Cheng, for inviting Rooftop Productions to devise a new piece with their students. We felt trusted, even when we had only the most minimal concept of what the show would be. Roy said “Due to the pandemic, these students will only be involved in one performance this year; I hope that you can make arrangements for the whole rehearsal process so that their time will be well-spent.”

Devising usually begins with a stimulus, and we proposed Paradise Lost, while other works such as Catcher in the Rye, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Tristram Shandy were references for the style of personal stories, while Bo Burnham’s recent Inside was a reference for original songwriting. Paradise Lost became the main focus, and further research added more influence from Milton’s life and other works. The reading list alone probably sounds like enough material for a year, but the vast majority of our time together was spent creating.

It’s important for us that everyone on the team has authorial involvement, and a sense of ownership of the content. Different people write or propose ideas for scenes or songs based on different stimuli, test approaches in rehearsal, experiment, write and rewrite. We create a large number of different fragments like this, and constantly rearrange their structure based on themes, arcs and interesting juxtapositions. Much of the material is discarded as we narrow down on what is necessary, and new fragments are added in order to create meaning, or join disconnected ideas.The process is much more like editing a documentary than writing a script.

The idea of the ’edit’ is present not just as an organising principle of the performance, but as a scenographic device. The use of cameras and cuts between them explicitly borrows the language of Eisenstein’s montage. The performance creates meaning in the joining of different fragments, both in time, and in space. Perhaps this reflects the “multiplicity and contrariety of the world in which we live,” but someone already said that about Josef Svoboda’s projections in the ‘60s, so hopefully we’re not too far behind.

The interaction between different design elements is a central part of the show’s emphasis on multiplicity and collage. Objects have to interact with cameras, which interact with lighting, which interacts with sound, forcing traditionally separate departments to work together very precisely to achieve the necessary effect. Thanks to the students from the TEA school, and the staff from the production office for their passionate pursuit of these ideas, facilitating communication and working in multidisciplinary ways to push the boundaries of what can be done.

From our first meeting with the team for this production, we knew we wanted to use their talent for music as a major element in the show. We were also very grateful to have a gifted group of first years assigned to us who were willing to spend a lot of time learning to be in a band, instead of ‘acting.’ It’s important to us that all the elements of theatre are live and present in the space (back to Svoboda, who complained of too many prerecorded elements ‘enslaving’ the performer, losing “that which is beautiful about theatre.”) The music is a combination of both original pieces written by the team, and references that the audience may recognise. It can be a vehicle for a story, an intertextual reference to shared culture or experiences, or a Greek chorus obliquely commenting on the action.

The interplay between the epic and the everyday is an essential element when working from a text like Paradise Lost, humanising gods and elevating the mundane. Ultimately, we want to tell our own stories: stories that only we can tell, which reflect the place and times we are living through. The epic is a vehicle, rather than a museum piece, and so the author has to die and let us get on with it. This is a generation living through significant historical events; the art we make should reflect our time.

We are delighted to have met these fifteen students from the School of Drama during a low time for the whole performing arts industry. Your sincerity, courage, talent, determination and hope for the future have been constantly touching. Thank you for not giving up when you are lost, for persisting in finding your own value, and the value of the performance, after you wipe away your tears. Thank you for your trust in us. The world might not become better in an instant, but we hope that over the last nine months, we have seized our fate and spent our time well.

Michelle Li, Ivor Houlker

About the Artists

Learn more about everyone involved in the production

Michelle Li

Michelle Li Yuen Jing is the founder and co-artistic director of Rooftop Productions, and the recipient of the Award for Young Artist (Drama) at the 16th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Performance Creation from Goldsmiths, University of London, and holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in English Studies from the University of Hong Kong.

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Director

Producer

Ivor Houlker

Ivor Houlker is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, who works internationally as a director, actor, musician, and programmer. He specialises in hybrid forms involving technology, as well as physical theatre and site-specific performances. His work often involves live music, chorus, multimedia projection, sound installation, and audience interaction. Since 2014 his work has incorporated programming and developing original apps to support interactive work. Recent works also include original real-time online platforms and to enable new forms of live interaction. Ivor is a founder and artistic director of Rooftop Productions in Hong Kong.

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Director

Promotion Photographer

Lee On-sang

Herself / Moloch

Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting.

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Collaborating Actor

Choreographer

Caroline Chan

Herself/Satan (Lucifer)

A biracial (Hong Kong, Nigerian) and trilingual (Cantonese, Mandarin, English) performing artist. Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting. She also holds a bachelor degree in English Language and Literature. She was invited by The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre to participate in their Reader’s Theatre program: “The Doctor”. School performances include: “Songs of innocence and Experience”, “The imaginary Invalid” and “Moscow…Why?”.

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Collaborating Actor

Mak Ho-tin

Himself / Milton / Beelzebub

Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting.

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Collaborating Actor

Chin Wing-kar

Guzheng / Guitar / Bass / Cello / Ukulele / Keys / Tubular Bells

Karkar is a freelance actress. She graduated from the School of Journalism and Communication, CUHK in 2019. She graduated with first-class honours in 2025 from School of Drama, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, majoring in Acting. She has been awarded HKAPA Schools’ Outstanding Student Award, HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship twice, HKAPA Recruitment & Outstanding Scholarships in 4 consecutive years, and The Outstanding Actor Award with Arabian Night.

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Musician

Collaborating Actor

Wu Lui-fung

Band Leader / Guitar/ Bass / Sheng / Chinese flute

Currently a Year 3 student in HKAPA School of Drama, majoring in Acting. He loves performing arts, such as singing and music. He is a quick learner as he can merely play a lot of instruments, like guitar, flute, sheng and saxophone. He participated in the school production《Songs of Innocence and Experience》 as a live band musician; He was also a movement chorus in 《Quills》by Pants Theatre Production as an internship. He has been awarded The Jacky Cheung Scholarships.

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Musician

Collaborating Actor

Cheung Cheuk-hang

Himself / Angel

Currently a freelance performer, Cheung graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting.

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Choral Practice Leader

Collaborating Actor

Chew Yu-yeung

Himself / Mammon

Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting. While pursuing his degree he joined several school productions and internships such as Ng Wong the Swordsman, Songs of Innocence and Experience and Pride and Prejudice by the Chung Ying Theatre Company .

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Collaborating Actor

Sin Lok-yan

Herself / Eve / Angel

Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting. Being passionate about acting, singing, and drawing illustration (IG: Jomehjie). Certificated of two-year Tang Shu-Wing Physical Theatre Institute training program (PTI). Recent works include Reframetheatre “Goldfish of Berlin”(Complete version), “A Haunted VR Conference “, HKAPA “Moscow….Why?”, “The Ten Oxen of ours”, “Songs of Innocence and Experience " and “Love and Information" , TheatreFormula “The Attic”.

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Collaborating Actor

Sum Cheuk-yiu

Herself / Abdiel

Now a freelance actress, Sherrain graduated from School of Drama of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2023, major in acting.

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Choral Practice Leader

Collaborating Actor

Mok Kok-pong

Himself / Michael

Graduated from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Drama in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Drama, majoring in Acting. Michael also holds a Bachelor degree in General Business Management from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. During his studies in HKAPA, he was awarded the Hong Kong Disneyland Scholarship and the Grantham Scholarship. He has joined the drama exchange programme in Taiwan and Guangzhou as a cast of the school production The Blind. He also won the Academy’s Outstanding Actor Award for his performance in the school production tick, tick, BOOM! (Musical).

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Collaborating Actor