More performance venues needed in Hong Kong, industry leaders say after culture blueprint

Hong Kong needs more dedicated venues to house its performing arts groups, industry leaders have said, describing a shortage of such spaces as one of the biggest issues hindering the city’s cultural development.

“Venues are closely linked to performing arts; without them, our performance groups cannot thrive,” said Mathias Woo Yan-wai, executive director of Zuni Icosahedron, a Hong Kong-based experimental theatre company.

“If we truly want to match London and New York, we need better policies … just look at how much hardware they have.

“Hong Kong has none – everything is under the [Leisure and Cultural Services Department].”

The document also identified the lack of venues as a “weakness” in Hong Kong’s arts, culture and creative industries, saying that in managing the sites, the government had long been guided by the principle of catering to the overall needs of society and allocating resources as fairly as possible.