Writing a play is different from other genres of creative writing—a script is written to be performed, it is intended for the stage. Yet “performability” is hard to gauge by simply perusing words on the page. When a full production is planned, a lot of resources must be committed for staging, lighting, costumes and technical requirements. Thus, many an imaginative, original script stops short after its “reader’s theatre” phase, missing the chance to be seen because of lack of stage potential.
 
Text Testing Zone was established to clear this bottleneck. With “playscript” as its core, applying limited resources in minimalist presentations, it provides a platform for playwrights, directors and actors to come face to face with the text, testing its “potential value” on stage.
 
In the past two years, Text Testing Zone has nurtured and presented quite a few original, new works. While Vacant Possession that has advanced as a fully-fledged Black Box production, other works have also garnered the attention of theatre professionals and the public, testifying to the effectiveness of this platform as a “creative hub”.
 
This season, the HKRep amplifies the Text Testing Zone into a Text Testing Festival helmed by Artistic Director Poon Wai Sum. The Festival features three original, new works in even more concentrated and essential formats. The Text Testing Festival continues to build that bridge for experimentation between creativity and the stage, so that a script can move one step closer to become a fully-fledged production. Selected plays will be announced at a later date.