“Godfather of Hong Kong Theatre” Fredric Mao directs Swedish pioneer August Strindberg’s iconic play - Panasonic Proudly Sponsors "Road to Damascus" 

【HKRep】The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre’s most highly-anticipated production of the season is Road to Damascus by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, specially selected by HKRep Director Laureate Fredric Mao who will direct this landmark masterpiece, marking the first time the company presents Strindberg on stage. Road to Damascus is an iconic work charting the playwright’s creative transition from Naturalism to Expressionism. In this play, reality and dreamscapes share a tenuous borderline, the story unfolding with an encounter—perhaps real, perhaps imagined—portraying the struggle of the human soul and the road to self-discovery. Road to Damascus is written by August Strindberg, adapted and directed by Fredric Mao, translated by Tang Sai Cheong, with Lin Kehuan as literary advisor and Fung Wai Hung as assistant director. Chris Sun leads the cast, with Louisa So as Guest Leading Cast and Amy Wu as Special Appearance along with HKRep company members. The local theatre scene eagerly anticipates this Hong Kong premiere that will surely push the boundaries of our horizons. Preview performances run from 18^th to 20^th September and the production officially opens on 22^nd September and ends on 7^th October at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Tickets are available now from POPTICKET and URBTIX outlets.

 

Road to Damascus is about the Stranger (played by Chris Sun) who is bestowed with talent and riches, yet he finds himself all alone facing the void. As if predestined, he meets a married woman (played by Louisa So) and they begin a torrid affair. But her husband has long been his sworn enemy. When all is said and done, does redemption or catastrophe await him? Told from the personal perspective, Road to Damascus chronicles a journey of self-discovery epitomizing the struggle between man and fate, love, religion and his own ego, laying bare the protagonist’s ups and downs as he refuses to let himself go.

 

Swedish playwright August Strindberg originally made his name as a proponent of Naturalism, but after a series of personal experiences, his style transformed and he became a pioneer of European Expressionism, adept at conjuring a fantastic milieu with monologues that alienate, in settings where imagination and dreamscape are suspended in the grey area between reality and illusion. Strindberg’s theatrical approach in plumbing the human psyche influenced the development of theatre throughout the entire 20^th century.

 

Renowned filmmaker Ingmar Bergman once described Road to Damascus as “a thrilling voyage in discovery of a spiritual landscape”. Adaptor and director Fredric Mao employs a modern theatrical approach in staging this century-old classic. He states, “Although tradition can hold its own, new reinterpretations can further enhance its contemporary influence. Modernity always needs tradition for nurture, so that a work can sustain its power to continue to develop. In our material world today, I want to offer Hong Kong with a token of thanks, directing a work anew, delving into the individual’s inner values in the search of a better humanity.”

 

Expressionist dramas emphasise characters’ inner self and psychological journey, encouraging theatregoers to use their spiritual eye to examine their surroundings. In contrast to Naturalism that depicts external, realistic details (e.g., language and action), Expressionism dwells in psychological details, searching for the reality hidden beneath. The theatrical experience presents images, either visual or aural, that can be externalised in their interpretation by the audience.

 

On the occasion of Road to Damascus, a new production directed by Fredric Mao marking his 50-year stage career, the HKRep presents a special exhibition chronicling Mao’s achievements and contributions as director, educator, actor and researcher, on display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Foyer from 11^th to 24^th September.

 

After completing his graduate studies in theatre arts in the United States, Fredric Mao remained and launched his acting and directing career. When the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts was established in 1985, Mao returned to become Head of Acting at its School of Drama, responsible for training a new generation of fine local talents. Between 2001 and 2008, Mao served as the first Artistic Director of the HKRep since its incorporation as a private company. Under his leadership, the HKRep produced plays of excellent quality showcasing the “unique flavour” of Hong Kong. Upon his departure, he was appointed the company’s Director Laureate. Mao was a five-time winner as Best Director at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. He was also named Artist of the Year (Stage Director) by the Hong Kong Artists Guild. In 2004, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR conferred upon him the Bronze Bauhinia Star in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Hong Kong’s performing arts.

 

Recent acclaimed works include The Liaisons, which Mao wrote and directed for the 2010 Hong Kong Arts Festival and was also presented at the Shanghai Expo, winning the “Modern Xiqu” Grand Award at the Shanghai One Drama Awards the following year. In 2014, he directed Tonnochy, a new play featuring Carina Lau, Tony Leung Ka Fai and Tse Kwan Ho. This large-scale production was so popular it was revived twice within a year in Hong Kong. Mao took up the title role in Le Père in the 40^th anniversary season of the HKRep in 2017, winning Best Actor at the Hong Kong Drama Awards and Actor of the Year at the IATC (HK) Critics Awards that year. Le Père was revived twice since, in 2019 and 2021, winning also for Mao Best Actor at the 2021 Shanghai One Drama Awards. In 2018, Mao’s adaptation of the Cantonese opera classic Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers, which he also directed, attracted a new generation of young theatregoers, prompting the Hong Kong Arts Festival to re-run this production the following year, a first in the festival’s history. Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers was invited to tour Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou in 2019, garnering accolades in all these cities.

 

At the HKRep in 2021, Fredric Mao offers a token of thanks to Hong Kong marking his 50-year artistic career by adapting and directing August Strindberg’s Expressionist masterpiece Road to Damascus—a modern classic examining the depths of the human soul in search of a better world.

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