Fanny Chung

Cantonese opera was inscribed onto the first national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and listed as a Human Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. However, it has been facing transmission crises, including aging audiences and a shrinking audience size. Globally, many traditional art genres have undergone various transformations to survive in contemporary society, often utilizing new media extensively. The 2020 Policy Address officially expressed the Hong Kong SAR government's determination to actively promote the development of art technology. In response to this policy emphasis and the contemporary technological advancements, some Cantonese opera troupes have started integrating modern technologies into their performances, such as immersive technology and three-dimensional projections, to enhance scene effects and interaction between actors and the stage. Despite this current policy emphasis, studies on the utilization of technologies in Cantonese opera performances are still limited. This study aims to fill this important research gap through a mixed-methods research design, including a questionnaire survey, interviews, and field observations. The study aims to: (i) explore practitioners' perceptions regarding the integration of technologies into Cantonese opera; (ii) examine the challenges in utilizing technologies in Cantonese opera; and (iii) investigate the current methods by which technologies have been integrated into Cantonese opera performances. The findings will contribute to our understanding of technology integration in Cantonese opera, provide practitioners with evidence-based recommendations on how (or whether) technology should be integrated, and inform future policymaking in Hong Kong regarding art technology.