Sunbeam Theatre
Encyclopedia
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
showcasing Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
. It is located at 423 King's Road
King's Road, Hong Kong
King's Road is a major east-west street along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, extending from Causeway Bay, where it joins Causeway Road, to Sai Wan Ho, where it joins Shau Kei Wan Road.-History:...
, North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...
, near the intersection with Shu Kuk Street.
History
In the 1950s, many of the ShanghaineseShanghainese people
The Shanghainese people also commonly referred to as Shanghaiers refers to the people whose families are from Shanghai, China, who can speak the Shanghainese dialect of the Wu language. With the prosperity of Shanghai, more and more migrants have been moving to Shanghai for school and work which...
emigrants moved from Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Hong Kong and settled in the North Point area. At the time Shanghai was known for its leftist revolutions, and many of the leftist supported businesses relocated to North Point. Aside from the China Products Department stores, the Sunbeam Theatre is one of the landmark theatres to have been started by that same group of emigrants. It was established by "Hua Chang Enterprises Ltd" in 1972. Later it was turned over to "Silver Entertainment Ltd" on September 1, 1980 to Henry Fok
Henry Fok
Henry Fok Ying Tung was a Hong Kong businessman. He has ancestral roots in Nansha, Panyu, now part of Guangzhou, Guangdong). Fok was the vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of PRC since March 1993, and was possibly the most powerful...
, chairman of "Sunbeam Entertainment". In 1988 Yao-Hung, chairman of the board of "Hong Kong United Arts Entertainment Company Ltd" took over its operation.
In 1989, the theatre was divided into two auditoriums, with the smaller one converted from the balcony for showing films, while the larger one converted from the stalls for stage performances.
In 1993, Chung Sun Sing Opera Troupe had a season of 38 consecutive full-house shows at the Sunbeam Theatre, winning the theatre the title of "Hong Kong's Grand Palace for Cantonese Opera".
In March 2007, the smaller auditorium was rebuilt as a multi-purpose theatre for stage performances.
The 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) property was acquired by Yu Tai Hing in 2003 for HK$162 million, with a plan to transform it into a shopping mall. The lease of the theatre, ended in February 2009. After much public debate about the possible closure of the theatre and discussions about alternative options, the lease with the operator of the Theatre was renewed for three years, while the landlord had made clear his plan to redevelop the Theatre three years later. At the same time, the Government was planning to provide HK$100,000 each month, through the Arts Development Council, to subsidise the rental of the Theatre.
