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RECREATION AND THE ARTS
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Kong Painting' was held in October to portray the development in local paintings over the past decade and to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Arts Centre.
Cultural Presentations
During 1987, the Urban Council Cultural Presentations Office presented 376 performances by local and overseas artists.
These performances, which drew 277 676 people, included instrumental, vocal and orchestral concerts, drama, ballet, folk and modern dances, Chinese and Western operas, mime, films and others. Some of them were presented in conjunction with other cultural organisations, such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, the British Council, the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise.
Highlights of the year included performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Broadway Musical ‘A Chorus Line', the guitar recital by Narciso Yepes, Emanuel Ax (piano), Isaac Stern (violin) and Yo-yo Ma (cello) in concert, the Opera 'Il Trovatore', and the Mummenschanz Swiss Mime-Mask Theatre.
The Urban Council will continue to present a balanced programme of events for the public and provide more performing opportunities for local artists and groups.
The Regional Council also presented a variety of cultural programmes at its civic centres. It played an important role in the district arts festivals by contributing programmes and providing professional expertise. It took part in the Tsuen Wan Arts Festival and Yuen Long Arts Festival and the Kwai Tsing and Sha Tin Festivals.
Some 1 580 cultural presentations were organised by the Regional Council, attracting 695 235 people. These events included presentations of local artists, joint presentations with local cultural bodies and performing companies, and performances by distinguished overseas artists such as the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the London Contem- porary Dance Theatre, the Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
To encourage students and senior citizens to enjoy these performances, the council offered them half-price tickets.
Entertainment Programmes
During the year, the Urban Council organised 559 free entertainment programmes in parks, playgrounds, gardens, community halls and commercial plazas throughout the urban areas. The large variety of events attracted 325 893 people.
The Regional Council also organised regular entertainment programmes in community halls and open-air venues in the council area. There were 349 performances in 112 venues, attracting some 236 970 people.
Computerised Ticketing
The Urban Council runs a computerised ticketing system which has sold over four million tickets since it began in 1984. Known as URBTIX, the system aims to serve theatregoers from 15 sales outlets throughout the territory. It provides a comprehensive range of postal, telephone and counter booking services for the council's cultural, entertainment and sports events, as well as for events organised by hirers of council facilities, the Regional Council, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and in some commercial venues.