RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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Ko Shan Theatre
The Ko Shan Theatre is the only semi-open-air theatre in Hong Kong. It has 3 000 seats of which 2 000 are in the open.
Equipped with sophisticated lighting, sound and projection systems, the theatre is suitable for a wide variety of cultural and entertainment events. Popular Cantonese operas and operatic songs are frequently staged there. In 1990, 85 600 people attended 144 performances.
Civic Centres
The Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre - the Urban Council's first fully-fledged community arts centre - has a 443-seat theatre, a 350 square metre exhibition hall, a 90-seat lecture room, two art studios, two music practice rooms and a dance practice area. The centre's theatre was booked for 209 days, featuring 196 different kinds of performances, including drama, dance, variety shows as well as formal ceremonies, before audiences of more than 51 000 persons. The exhibition hall was used for 179 days to stage 16 exhibitions, attracting some 17 600 people during the year.
Completed in December 1988, the Sheung Wan Civic Centre is the second fully-fledged community centre and has a 515-seat theatre, a 150-seat lecture hall, an exhibition hall, a rehearsal hall, a dance practice room, four music practice rooms and two art studios. The centre is a focal point of cultural activities for residents in Central and Western. The Urban -Council's performing companies - the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and the Hong Kong Dance Company - are housed in the centre. During the year, 74 200 people attended 334 performances in this centre's theatre and lecture hall. In addition, the exhibition hall was booked for 200 days and the practice facilities were used for 11 490 sessions.
To further enhance the development and promotion of the arts in various districts, a third community arts centre, the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, was opened in December 1990. Conveniently located on top of the Sai Wan Ho MTR Station, the new centre comprises a 485-seat theatre, a multi-purpose cultural activities hall, three specially- designed art studios for ceramic, painting and print-making classes and two music practice rooms.
Other Urban Council facilities completed in 1990 were the Shek Tong Tsui Complex in Western and the Kwun Chung in Yau Tsim, each of which includes an indoor games hall and associated facilities.
Indoor Stadia
The Hong Kong Coliseum and Queen Elizabeth Stadium, now in their eighth and tenth year of operation respectively, continued to be two of the most sought-after venues for local and international sports and entertainment spectaculars. During the year, a total of 1.8 million people attended the 382 presentations held at these stadia.
Besides being a popular venue for performing concerts by local and overseas performers, the 12 000-seat inverted-pyramidal Coliseum also excels in accommodating large-scale family-type entertainment. The Moscow State Circus, in its first visit to Hong Kong, held 34 shows there and attracted a total audience of more than 343 500.
The compact 3 500-seat Queen Elizabeth Stadium played host to various medium-sized productions ranging from sports events and variety shows to pop and jazz concerts, cultural performances, academic exhibitions and conventions.