Chapter 20: The Arts
THE 1957 Festival of the Arts central committee and the participating societies within the fields of drama, music, literature and the visual arts are to be congratulated on the achievement of their main purpose, that of showing what Hong Kong is doing continuously and successfully in the arts. There were fewer events this year, but the Festival was over a longer period of time and had some innovations-an open-air production by the Stage Club of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', a floodlit fashion show and a window-dressing competition for local shops-the two latter in evident recognition of the importance of the com- mercial arts. Western and Chinese drama, music, painting and other cultural activities all played their part in making the Festival a success. The Visual Arts Centre was the new Star Ferry Building on the Central Reclamation where the Hong Kong Art Club, the Chinese Artists' Group, the Society of Architects, the Photographic Society, the School Art Groups, the Sino-British Club Chinese Culture Group and the Society of Chinese Calligraphists staged their exhibi- tions.
The literary side of the Festival consisted of competitions for the best short story in English and the best essay in Chinese, and also translations into Chinese prose and English
verse.
The Music Society of Hong Kong, which already has succeeded during the brief period of its existence in linking together the interests of many music lovers in the Colony, acted during the Festival as co-ordinator of musical events and offered prizes for the best original compositions in certain fields. Musical interests were represented by the Hong Kong Concert Orchestra, the South China Philharmonic
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