Plays for Young People

Theatre Practice

Where stories shape future voices

Plays for Young People was at the core of AFTEC’s bilingual theatre learning journey. Since 2016, this initiative supported the creation and translation of quality plays that spoke directly to young audiences across cultures, capturing the unique Hong Kong perspectives and experiences of local students.

Through curated workshops and symposiums, the programme brought together emerging translators, global playwrights, and dramaturgs, fostering cross-cultural collaboration. The resulting collection of original and translated international plays provided rich material for school performances, youth centres, and insightful post-show discussions.

Whether presented in their original language or a bilingual format, each play encouraged empathy, awareness, and analysis of the plays, reflecting the experiences and curiosity of young people at the time.

We’d love to tell you more.

Email us at [email protected]

Programme details

Plays Translated into Chinese (Cantonese) / English

Emerging Translators

Dramaturgs / Coordinators

Veteran Translators

Playwrights

Hours of Symposium & Translation Workshop

Series III (2021 – 22)

Events

Symposium
- Free Public Session I:
  Livid with COVID?
  Revelations
- Free Public Session II:
  A Separate Take

Translation workshop
English Script Writing Workshops
Reader’s Theatre streaming

Series II (2018)

Events

Symposium
Translation workshop
Reader’s Theatre

Series I (2016)

Events

Symposium
Translation workshop
Reader’s Theatre

Translation is not language to language, but soul to soul.

Chinonyerem Odimba
Playwright (London)

Translators are lonely. Like a detective they hunt for clues for the subtext below the superficial.

Dominic Cheung Ho Kin
Veteran Translator

I have come to realise that translating a play is a creative process – the translator is like a director.

Emerging Translator

Play translation is never only about words. It’s about the play, the people involved and how they think of the world.

Ma Ka Ying Jolian
Emerging Translator

Theatre is a place of nuance, reflection and imagination. It’s also one of few mediums in our hectic time that allows itself to take time, inviting a young person to look at life from more than one angle.

Anders Duus
Playwright (Strängnäs)

Acknowledgement

The first two series were financially supported by:

The content of this programme does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region