Heritage theatre and semiotics: Framing a performance at an ancestral hall

This ‘heritage theatre’ programme was an innovative venture in 2009 by the Hong Kong Drama/Theatre and Education Forum as a way of introducing history education to primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong. Through an interactive performance given in two ancestral halls of the oldest Tang clan, which were categorized and protected by the government as Grade 1 heritage architecture, students and teachers were given the chance to discuss the relationship between history and heritage buildings, as well as the meanings of and difficulties in preserving these buildings. I was a consultant and participant-researcher in this study. This article\ highlights a critical incident that occurred at the final rehearsal, which pushed us to rethink the function of heritage theatre as museum theatre, and the methodological elements we need to take into consideration for the best facilitation of such an applied art form.