Hong Kong Creative Drama Festival

Creative Drama Festival

Past Information

About the Festival

With a view to encouraging primary, secondary and post-secondary students to explore social issues around them and express their views through the language of drama, drama educators in Hong Kong established the Hong Kong Creative Drama Council in 2011, organizing the Creative Drama Festival at Hong Kong Baptist University — an annual highlight of the academic community.

Over the years, co-organizing and supporting organizations have included the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning – HKBU, CultaZine Ltd., Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association Limited, Association of Hong Kong Visual Arts and Culture Education, Hong Kong Creative Educators Organization, and The Fourth Apple Foundation Limited.

From 2023 onwards, the Festival relocated to Hong Kong Metropolitan University, continuing under the organizing leadership of the Hong Kong Creative Drama Council, with co-organizing partners including the School of Education and Languages (Hong Kong Metropolitan University), Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association Limited, Hong Kong Creative Educators Organization, and The Fourth Apple Foundation Limited.

Entering the 2026–2027 academic year, the Hong Kong Creative Drama Festival welcomes a comprehensive revamp and restructuring. Among the most significant highlights is the inaugural introduction of an English Division, further broadening the scope of participation. Students continue to form their own teams to devise and perform short plays based on designated themes. In terms of language, the Chinese Division continues to welcome performances in Cantonese, Putonghua, or a combination of both, while participants in the English Division may present their work entirely in English. This revamped edition is organized by the Hong Kong Creative Drama Council, with co-organizing support from the School of Education and Languages at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association, and The Fourth Apple Foundation Limited.

The Festival has consistently been structured around four key phases:

Phase 1 – Briefing Session; Phase 2 – Teacher Training;

Phase 3 – Creative Drama Performances, where student teams devise and present short plays on designated themes; and

Phase 4 – Champion Showcase and Award Ceremony. Further details can be

found below.

Teachers are warmly encouraged to inspire their students to participate in this engaging and meaningful activity, which nurtures creative potential in a fun and enriching way.

Advisory Panel

Prof. Leung Mee-ping Besset (Emeritus Professor, Associate of Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University)

Dr. Shu Chi Yee Jack (Associate Professor, School of Education and Languages, Hong Kong Metropolitan University)

Dr. Ho Shun-yee (Former Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong)

Clip Replay

Each year in October, the Hong Kong Creative Drama Council hosts a Briefing Session prior to the commencement of the Creative Drama Festival, providing an overview of the arrangements and adjudication requirements for the upcoming academic year. Educators interested in registering for the Festival are welcome to sign up via the link below for further information. In addition, the Council conducts a Teacher Training Workshop in January of the same academic year to deepen participants' understanding of the Festival theme and creative drama. The Council subsequently holds an Award Ceremony and Champions' Performance in May of the same year, featuring highlights from participating schools, performances by winning teams, results announcement, and a prize presentation.

Details of Festival are as follows:

1. Briefing Session

Date: Every October

Time: 1 hour

Venue: Online via Zoom (link to be distributed one day prior)

Content: Overview of this year's Creative Drama Festival arrangements and adjudication requirements

2. Teacher Training Workshop

To deepen teachers' understanding of this year's theme and creative drama, the Council will conduct a training workshop for teachers. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Details are as follows:

Date: Every January

Venue: Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Time: All Day

Fee: Free of charge

3. Performance：
Each team is required to self-produce a video based on the designated Festival theme and upload it to the platform specified by the Council.

Details are as follows:

Theme: Chinese Culture through Classical Idioms (成語)

Scope: 10 Chinese Idioms (成語)

Language:

Cantonese (Putonghua, or a combination of Cantonese and Putonghua, is also accepted)
English

Performance:
Teams may choose their own filming location, with the school premises recommended. The Council encourages students to study the assigned idiom in depth, including its historical origin and contemporary applications. Performances must reflect the meaning of the assigned idiom, either by dramatizing its classical origin story or by demonstrating its application in everyday life.

Please Note:
Each student may only participate in one team. - The assigned idiom will be provided by the Council to the school on the morning of the first day of the respective upload period, and is not selected by the school itself.

Upload Period:
There are two video upload periods each year (each lasting 9 days). Teams must select one of the two periods at the time of registration. The idiom to be performed by each team will be determined by draw and emailed to the school by 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the selected upload period.

Period 1:
The Council will email the assigned idiom to the teacher-in-charge by 9:00 a.m. on the first day of Period One. Each team must upload their video to the designated online platform within the stipulated deadline.

Period 2:
The Council will email the assigned idiom to the teacher-in-charge by 9:00 a.m. on the first day of Period Two. Each team must upload their video to the designated online platform within the stipulated deadline.

Video Recording Requirements:

Any recording device may be used, including mobile phones.
The entire performance must be filmed using a fixed camera position, with a wide shot (Wide Shot) as the primary framing. Close-up shots (Close-Up Shot) are not permitted.
The video must be a single, unedited take with no cuts or post-production editing of any kind.
Landscape mode is recommended to clearly capture the movements of all performers.
The use of lighting effects or video playback as a backdrop during filming is strictly prohibited.
Only the live voices of performers are permitted. Pre-recorded or externally played sound effects are not allowed.
The video must clearly capture all performers' movements and dialogue.
Accepted file formats: MOV, MP4, AVI, WMV, and FLV (standard mobile phone or camcorder formats).
Resolution: Maximum 1080p.
Teams should ensure clear audio throughout the recording. Marks will be deducted if adjudicators are unable to hear the performers clearly due to insufficient volume.
Performers may wear wireless microphones to assist with audio capture.
Prior to uploading, each team must self-review the video to verify that both the visuals and audio are satisfactory before submission.

Team Size: 2–4 members per team

Number of Teams:
A maximum of three teams per school for both primary and secondary schools. Each team may independently choose either Period One or Period Two.

Entry Fee:
HK$450 per team for both primary and secondary school teams.
(All fees paid are strictly non-refundable under any circumstances.)

Trophies:

Most Creative School Award: 5 recipients per category, unranked (awarded to teams with the highest creativity scores)

Group Award: Champion, 1st Runner-up, and 2nd Runner-up per category (awarded to the three schools with the highest overall scores)

Merit Award: Teams receiving the Merit Award in each category

Outstanding Award: Teams receiving the Outstanding Award in each category

Distinction Award: Teams receiving the Distinction Award in each category

Certificates:

Creativity Award Certificate: Awarded to teams receiving the Most Creative School Award with the highest creativity scores

Group Award Certificate: Champion, 1st Runner-up, and 2nd Runner-up per category

Team Award Certificates: Merit Certificate / Outstanding Certificate / Distinction Certificate / Commendation Certificate

Time Limit:

Primary School Category: Maximum 3 minutes

Secondary School Category: Maximum 4 minutes

The Council encourages minimalist performances that rely primarily on the performers' voices and physicality. Please observe the following:

Set:
Only one student desk and two student chairs are permitted.
Props:
No props of any kind are permitted, including pens, paper, mobile phones, fabric, sticks, or similar items. The use of props will result in mark deductions, with the severity of deductions commensurate with the extent of prop usage.
Costume:
Simple attire is recommended, preferably in a solid colour such as black, to allow greater freedom of expression. Casual wear of any style is acceptable. Performers may wear one additional outer layer (e.g. a jacket), which shall be considered part of the costume and may be incorporated into the performance. If a performer wears more than one outer layer and incorporates it into the performance, it will be classified as a prop. Costume is not a criterion in the adjudication scoring.
Sound Effects:
No devices may be used to play sound effects during the performance, including mobile phones or computers. The Council encourages performers to use their own voices as sound effects, or to create sounds by tapping the designated student desk and chairs.