Thought-provoking stories of identity and self-expression from youngsters coming of age in contemporary times
Devised and created by Rooftop Productions and the young artists of HKAPA’s School of Drama, Songs of Innocence and Experience is a vibrant, multidisciplinary work around the stories of a group of young people negotiating their path to adulthood in contemporary Hong Kong.
Through a fragmented montage of theatre, live original music, high culture and pop culture references, camera play and projections from Blake’s illustrated versions of Paradise Lost, the production offers a lively, humorous and poignant reflection on the drive and passions of youth.
Songs of Innocence and Experience takes its name from the work of William Blake, and inspiration from John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Areopagitica. Contemplating the eternal struggles of youth – between respecting authority and wanting freedom, and forging meaningful new pathways as emerging adults – the production plays with the angel-devil duality of Milton’s work, and the hybridity of contemporary Hong Kong society, to explore individual and universal journeys to self-identity.
First staged at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2022, the production has been developed and adapted for The Box. The new production features a revised script, original and new ensemble and band members, and enhanced scenography and projection design.
Songs of Innocence and Experience was nominated for Scenography of the Year and Director of the Year at the IATC (HK) Critics Awards 2023.