Anthony Chan

Anthony Chan Kam-kuen (born 1953 ) is a Hong Kong dramatist, director, educator, set designer, and costume designer. He was the former head of the directing and playwriting at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Biography Chan cannot recall the first theatre performance he ever saw, but he vividly remembers an event that aimed to "promote theatre" that let him watch a professional production for just HK$1. He saw Mourning Becomes Electra (素娥怨) directed by Chung King-fai, over a three-day run.

He embarked on his playwright career at an early stage. In 1973, while still in tertiary education, he wrote his first play, Doomsday’s Wedding, which won seven awards, including Best Playwright, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Set Design, during the "Hong Kong Festival" held at the Caritas Community Centre. While studying bachelors in the US, he worked in local theatre and as a set designer for productions; sometimes after work, he can sit in specific spots to watch multiple productions. He further studied directing at the University of Colorado at Denver and obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree. The position serves Hong Kong Dance Company, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre.

In the early-1990s, Chan gained international recognition. His Hong Kong Heartbeat, an ensemble production incorporating dance and music, was staged at the Festival Hong Kong '92 in London, Calgary and Ottawa by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. His Nuwa Mends the Sky toured Tarascon and Bordeaux, France, and won a best script award.

Between 2008 and 2023, Chan served as the artistic director of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre until his retirement. The production won the Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Actor (Tragedy/Drama) (Lau Shau-ching). He also introduced the troupe to programme with a theme for each production season.

Personal life Chan is married, and he met his wife in Hong Kong Repertory Theatre. Warm Fuzzies (暖毛毛; June 1983) Reverie on an Empire (一年皇帝夢; August 2011) A Bowlful of Kindness (有飯自然香; 2012) Footprints in the Show (一頁飛鴻; 2014, 2016), mixed with Cantonese opera 1894 Hong Kong Plague (太平山之疫; 2016), an original musical Speaking in Tongues (叛侶; 2020; translated)

As a set or costume designer Children of a Lesser God (1996)

Awards 1991 Artist of the Year Award from the Hong Kong Artists' Guild 1994 Outstanding Achievements of the Decade from the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies 2009 Outstanding Translator Award from the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies