Poon Wai-sum

Paul Poon Wai-sum (; born 1950s He is best known for a group of five plays collectively called the "Insect Series," in which five insects symbolize Hongkongers during the 1997 handover period. His plays are noted for their deployment of vernacular Cantonese, fragmented narratives, and absurdist humour. His artistic styles are often associated with the ambiguous characters, unconventional dramatic situations, and playful yet disorienting dialogue.

From 1993 to 2012, he served as the artistic director of the Prospects Theatre Company (新域劇團). Between 2012 and 2017, he served the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) School of Drama, eventually becoming dean of the School of Drama in 2017. In 2023, he was appointed the artistic director of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre. During his tenure, he is known to be establishing series-based production as the company's developmental direction. Under this approach, he produced a large number of works, including the "Water Margin Series", Crying Weekend (October 1989) The Black and the Blue of a Man (1990s) Picking Flowers from Song Jiang (1990s) The Diary of Song (written in 2001; produced in 2017) - adapted from his novel - won 10th Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Script The Massage King (January 2006) Night and Dream in the South (October 2006) Of Minds and No-mind (2004) - nominated 14th Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Script Bun in the Cave (November 2009) The Emperor, his Mom, a Eunuch and a Man (2013) - nominated 23rd Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Script Confrontations (2022) - nominated 31st Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Script and Best Director (Comedy/Farce)

Publications