Faust International Youth Theatre

Hello, and Happy Winter Holidays to you all! My name is Matthew Baker and I’m a Youth Theatre Leader here at Faust. The Winter Holidays are a magical time of year for all people and cultures in Hong Kong, and this is no different here at Faust International Youth Theatre. What could be more magical than the gift of storytelling, both through drama or creative writing, for your children at this time of year? Winter Theatre The holidays are a time for fun and learning. Here at Faust, we believe those things should never be separate. Allow your child to dive into festive tales and set their imaginations on fire by playing different characters and gaining confidence in our Holiday Theatre Programme. In the past, I’ve written a play called All I want for the Holidays is you! which is a bout reindeers that learn to be friends and help Santa deliver presents. This show was made specifically for 4 to 5 year olds. We have also made productions such as The Snow Queen for ages 8

“I am more and more convinced that our happiness or unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life, than on the nature of those events themselves” - Wilhelm von Humboldt The Nutcracker is a magical story that will give even the Grinch a scoop of Christmas Spirit. What I love with the story is how it portrays how we can change our lives by taking charge of the situation we are in. By guiding the people around us to a more inviting, forgiving and caring environment, we can melt even the coldest hearts. We have been exploring the story using physical theatre, mask work, devising and objectives in order to give it as many dimensions as possible. Being a part of Nutcracker the Play has been a wonderful, meaningful and interesting journey. My main focus has been on the development of the characters throughout the play. When Keon wrote the play, we talked about how we can keep the magic of Christmas and at the same time tell an important story. With h