Cultural / Context information for the jury

State Theatre, originally the Empire Theatre, was built in 1952, giving the public its first taste of the high arts from Western and Chinese cultures. In the 70s and 80s, the State Theatre was pivotal in the rise of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. But as the industry dwindled, so did the State Theatre’s importance. This was accelerated by a huge fire in 1997. Since then, it has remained largely forgotten in the bustling North Point. However, New World Development had restoration plans for the State Theatre, but needed the approval of the general public. The most important objective – get people to care about the State Theatre as well.

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Instead of creating another advertising promotion campaign, it was imperative for people to experience the State Theatre for themselves. To get different generations (ranging from Gen Z who are looking for modern retro events to show off their taste to the baby boomers who are looking for nostalgia) to care and want to play a part in approving the redevelopment of the State Theatre. We also had to generate interests from influencers, celebrities, policy makers and conservationists, to bring them all on the same page to see the need to conserve this Theatre. Since the State Theatre was an iconic place for generations of locals, we wanted people to experience those memories again and to feel the importance of the theatre. Instead of pushing messages, we created an experiential-led solution that brought back to life the glamour of the State Theatre and showed future generations the importance of local culture.