The Shakespeare Drama Competition 2026 finale is here! Twenty shortlisted participants will bring to life some of the Bard’s most iconic characters and unleash the potential for contemporary reinterpretation of the classic monologues and dialogues on stage. Everyone is invited!
Date: 28 March 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 10:00am – 12:30pm
Venue: 1/F, N102, Alice Lam Lecture Theatre, Lo Hui Kit San, HSUHK
The Bootstrap Theater (TBT) is a group based in Hong Kong, staging contemporary, socially relevant theatrical work for an international, multicultural audience. Its name, “Bootstrap”, embodies their go-getting, determined, and passionate spirit.
TBT’s mission is to tell bold, thought-provoking, and relevant stories on stage that starkly and honestly reflect modern society through world-class theatre productions.
By cultivating an artistic and creative community in Hong Kong—from actors, dancers, and musicians to writers, directors, and filmmakers, as well as backstage, administration, and marketing personnel—TBT embraces the diversity and inclusivity that only theatre can bring.
About the Workshop
The workshop provides pointers and suggestions on re-imagining Shakespeare’s works for modern audiences—from conceptualisation to staging direction and actors’ performances. It will delve deeper into ways to make Shakespeare more relatable and accessible, such as setting localisation and drawing parallels with current events and societies. Examples of modernised or adapted Shakespearean stories will also be given and discussed.
Lead Workshop Facilitator: William Elvin Manzano
William Elvin Manzano is a theatre veteran from Manila, Philippines, having graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman’s theatre arts programme under the mentorship of Philippine National Artist Tony Mabesa and many other Philippine theatre luminaries.
William has done numerous productions around Metro Manila from 2005 to 2013, taking on various roles as actor, director, writer, and composer, before relocating to Hong Kong in 2014. His most well-known work as a writer-composer, the original Filipino musical Mula sa Buwan, garnered multiple awards, including Best Musical (Aliw Awards) and Original Score (Philstage Gawad Buhay) in 2023 – and is now regarded as a contemporary classic in Philippine theatre. In Hong Kong, he is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Bootstrap Theatre, for which he has directed acclaimed Filipino playwright Floy Quintos’ full-length play FAKE in June 2025. He is set to direct the premiere laboratory staging of his new musical titled JOB: Fateful Fever Dream in July 2026.
Re-imagining, Staging and Performing Shakespeare Today Drama Workshop by Bootstrap Theatre
Date: 24 March 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Venue: 2/F, CR219, Function Room, Creative Humanities Hub, HSUHK
