Photo provided to China Daily

"The most important question in Macao is where you live. The abrupt rise in our economy and the changes affecting our city came too fast. And they have caused a lot of problems."

One of the special features of the festival is that world heritage buildings serve as performance venues.

This year, the 1602 facade of St. Paul's will once again be transformed into a giant screen for Macao Audiovisual Alpha's architectural mapping multimedia extravaganza A Dream of Light. The 1860 colonial gem Dom Pedro V Theatre will house The Importance of Being Earnest and Imagine Toi. Even Long Wah, a 1962 teahouse, gets into the act by hosting Dancing to the Sound of Naamyam, a collaborative contemporary Chinese dance production.

"We also invited groups to come to Macao to organize special performances for the disadvantaged, to tour schools, and to host workshops, lectures and master classes," explains Lam.

"It is extremely important to expand our audiences. This year, for instance, we held a press conference in Guangzhou for the first time. We also launched an official MAF Weibo (micro blog) account, thereby increasing the festival's visibility in Chinese mainland, particularly in the Pearl River Delta region."

IF YOU GO

25th Macao Arts Festival

May 2-June 8, various venues and times.

www.icm.gov.mo/fam.