Wah Yan Dramatic Society is an organisation in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 which performs Cantonese opera

Cantonese opera

Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...

 using English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, also called "Cantonese Opera in English".

History

Wah Yan Dramatic Society was established in 1947 by Wong Chin Wah, an alumnus from Wah Yan College

Wah Yan College, Hong Kong

Wah Yan College, Hong Kong is an eminent grant-in-aid secondary school in Hong Kong. It was founded on 16 December 1919, by Tsui Yan Sau Peter . It is a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys run by the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus...

, in order to allow foreigners to appreciate the culture of Cantonese opera. It started with an attempt by Father Sheridan to fit English lyrics into Cantonese operas improvisationally. The attempt was welcomed, so Wong, Sheridan and some other alumni established the Wah Yan Dramatic Society.

Wong Chin Wah wrote English lyrics for a total of 36 Cantonese Operas, including "A Dragon is No Lizard", "The Fighting Bride", "Three Times Engaged", and "A Tale of Two Kingdoms". Notable people such as Donald Tsang

Donald Tsang

Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....

, Dominic Wong, Michael Suen

Michael Suen

Michael Suen Ming-yeung GBS CBE JP is currently the Secretary for Education of Hong Kong.-Education:Suen attended Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, a male-only Jesuit school in Hong Kong.-Career:...

, and John Chan have performed with the society.

In February 2007 the Society gave a performance in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Hong Kong Cultural Centre

The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a multipurpose performance facility in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was founded by the former Urban Council and, after 2000, is administered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government...

 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the society, and also to raise funds for its SDP project and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals , with a long history from 1870, is the oldest and the largest charitable organisation in Hong Kong. Their education Services and Community Services to the community with a total of 194 service centres spreading over the territory of Hong Kong.Although it appears a...

, with Donald Tsang and Bak Sheut Sin

Bak Sheut Sin

Bak Sheut-sin , also known as Bai Xuexian, was a famous Chinese opera actress in China and Hong Kong.-Career:...

 as chief patrons. During the performance, an English version of the noted mandarin song "The Moon Represents My Heart

The Moon Represents My Heart

"The Moon Represents My Heart" is a Chinese song that was written by an anonymous writer and made famous by Teresa Teng in the 1970s. A "love song with a waltz-like lilt", it has been covered by many performers since Teng's death in 1995 and remains one of her best-known hits.-Cultural...

" was sang by Stanley Ho

Stanley Ho

Stanley Ho, GBM, GLM, GBS, GML, OBE , also known as Ho Hung Sun, Stanley Ho Hung Sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho is sometimes nicknamed "The King of Gambling", reflecting the government-granted monopoly he held of the Macau gambling industry for 40 years...

.