Melissa Leung Hiu Tuen

Melissa Leung Hiu Tuen is an established international theatre practitioner and teaching artist. She is currently the Company Dramaturg of City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC).

Born in Guangxi, China, Melissa moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was six years old. She received her primary to university education in Hong Kong and graduated in Sports Science and Physical Education from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Then she pursued her professional acting training in Singapore. Melissa was the second batch of graduates in the Theatre Training and Research Programme (TTRP, now known as Intercultural Theatre Institute, ITI). There, she received training in contemporary performance backed up by Taiji and meditation, physical movement, post-Stanislavski acting techniques, and four classical Asian theatre forms, namely Bharatanatyam — an ancient Indian dance art, Wayang Wong — an Indonesian court dance, Beijing Opera and Noh Theatre from Japan.

After a decade of developing her career in theatre in Hong Kong and Singapore, Melissa realised the changing in art making, besides technique and skill, requires a far-reaching vision. So, she further developed as a dramaturg and pursued her MFA degree in Drama at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She is among the first batch of graduates with a major in Dramaturgy.

Melissa is an all-rounded theatre practitioner known for her intense and exquisite physical acting. She cooperated with different dancing organisations and theatre groups in Hong Kong, including Theatre du Pif, On & On Theatre Workshop, and Unlock Dancing Plaza. Her recent works include new writing play by local playwrights, Phenomenon of Man: REVOLVER 2021 and A Fork In The Road (produced by On & On Theatre Workshop), Site Specific Transdisciplinary Audio-guided Performance, Where is Our Sea? (2019 & 2020 Community Cultural Ambassador project), The Kassandra or the World as the End of Representation (received the Performer of the Year award at the IATC(HK) Critics’ Awards 2018). Melissa was also the movement coach at the production Stragglers, an original new play by Janice Poon, presented by The Hong Kong Dramatist.

With vast experience in education, Melissa was the Assistant Artistic Director (Education) of CCDC from 2018 to 2021. She directed a three-year Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Literacy and Learning Project, funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. This project was awarded the 14th Hong Kong Arts Development Award Certificate of Merit (Non-School Division) for Arts Education and the Outstanding Dance Education or Community Dance Award at the Hong Kong Dance Award 2020.

Photo by The Theatre Practice

Recent works: 
1. Speaker, Epidemic to the Future: Thinking about the Crisis and Opportunities of Hong Kong's Performing Arts during the Epidemic (2021, IATC (Hong Kong); Online) 
2. Collaborator/performer, KUTAY (2020, LSU Teatro Guindegan) 

Last updated: 26 September 2022