Artist of the Month- July- Lara Genovese

This month's artist was recently voted Best Designer by the public! She also recently appeared as an actress in Filumenia presented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Stylus Theatre and Talking With presented by Aurora Theatre. She is a multi-talented theatrical artist and a very nice person. We respect Lara's talent and love her go getter personality! If you need a hard to find prop in town or if you need a set built she is the girl to go to. I love working with artists who are very dedicated to their crafts and Lara is certainly very dedicated to her work. She is a complete pleasure to work with and a true professional from my small experiences with her. I hope to have more in the future.

Please enjoy getting to know a little more about Lara, her opinions on the Hong Kong art scene and the biz.

Please remember you can always nominate a friend for an Artist of the Month article. We are always looking to showcase new talent in town of any medium!


1. Name, Birthplace, Age Lara Genovese, born in Taranto (Italy), 30 years old.


 2. How does where you were raised affect your work?
I have lived my childhood between Italy and the US and two years in London after my degree and before moving to HK.
Travelling around as a kid was tough in terms of leaving my friends all the time but it has given me the opportunity to discover new places and be in contact with different cultures, life styles art styles.
I guess the curiosity/ discovery  and the excitement of  every situation and the process of learning about new ways, meet new people is what translates in the approach and spirit I have every time i sit down and  work on something new.

3. Where did you train?
I trained as Architect in Italy and developed my passion for theatre through short courses in the evening. My intent was one day to be part of the entertainment business through set designing, producing and acting.
I knew i had no family background in the field of interest I had a passion for, but a lot of support and cheering. I had not the opportunity to study the university path i really wanted and ended in one which has given me, though,  a solid technical background instead. I had to therefore roll my sleeves and seek my own path by patching the missing skills.
Step by step I am learning, making a million mistakes, and meeting new people and receiving from them as well. Everyone who has the passion and the knowledge is a person I consider my mentor and my teacher.

4. What is your favorite style of (insert appropriate medium here)? Why?
Everything that is Absurd and that can be read as one big metaphor or a strong story telling, is my favorite. It gives me the freedom of mind to come up with "weird" interpretations and just wonder wonder wonder. I think the approaches which picture reality as it is are the toughest for me ( maybe in a way more challenging) as I dislike being restricted into a given box.
Having said that, I do love the research process ( historical, references...) , for whichever style.

5. What was the best show you EVER saw?
I think Les Miserable, simply because it is the first theatre show I have ever seen. I was in Washington and my parents had brought me and my sisters to this grand performance. I remember it vividly and remember the feeling it gave me. I also remember the music cassettes playing it's songs during the endless family car trips...
It terms of movies, I suppose it is Mary Poppins. The reason for that is because, along with it's fun/magical concepts and in a way absurdity, I dreamt of one day having the chance to be in the shoes Jane Banks ( the character in the film) both in the movie and as a Disney kid actress.

6. What was the best show in HK you EVER saw? (You cannot say your own.)
In Hk I would say the professional show: " The threepenny opera"- HKAPA Lyric theatre, 2011. The story was not the best part of the show...given I also could not understand anything as it was spoken in german. What I loved was the extreme devotion to the style which read strongly and was brilliantly achieved in the light design, the set, the costumes and the acting.


7.What piece of work are you the most proud of? (please include photo, if possible)
I have been honored to work on 13 projects in two year and am thankful for each and every opportunity.
However, the ones I am mostly proud and fond of:
Six Characters in search of an author, June 2010 (my introduction to the Hk theatre scene)
Orphans, December 2010 ( my very first set design in HK)
In the Next Room or the vibrator play, March 2011
California Suite, May 2012

8. What is your process like?
I analyze a script and I try to pull out a key metaphor, key motto or "music style" and make this my fun strict pair of glasses through which all is viewed and justified.


9. What is your dream project?
I have various dreams and life/work goals... I might have to narrow this down one day.
In terms of theatre/film: I dream of producing, set designing and acting on a big stage in a proper big theatre and feature film.
There is actually one specific project in my head for which I am in the process of collecting info and am doing my research. If one day I manage to bring this on the screen...then I will have hit one of my goals.


10. If you could change one thing about the art scene in HK, what would it be?

-I would increase the number of theatre spaces and make these on the average of 150 seats instead of 75...  plus design these like proper theatres with proper back stage and technology
-I would make money grow on trees and support the art scene more to allow the brilliant people in this community to express themselves without struggling so much ( though that helps with the learning process in a way too)
-I would build cheap rehearsal spaces and buy a huge warehouse where to store all the community theatre's PROPS and peaces of sets in order to not throw things away every time and then have to rebuy/rebuild them....
-I would do shows in a realistic time schedule with the proper resources and avoid the

suicide which makes the process a horrible nightmare.
-I would find another construction company with cheap deals for the building of sets in order to not rely on Mr Lo every single time....
-I would love it for more people to get a chance on stage and eliminate that label which often gets glued on people's forehead: if you are backstage then, "of course, you have no interest or ability of being on stage". More trust would be great.
- I would love it for people to commit all the way through a project and not abandon half way ( or last minute) leaving everyone else in a panic room. Yes I do know everybody participates on their spare time but respect and responsibility are part of the game.
-I would make many people I know win an Oscar for the love, dedication, time and effort put into all the projects.

Examples of Lara's work.