Anthony Chan Kam-kuen (born 1953) is a Hong Kong dramatist, director, educator, set designer, and costume designer. Throughout his career, he adapted and translated more than a hundred plays and directed more than eighty. He was former head of the directing and playwriting at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
He embarked on his playwright career at an early stage. In 1973, while still in tertiary education, he wrote his first play, DoomsdayâÂÂs Wedding, which won Best Playwright, Best Director and Best Actor at a competition held during the "Hong Kong Festival." He later obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Denver. In 1982, he returned to Hong Kong.
In the early-1990s, Chan gained international recognition. His Hong Kong Heartbeat, an ensemble production incorporating dance and music, was staged at the Festival Hong Kong '92 in London, Calgary and Ottawa by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. His Nuwa Mends the Sky toured Tarascon and Bordeaux, France, and won a best script award. In 1994, he translated, directed and designed the set for You Can't Take It with You.
He was former head of the directing and playwriting at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. During his nearly two decades of service, he devoted himself to nurturing talents, and before stepping down, he completed the curriculum design for the Master of Fine Arts in drama programme.
Between 2008 and 2023, Chan served as the artistic director of Hong Kong Repertory Theatre until his retirement. Seeking to counter typecasting and broaden the actors' artistic range, he introduced an audition system that allowed supporting actors to compete for leading roles. He applied this approach in Field of Dreams, which he wrote and directed. The production won the Hong Kong Drama Award for Best Actor (Tragedy/Drama) (Lau Shau-ching). He also introduced the troupe to programme with a theme for each production season.
Chan is married, and he met his wife in Hong Kong Repertory Theatre.