18-06-20

A Hong Kong girl called Lilian, alone in London for her stage actress career, has fought many battles, most beyond her control and is still fighting to survive. Everything about her sounds moving. She is a wildflower and her dreams are in the same direction but forced to ‘go with flow’. If not for the COVID-19, she should have left her parental family in Hong Kong for London—she said, “I have to go. The future is calling my name!”

Lilian Tsang is a budding artist in the fringe theatres such as Lion & Unicorn, Kentish Town. Her BA degree in Drama & Theatre Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London and MA degree in Acting from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire enabled her to start her acting profession in Manchester in 2013. She remembered, “Unlike Hong Kong, England has a much bigger theatre market. Young people had no connections in the pond. The first thing for them to do was to find an agent who would take you up. My agent got big names and novices like me. He did a great job for me but unfortunately more than 50% of the theatrical performances were in London. Hence, I left Manchester for the exciting capital. I have spent 7 years off the West End scuba diving. I am still new and nobody. But, I believe.”

I joked with her, “Is ‘believe’ important?” She laughed, “Yes. When you believe what you are doing are what you are fond of, aim at and can do well, your persistent belief will drive you not to surrender. You consistently endeavored and maneuvered your way into the confidence of those who can give you a chance.” I said, “I totally agree. Nothing great comes easy. Nothing easy can ever equate to greatness.”

Lilian was a ‘St. Stephen’s girl’ (St. Stephen’s Girls’ College). In the 2000s, she went to Island School Hong Kong, the Royal Holloway of University of London and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She joined the acting profession in Manchester in 2013.

She flashed her beautiful smile, “To begin your acting career, one needs 3 things: a couch to stay, a backup job such as waiter, usher or Uber driver in case when you make no money from performing and an agent. Hong Kong is just a city but UK is a country. An agent is the powerful connection between you and theatre groups.” I made a cheesy joke, “Can a boyfriend or girlfriend answer the three questions?”

I asked, “Did the issue of cultural superiority there bother you?” Lilian looked me in the eye, “Over time, I think it’s a racial issue.” She agreed what was said by a researcher Dr Thorpe, “In the UK, there is less awareness of racial politics surrounding East Asians, compared to Black and South Asian groups. British East Asians are considered a neoliberal and multicultural success story and so people are often unaware of the racism that East Asians do encounter. They are characterized as being content, hard working at school and with nothing to complain about. There is a ‘double standard’ when it comes to East Asian representation. Theatre companies often cite ‘colour-blind casting’ or the ‘universality’ of a play as a defence, but at the same time, British East Asian actors are not being incorporated into other areas. There is a sense that they are only allowed to play themselves in a certain kind of way—often involving ‘Pidgin English’ or being an immigrant.” I lamented, “Because of China being on the path to a super world power, our race will continue to be a sensitive tag for us to carry.”

Lilian completed the point, “I got some personal experience. In 2017, there was a modern opera set in an Asian-style restaurant about an illegal Chinese immigrant but it shockingly featured an ‘all-white’ cast. The second incident is when I went to the audition of another play, the director asked if I could pretend not to speak proper English since the audience usually perceive an East Asian as being unable to do so.”

I was sympathetic, “How did you solve the problems?” Lilian exuded confidence, “I tried to convince directors that the role in question could be non-racial and even an East Asian would do well. These days, I no longer wait for a chance to come. I work out a plan to bring myself a better future. I am trying to set up a theatre company to generate jobs and increase exposure for myself. I am ambitious but learnt not to be over-ambitious. I am always ready to ‘go with flow’ and throw up my hands in defeat. After all, failures will be normal if I want to succeed.”

I asked Lilian, “Will you return to Hong Kong to develop your career?” She shook her head, “I got a target to follow. I am not there yet. When my ‘business’ is unfinished in London, I do not want to change my mind and make my life easier by coming back to Hong Kong.”

The life of Lilian Tsang is the story of a Hong Kong girl defining alone in London what her purpose in life can be. She believed in dreams, no matter how impossible they seemed. I told Lilian, “Sky is not the limit. There were those who already left footprints on the moon.”

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