07-10-21
Misfortunes come on wings and depart on foot: Hong Kong had social commotion in 2019, COVID-19 in 2021 and will face economic downturn. Bad situations are like an amorphous mass of mud. Local theatres were devastatingly forced to close again and again.
The ‘Godmother’ of theatrical circles Olivia Yan(甄詠蓓)said, “We are down. But, we must stand up. Apart from the above misfortunes, the popularity of online streaming of theatrical productions is being a challenge which lies ahead of us! My mother was a Cantonese opera actress and my father was a technician for theatres in the 1950s. They fell by the wayside when Cantonese opera declined. They experienced a period of considerable hardship. It is a funny destiny that I am now making a living as an actress and director. That made me really on the ball to smell any change of dire circumstances in our trade. ‘Plan B’ is not only a fire exit. It should be a future career option for a stage professional and serves as an additional possibility.”
I asked, “What was your theatrical career like in the old days?” Olivia thought about it, “In the 60s and 70s, the theatrical world was a playing field for enthusiastic amateurs. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts was founded in 1984 and I was one of the early graduates. The government in Hong Kong started to give generous funding to drama developments. As full-time professionals in our field were not many, competition for me was less keen and opportunities were plentiful. Besides, only TV and film were chiefly available as entertainment. People loved stage performances a lot at that time.”
Olivia always talked in a slow, intelligent and irresistibly charming manner. I understood her extraordinary career from the early hits, but I want to find out her fabulous three-career pleasure now: director, actor and educationalist.
I asked, “You are lucky because you are so all-rounded. What is your advice for those struggling in the drama world?” Olivia paused, “I am not lucky. I am still thinking of a way to do better. The window of opportunity in our trade opens and closes as fast as a camera’s shutter. Art business, being volatile and trending rapidly, is never ‘business as usual’ after COVID-19. We must have a keen sense of crisis i.e. the ability to sense the danger of a downward movement of our industry and career. Secondly, we must realize the importance of having alternative part-time business or job. The idea is not to rely on one single source of income. Lastly, we must embrace the future i.e. accept changes and get ready for them. This is why I am now a ‘slashie’.”
I challenged deliberately, “Is future unreliable?” She bit her lip, “Life must be lived forwards. Although tomorrow is uncertain, the future will belong to those who are not afraid to trust an unknown decade. Do not let the good memories of the past or the self-approval of the present limit the potential of your future. If you do not walk the path, the collapsing things behind you will actually block the way for you to turn back. Let me give a solid example: technology like online streaming and technology theatres will be the dominant torrents. If you don’t go ahead to learn and apply, you could be like one of those stubborn Cantonese opera singers in the 1950s!”
“My teacher David Glass in my UK days inspired me a great deal on his engagement with the audiences especially the young for the mission of ‘Creative Learning’. He used workshops, rooted in physical and image-based theatre and storytelling, to help people to ‘see again’, ‘think again’ and ‘feel again’. This is a very explorative investigation of life into drama and drama into life. I want to organise these workshops in Hong Kong. During this time of virtual relationships, the shared visceral experience of theatre, as an applied art, is more important than ever,” said Olivia.
Her words aroused an echo in my heart. I added, “When drama as an art on the stage is facing a precarity, it is not a bad thing that theatrical professionals use their knowledge and skills outside the theatre to earn a living and benefit other people.”
Olivia went further, “Drama has a lot of social and human values. Among many, it promotes teamwork, communication skills, moral education and socialization. It also stimulates imagination and creativity. It can encourage harmony by helping participants develop a better understanding of others. Do try to apply our professional knowhows outside the 4 walls of a theatre as one’s career management.”
Is it sad? People in Hong Kong used to have planned routes about our life. We now start to learn that in life, doors can be locked and windows can be closed. It hurts when there is no alternative to security. However, there is an alternative to insecurity which is walking out from your comfort zone and taking risk—things will be no longer familiar but a new life begins, for better or worse. At least, you can toss a coin with possibly the luck of a ‘better’. Right?
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