Some Case Studies of 20 Years of Hong Kong Community Theatre
“There are more and more ‘performing arts venues’ in Hong
Kong – the many city halls, the Academy for Performing Arts, the Hong Kong Arts
Centre, the Fringe Club, City Contemporary Theatre....Nevertheless, we still
need people who are willing to perform outside these venues.” (Yu Sau, 1987)
The paragraph above is quoted from the preface of the book “Elections
– A Negation” published by the People’s Theatre. It was 1987, an era full of
life : the negotiation between China and Great Britain over the future of Hong
Kong after 1997 had been completed and Hong Kong’s future was settled. The
economy was running well. In the area of the performing arts, the Council for
the Performing Arts and the Academy for the Performing Arts had been established.
Especially with the former, the resources it made available had generated great
impetus for growth in the local theatre. The establishment also grew – both the
Urban Council and the Regional Council set up in 1986 also provided much
financial resources for the construction of venues and the presentation of
programmes. Even more important was the fact that the people of Hong Kong became concerned with various issues which they
had never thought of – identity, the question of “root”, local culture and
Chinese culture.
Promotional Community Theatre
With respect to the fostering of a local theatre culture,
the author began in 1983 to promote a community theatre movement in Shatin. His
inspiration came from three sources: firstly, his teacher Mr. Lee Woon Wah once
spoke in an open forum the sense of mission of the Chinese theatre artists and
this made a significant impact on him. Secondly, the Hong Kong Government
commissioned Andrew Leigh, the Administrator of the Old
Vic Theatre
in England to write a
development report on Hong Kong’s theatre. In
the report, various issues concerning regional theatre and development of
original works were discussed. Thirdly, in 1984, the author was involved in the
writing and directing of “ I Am Hong
Kong” with the Chung Ying Theatre and the success of this original work and its
touring format added to his confidence. So in October, 1985, the author formed
the Shatin Theatre Company together with Cheung Ping Kuen and Cheung Yim Cheung,
and called it a “community theatre.”
In a newspaper article, the author reflected on the first
ten years of the Shatin Theatre Company. The idea then was to set up some kind
of “seeding areas” for grass-root theatre as an alternative to the main stream
establishment. The way it worked was to tour the production to where the audiences
were with dramatic contents relevant to society. This experiment was shelved
because of the amateur nature of the company and other limitations. Instead of
touring, the company decided to engage full time professionals to do training
in the high schools. However, it continued to organise the Shatin Drama
Festival and theatre fair, which were still very much community oriented. (
Hardy Tsoi, 1996)
There was not a lot of theory – just a group of theatre enthusiasts
seeking an alternative to the current theatre and such was the beginning of the
community theatre in Shatin. New
development naturally attracted attention. Da Shan, a people’s theatre worker
who had attended community theatre workshops had this to say,” The Shatin
Theatre Company possessed all the conditions of a community theatre...with the
exception of one, i.e. the organic operation, organization and development from
the bottom up.” (Da Shan 1987). Da Shan’s criticism was based on visiting
community artist, N. Owen’s description of the art form. According to Owen,
Community Theatre can assume the following formats: “Firstly, to stage a ‘related’
play by a company from outside the community and the purpose is to provoke
thought and discussion among the audience. Secondly, to stage an open-ended
play that will allow the audience to finish so as to provide an opportunity for
information and opinion exchange and discussion of what they had faced in the
process. Thirdly, to help organize a community theatre group for the community.
(Da Shan 1987) N. Owen also pointed out that “No matter what kind of community
theatre, the most important feature is to allow the community to understand its
own situation through theatre. The community will then seek to make changes for
the better. The whole process must be based on its own understanding and needs.
Therefore the characteristics of a community theatre are discussion, participation
and self organization. (Da Shan 1987). Another point considered by Da Shan to
be faulty is that the survival of a community theatre should not rely on the
funding of government or it would lose its independence.
In actual fact, when the Shatin Theatre Company engaged a
full time community arts officer to provide service to the schools, it had also
chosen the newly established Shatin
Town Hall as its
performance base. In terms of the plays staged, although many of them were
original works, the community flavour had diminished. However, the author’s faith
in the community theatre had not been wavered. He felt that the “From Training
to Performance” model as testified by drama training in schools and youth
centres followed by the Shatin Drama Festival could be further developed
providing more
time and money were available. He recognized that it should be
professionally run and developed, and professionalisation was the inevitable
trend. As good as his words, he founded the full-time group, Prospects Theatre
Company, which took over the community theatre work originally conducted by the
Shatin Theatre Company in 1993. At the same time, with funding support from the
Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Prospects was beginning to “export” “community
theatre” programmes to other districts in Hong Kong.
(1)
The exported format, which usually ran within a period not
less than 6 months, had consolidated from the Shatin prototype with the
following features:
1.
Schools and youth and centres in the district
were the primary targets;
2.
Theatre training will be given;
3.
Related drama activities will be organized as a
complement;
4.
Organising a contest for amateur theatre groups
in the district;
5.
a script about the people and events related to
the district will be written and people
in the district will be invitedto participate in the performance of the plays
6.
If necessary, before leaving the district,
assistance will be provided in setting up theatre bodies in order to sustain
theatre activities in the district.
Among the aforementioned features, the most remarkable would
be number 5. A good example would be when as the Eastern District Community
Theatre Programme was conducted, Prospect’s Paul Poon adapted the novel “The
Sun Has Set”, which is about the district Saiwanho, by Shu Hong Shing into a
play of the same title.
The model described above is directly related to an earlier field
study visit in England
by the author for a report after the visit. The author wrote:
“I
went to Sussex, England
in 1987 to observe the Community Theatre there. Famous playwright/director Ann
Jellicoe was the founder of this type of community theatre and I was very much
inspired. They operated in the following way: professional artists from the
theatre company would take up residency in a town for half a year or up to one
year. They would help the residents to organize various theatre activities such
as training workshops, games, parade and carnivals, etc. At the same time, a
playwright would do research with an aim to write a play about the town’s
history. During my visit, I was able to catch such a play being performed.
Platforms were set up inside a church at two ends. Only the elderly would be
seated while the rest of the audience would mill around in promenade fashion.
The characters in the play would come on the platform or appear right next to
the audience. The actors were playing roles of their ancestors or historical
figures of their town. It was obvious that the people loved and supported this
kind of theatre and the local bars, restaurants and hotels were providing
sponsorship to the professionals. In the evening of the performance, the church
was crowded with people. Community theatre has become an important part of
their life.”
The “Eastern District Community Theatre Development
Programme” by the Prospects Theatre Company was somewhat modeled after what was
written above except that, in Hong Kong, people generally did not have very
high consciousness about their community or local culture. There were also so many
alternatives for leisure activities that the outcome of the community theatre
projects had been quite different. However, the viability of such a development
had been proven. (Hardy Tsoi, 1966)
By 2002, the “tailor-made” scripting method devised by
Prospects Theatre for communities had undergone changes. Under a programme named
“Grasshopper Outreach Youth and Children’s Theatre”, an artist facilitator
would take a group of young people enthusiastic about the theatre to visit
different sectors in the district, e.g. home for the elderly, boys and girls’ dormitories,
temporary housing estates, etc. Eager eyes towards new people and things, “Dialogues”
would easily be struck up between the young participants with and the various
groups of unique life experience. Thus, through observation, interviews,
discussion, creating and rehearsing, a play about society as observed by young
people’s eyes was produced. It then went on tour in other districts and served
as an example for other districts in self-reflection, reviews and further
dislogue.
Some Issues Revolving Around Promotional Community Theatre
If an overall review of the community theatre model
developed by Shatin Theatre Company and the Prospects Theatre Company is taken,
it can be seen that its prime purpose is for theatre promotion. When arts and
culture are still not generally recognized by society, this had its value. This
is a problem and a challenge. The major difficulty faced by this kind of
community theatre is that of the huge size of the community – in terms of the
physical area, the size of the populations and its diversity. Therefore,
constant adjustment had had to be made in order that the “invisible communities”
might be reached. Theatre groups’ reliance on government funding, on the other
hand, had greatly affected their survival, the mode of operation and the scale
of their plans and programmes. In actual fact, almost all arts organizations
require government funding. In tapping resources from the district boards, the
proactive programme “Community Theatre Scheme for the 18 Districts” formulated
by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council only met lukewarm response from the
boards. This not only a reflects the lack of enthusiasm and support for arts
and culture by the district boards but also implies that there should be more
lobbying and educational work to be done. Apart from that, theatre training in Hong Kong has been geared mainly to stage productions.
But the know-how and commitment required of a community theatre worker are
quite different. Therefore, human resources and quality control are areas of
concern as well.
Community Theatre for Social Change
Apart from community theatre that promotes the art form,
there is also community theatre for social change. It has the following
features:
1.
Theatre is considered as a tool that would
liberate the creativity, the body and soul of the human kind.
2.
It tends more to work with minority and
underprivileged groups. As the participants have similar background, the impact
is usually larger.
3.
The relationship between the theatre worker and
participants is different from the ordinary theatre in that it is more equal.
Participants are both spectators and creators.
The representative of community theatre for change is the
People’s Theatre group led by Mr. Mok Chiu Yu. Their development might be
divided into two stages – the People’s Theatre in the 1980s and that of the
1990s. Influenced by the American radical “Living Theatre”, the People’s
Theatre took part in performances, publications, making music cassette tapes
and movie making. They did not perform in the usual venues of established
theatres. Instead, they performed in the streets and in university campuses.
Mok explained the rationale behind such activities,” We merely want to do things
that the mass media do not or cannot do. We hope to communicate and act as a
catalyst for social changes.” (Mok Chiu Yu, 1997). As to the effectiveness of
this theatre operation, Mok had his reservations. He said, “What is political
drama any way? Although one starts out trying to communicate, the audience
would only endorse what they already believe and thus, only the solidarity of
those sharing the same belief will be reinforced.” (Mok Chiu Yu 1997).
In the 1990s, Mok Chiu Yu et al came to know people’s
theatres in Asia and Brazil
and he revised his thoughts on “people’s theatre”. He wrote,
“What
is people’s theatre then? People’s theatre is a kind of cultural action. It is
theatre of the people, for the people and by the people. The purpose of people’s
theatre is to allow the people themselves to alleviate themselves from two
kinds of poverty. The first is connected with the mental and cultural... People’s
theatre has empowering effects and is a means for empowerment. It leads to the
gain of confidence within the people themselves and it allows them to utilise
all the different artistic media to voice themselves, to critique and analyse
their living conditions and to do what they feel they need to do, to change the
unequal and unjust circumstances. People’s theatre promotes the practice of
grass-root democracy and the realization of grass-root democracy will
necessarily change the unequal distribution of wealth in society.” (Mok Chiu
Yu, 1997)
It therefore should not be a surprise to find subsequently
Mok Chiu Yu working for the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong and
founding the Asian People’s Theatre Festival Society.
As speaking out for the underprivileged and encouraging them
to voice out are the basic goals of people’s theatre, “Playback Theatre”
introduced by Veronica Needa, an ex-member of Chung Ying Theatre, in 1996 to
Mok became an additional tool for people’s theatre. Playback Theatre since has
grown by leaps and bounds and many names like “Well Drama Club”, “Chosen Power”,
“Live @Life”, Michelle Chung, Grad Leung etc. have formed the backbone of the movement. Many social workers and
organisations also used the same techniques to assist their work and the
clients whom they served include the mentallly handicapped, youth out of
school, new immigrants, migrant workers and other underprivileged groups. There
are other young adults who have been attracted by the unique appeals of
Playback Theatre to be enthusiastically involved, e.g. the Living Stories
group.
Some Reflections on Community Theatre for Social Change
Since the Renaissance, western civilization has propounded
humanism. Until the advent of the post industrial, post modern eras when society
is being overwhelmed by the personal computers, the status of the individual
has scaled new heights as society has become even more divisive. The theatre,
being displaced by films and television into a minority interest, has gradually
lost its educational and cohesive powers. Its justification for existence is
further affected by a world of dangerous and unpredictable changes. Thus,
community theatre for social change can be likened to social workers, who are
always actively searching for soils worth ploughing, which is a rare and honourable act indeed. However, if
we were to take the following considerations into account, it might help in the
course of community theatre for social change:
1.
The community theatre for social change is
suspect of “preaching to the converted”, as its audience are like-minded. However,
the answer lies in the keyword “change” as this is what the theatre aspires.
From this, we may be able to relate ourselves to great speeches by political
figures at public spaces and rallies. Does Agit Prop have a place in Hong Kong?
2.
The ideal theatre should have depth, and before
depth, focus. Maybe the focus or issues in community
theatre for social change is superficially simple and easy to be identified. But as the Chinese saying goes, “You are not a
fish. So how do you know the fish’s concern?”, for the theatre worker is to
find the issue and offer the right remedy, there must be thorough investigation
and research. It is easy to whip up sentimentalism in a theatre, but follow -up
action is what matters.
3.
The idea of empowerment seems to be in
contradiction with the “from bottom to top” ideal model of community theatre
for social change. Alternatively, if the deprived minority groups have the self
knowledge and ability to organize and reform, they do not really need the
existence of the community theatre worker. Therefore, the role of latter is
rather intriguing; it requires remarkable skills and sincerity and it has to be
pursued with humility and should therefore be much respected.
4.
Finally, there is the question of technique and
content. Take “Playback Theatre” for example. It can be used to bring about social change but is also for
entertainment. Nowadays many young people like to sing in karaoke and play
electronic games, finding satisfaction and gratification of “being in control”.
Be it community theatre or people’s theatre, the question of balance between content
and technique should be addressed. Such theatre can be simply and economically
produced in different touring environment but there is no reason to banish this
type of theatre from main houses so that they can be seen by a larger audience
under more favourable conditions. Successful examples can be found in Joan Littlewood’s
“Oh! What a Lovely War” and the Asian People’s Theatre Festival Society’s “Macau 123” in 1998. Both shows were entertaining and thought
provoking.
From “Celebration” to “Rebellion”
Famous theatre scholar Professor Robert W. Corrigan once
pointed out: “There has always been a continuing tension between rebellion and
celebration in the arts. “(Corrigan, 1973) This is also an appropriate comment
for the community theatre, which is both celebratory and rebellious. Looking at
the experience of Hong Kong, in the short span
of the last twenty years, we have experienced community theatre which evolved
from political street theatre, to promotional community theatre, people’s
theatre including Playback Theatre and even educational theatre in schools.
There will be greater and diversified developments in the days ahead.
Talking about future developments, the two-year old theatre
group “Ying Sheung Chuk Theatre Company” provides an interesting example. The
group is made up of two persons adapting an integration of styles from the
physical theatre, masks, poetry, folksongs, glove puppetry, Chinese martial
arts and other forms traceable to Chinese folklore. They first performed in the
elderly and youth centres, facilitated mask workshops and performed in the community
centres. They are educational and community-based as well as touring. Their
sources of funding come primarily from the workshops they organise and
performances, supported by the Lesiure and Cultural Services Department. Around
Chinese New Year this year, the Comapny organised at the Yuen Long Theatre a “Feast
of the Supreme Lions”, which included the making of
lions for the traditional lion dance, the lion dance itself and percussion
workshops. Its promotion took on the form of a menu of a Chinese banquet
and was quite outstanding. There were students from two primary schools, one
high school and members from a youth centre joining the performance. The
audience was also invited to take part. The one hour performance had a great
atmosphere and participants were very motivated. It is indeed very meaningful
to carry out community theatre activities basing on folklore and traditional
festivals. However, it is obvious that, without government funding support, the
number of performances that “Ying Sheung Chuk Theatre Company” could do and its
impact are necessarily restricted.
Serving the underprivileged and the deprived groups –
whether it is to bring theatre to people living in distant places or to awaken
the oppressed, has always been the goal of the community theatre. From a macro
point of view, giants like Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Shaw and Brecht were
just doing the same thing. In Hong Kong, the
total number of theatre goers amounts to somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000
(3). So even if performances are many, the social impact is not particularly
high. Therefore, the theatre may be considered to be a minority which has to
work hard for its survival. Take for an example in the Hong Kong Arts Centre
forum on “Searching for Hong Kong’s Theatre:
Revelations from Kuo Po Kun” on 9th February, one of the concerns
with Hong Kong theatre raised was the over
emphasis on theatricality and its lack of cultural depth. Owing to the goals
and mode of operation of the community theatre, it can definitely contribute much towards this
end. Community Theatre in Hong Kong has a
history of twenty years. Further formal research and study will be the way
forward for this art form.
Notes:
1.
Since 1993, the Prospects Theatre Company had
for four consecutive years received funding from the Hong Kong Arts Development
Council to run “ Theatre Development Programme on Hong Kong Island East”, “Theatre
Development Programme at Tusen Wan and Kwai Ching”, “Community Theatre
Development Programme in Tuen Mun” and “Theatre Development Programme in
Northern District, New
Territories.” Apart from
the above, Prospect Theatre Company has been repeatedly commissioned by the
Leisure and Cultural Services Department to undertake various Cultural
Ambassador Scheme and Artists in Residence Scheme.
2.
“The Grasshopper Outreach Youth and Children’s
Theatre” is part of Prospects Theatre’s “ Insects’ Playground – Community
Integrated Arts Programme”. The programme came under the Leisure and Cultural
Services Department Cultural Ambassador Scheme 2002.
3.
Hardy Tsoi conducted surveys on theatre
performances and audience in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Taking 1991 as an example,
there were 82 Chinese theatre groups performing 173 plays in 764 performances.
Total audience was 250,000. On average every person sees six performances and
the number of theatre goers should be aound 40,000. Separately in a publication
“Hong Kong’s Theatre Scene 360 Degrees” edited
by Mr. Ting Yu (published by the Hong Kong
section of the International Association of Theatre Critics, it was reported
that in 1997/98, there were 178 plays with 1010 performances staged. There was
a total of 310,000 number of viewers. Calculated on the same basis as before,
there would be about 50,000 theatre goers.
References:
Yu Sau (1987) (Preface) [Elections – A Negation – Collected
Plays of People’s Theatre] (page 6) Hong Kong People’s Association
Hardy Tsoi (1996) [Community Art and it Space for Survival]
(Sing Tao Daily News) 27th
March 1996
Da Shan (1987) [A Community Theatre in Hong
Kong 1] in [Elections – A Negation – Collected Plays of People’s
Theatre] (pages 155m 156) Hong Kong
People’s Association
Mok Chiu Yu (1997) [The Political Nature of Theatre and
People’s Theatre] in [Hong Kong Theatre – Recordings of Seminars on Theatre
1997] (pages 116, 118) Hong Kong , Hong Kong
Section of International Association of Theatre Critics.
Corrigan, Robert W. (1973) “The Theatre in Search of A Fix
(pg 348) USA:
Dell Publishing Co. Inc.
（此為莫昭如主辦社區劇場研討會之主題演講英譯本。譯者不詳。中文本在另一刋物登出時改名為：《發展弱勢社群的社區劇場本身就是弱勢社群》。）
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