A NEW PAGE OF DRAMA

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Courtesy of Shirley Cheung
A NEW PAGE
OF DRAMA
by Connie Lau
and Vivien Liu
Drama in HK has changed a lot since it first set foot in China 100 years ago.
M
“The ‘celebrity effect’ of
Chim is only a deployment
to promote dramas.”
Courtesy of Chim Sui-man
oving from a niche culture to popular
entertainment, western-style theatrical drama
in Hong Kong has changed significantly since it
first came to China 100 years ago. Drama has appealed
to the mass public by adapting to the commercial
environment and transforming itself to be more
interactive.
Jim Chim Sui-man, a leading actor in the drama
industry, has gained great success in recent years; Man of
la Tiger, a solo drama by Chim, has had 128 performances
since its debut in 2005. The show broke the attendance
record for solo performance of local dramas in May of
this year, having been seen by over 90,000 people.
Chim founded the Theatre Ensemble in 1993 with his
wife Yan Wing-Pui, who is also a veteran drama actress
and producer. Chim has produced more than 30 dramas
in the past 15 years. He has also acted in local movies
since 2001, and was nominated as Best Supporting
Actor at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards for Driving
Miss Wealthy.
Chim Sui-man dressed up as, the two candidates running for the Chief Executive
election last year in the poster of Man of la Tiger 2007
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Vivien Liu
period of time preparing for just one
night’s performance.”
“Some artistic qualities have
to be sacrificed if you want to
appeal to the mass.”
Sammy Leung Chi-kin founded the Sammy & Siu Yi
Ensemble in 1999.
“The ‘celebrity effect’ of Chim is
only a means to promote dramas,” said
Stephen Chan Chung-yan, marketing
and communications manager of
Theatre Ensemble. “He has a duty
behind (his involvement in movies). It
is to popularise art.”
Though such marketing strategies
aimed for appealing to the mass, Chan
said that the quality of the drama
would not be lowered. “The dramas
are still educational and they inspire
audiences to have introspection on
social issues. Their artistic quality is
high,” he added. “What we do is only to
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While Chim has been involving
in mass entertainment industry like
movies and advertisements, some
artists from the entertainment
industry are moving into drama.
Sammy Leung Chi-kin, a popular DJ
in Commercial Radio (CR), founded
the Sammy & Siu Yi Ensemble in 1999.
Each summer since then, a drama has
been produced. There was a message
behind each of their dramas, Leung
added. For instance, Big Nose, which
used a circus to represent a psychiatric
hospital, projected his feelings after
being reprimanded by CR in 2006.
Leung described the dramas they
produced as “pop operas” because
they had added some new elements
which were not found in traditional
opera. “Traditional operas and
musicals use songs to tell the story,” he
explained. “But songs in our drama are
only for emphasizing the feelings of a
particular moment in a plot.”
Another characteristic of Leung’s
productions is that most of the actors
are not professionals. Every year,
teenagers are recruited as voluntary
actors and pop stars are invited to play
in the dramas. For example, singers like
Joey Yung Cho-yee, Denise Ho Wansee, and Fiona Sit Hoi-kei were invited
to play in this year’s production.
“Some artistic qualities have to be
sacrificed if you want to appeal to the
mass audience. We are just like the
cover of a magazine which is rich and
“The government proposed to
develop West Kowloon as a cultural
district. It only focuses on the
establishment of the theatre,” said
Yeung. “It is difficult to make the mass
be concerned about the aesthetics of
drama arts.”
“It gave me a big surprise, as I don’t
know they were performing,” said
another audience member, Chan Siman. “After that I thought more about
what they wanted to tell us. It is quite
interesting and meaningful!”
Interactive drama takes many other
forms, like ‘people theatre’ and ‘forum
theatre.’ Yeung said ‘people theatre’
meant the theatre of the people, for
the people and by the people: “Actors
and audience have equal status in
people theatre.”
“The main element of art
is people.”
flourishing,” Leung said. “What we want
to do is to make people take the first
step towards a basic knowledge of the
great art of drama. After all, the ability
to make one smile is also an art.”
Leung said the penetration of pop
stars into local dramas was good
because pop stars and traditional
drama actors could affect and
benefit one another. “In recent years,
traditional dramas have become
more entertaining, while many pop
singers like Denise Ho Wan-see and
Miriam Yeung Chin-wah have added
stage elements into their concerts and
performance,” he added.
While some in the drama industry
modify themselves to approach the
mass, others choose a different way.
On Valentine’s Day, a couple quarreled
in a street in Mong Kok and were
surrounded by a crowd. The woman
found out that the man had another
girlfriend and wanted to break up with
him. The man asked for the woman’s
forgiveness. When the woman was
ready to leave, a passer-by gave the
man flowers and encouraged him to
propose to the woman.
Still, singers and stars who are not
professional drama actors may need to
take extra effort in practice. “We have
to spend much time learning the body
movements and facial expressions
in drama,” he said. “You spend a long
The man and the woman were
not a couple at all. They were actors
of FM Theatre Power performing in
the street. When they revealed their
identities at last, the audience in the
street was surprised and impressed.
“This kind of performance is
called ‘invisible’ drama,” Dr. Lo Wailuk, Associate Professor of Cinema
and Television of the School of
Communication of Hong Kong Baptist
University, explained. “It is a form of
interactive drama that originated
during the war against Japan in China
in the 1930s.”
For ‘forum theatre,’ according to
Yeung, the audience is encouraged to
join in the middle of the drama and
so they are able to change the ending
of the story. “This lets the audience
know that there is more than just
one possibility in the world,” Yeung
explained.
Whether traditional or interactive,
Yeung thinks that drama should be
inspiring. “The main element of art is
people,” said Yeung. “People make up
lives, and drama should originate from
our daily lives.” V
“Traditional drama interacts with
the audience through eye contacts
and applause,” said Dr. Lo. “Interactive
drama needs the audience to be
involved in the drama instead of
playing a passive role.”
Banky Yeung Ping-kei, the Art
Director of FM Theatre Power, said
that interactive drama was an easier
way to approach a wider audience.
“Though (we have) no stage, no
seats, no theatre and (we only) play
in the street, interactive drama is
more efficient in connecting with the
audience directly,” Yeung said.
Angel Li
Chan admitted that there was an
intention for their promotions to cater
to the taste of the mass. “For example,
Chim dressed up as Donald Tsang Yamkuen and Alan Leong Kah-kit, the two
candidates running for the Chief Executive election last year in the poster
of Man of la Tiger 2007,” Chan said. “We
try to stimulate audiences’ reactions
by using themes which Hong Kong
people would be sympathetic to.”
bring out the art in a more entertaining
way.”
Tickets for this year’s production,
Lokamochi Mamiba, are on sale for
the first time. In past years, tickets
were distributed as gifts in radio
programmes. This time, all the tickets
were sold out in two hours.
“It is an interesting way (of
performing). I have never seen before.
It is attractive and increases my interest
in drama in some sense,” said Leung
Wai-jan, who has not seen this kind of
drama before, “at least, it lets me have
more chance to approach drama.”
Banky Yeung Ping-kei refers interactive drama as
an easier way to approach a wider audience.
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