Newsletter No. 421

12 No. 421, 19.8.2013 莊梅岩 Candace Chong 1999心理，四屆香港舞台劇獎 「最佳劇本」得主 Psychology, 1999; Four-time Winner of Best Script Award, Hong Kong Drama Awards 陳焯威 Octavian Chan 2004物理，2009香港藝術發展獎 「藝術新秀獎」 Physics, 2004; 2009 Young Artist Award, Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 從事戲劇是一早立下的心願，還是在某個階段的轉念？ When did you start thinking about making drama your profession? 進大學前我在衡量選擇戲劇還是心理學，我清楚知道在演藝學院跟在中大的學習生活 非常不同，決定先進中大。心理學注重分析各種背景對性格和行為的影響，對創立角色 和分析劇本大有幫助。我特別喜歡變態心理學，一個人如何進入異常的精神狀態，無論 是與生俱來還是環境造成，都是很戲劇性的。在大二書院通識課，我修了「香港舞台劇透 視」，看話劇，探訪劇團，訪問導演，接觸了本地戲劇圈子，由此肯定了志趣，決定畢業後 報考演藝學院。 I was choosing between drama and psychology, and hence the Academy for Performing Arts (APA) and the Chinese University. I knew that CUHK and APA would entail very different learning habits. I decided to go to CUHK first. Psychology is about the environment, personality and behaviour, which helps in creating characters and scripts. I am particularly interested in abnormal psychology: how a person enters the abnormal mental stage, be it innate or influenced, is drama in itself. I took ‘A Perspectival Study of Hong Kong Theatre’ as a college general education course and started watching plays, visiting theatres and interviewing directors. As I got familiar with the local drama circle, I confirmed my interest and decided to apply for the academy after getting my first degree. 我在中二便胡胡鬧鬧寫了第一個劇本，進了大學，遇上四院劇賽，我有幸當上一角。不少 「老鬼」特地回來指導排練，我這才體會戲劇製作嚴謹之處。我唸的是物理，漸漸發覺 在尋找萬物真相之餘，好像忽略了身旁的人，脫離了實際生活。戲劇說的是人與人之間 的溝通，能彌補這方面的不足，因此我的參與愈來愈多。畢業後，我決定在戲劇這個崗 位上服務社會。物理學教我嚴密清晰的思考，給我很好的分析訓練，也是令我朝導演發 展的原因。 I wrote my crappy first script in Secondary 2. I got an acting role in the inter-college drama competition at CUHK. Many seniors came back to teach us during rehearsals. That’s when I started to realize how serious drama production could be. In physics, I was taught to seek the truth behind everything. But then I found I had ignored people and things around me in real life. Drama can fill the void because it’s about inter-personal communication. So I became more involved. After graduation, I decided to serve society through drama. Studying physics sharpens my critical and analytical thinking skills, which is good for being a director. 能談一下中大經驗的愛與恨嗎？ Tell us what you love and hate about CUHK. 校巴令人又愛又恨，趕不上校巴是最懊惱不過的事！校園環境特別，需要校巴代步，造就 了觀賞沿途風景的時間，也賦予中大與其他大學不同的特別步伐。由眾志堂往本部、本 部往逸夫，回想起來都是很美的路程。 Oh it must be the school bus! Missing a school bus was most miserable. The special campus landscape made dependence on school bus a must, but it also offered opportunities for us to appreciate the scenery along the routes, and helped define the unique rhythm and pace of CUHK. The journeys from Chung Chi Tang to the central campus and from there to Shaw were just beautiful. 最珍惜三年全宿的生活。宿舍就在山頭，接近大自然生活，跟住在高樓大廈是截然不同 的。一群大男孩朝夕相對，有眾志成城的嚴肅時刻，也有胡鬧搞鬼的時刻，我交到了真 心的朋友。到現在我仍會找昔日宿友，打球、吃飯、亂蓋亂侃。 I most treasure the three years in hostel. Living on the hill-top was beyond compare. We felt like we were part of nature. There were serious moments when we boys faced challenges with concerted effort, and of course we messed around too. I found true friends there. We still meet from time to time for ball games, dinner and chats. 哪位教授叫你們難忘？ Which professor impressed you most? 教變態心理學的 Freedom （ 梁耀堅 教授）可真夠瘋狂。有一課講的是恐懼，他邊問有沒 有誰害怕蟑螂，邊把一個裝着一只死蟑螂的保鮮袋擲到投影機上，把幾位女同學嚇得呱 呱大叫。這位教授授課很靈活，他的名字充分反映不受拘束的性格。 Freedom (Prof. Leung Yiu-kin ) who taught abnormal psychology—he’s crazy. In the lecture on phobia, he asked if any of us were afraid of cockroaches while placing a dead one in a zip-lock bag on the overhead projector, scaring a few girls to scream out loud. As hinted by his name, this professor broke all rules and taught freestyle. 前副校長 楊綱凱 教授教我們一年級力學，課題很廣闊，但他的講解很深入，令我深覺之 前的認識真是太膚淺了。他分批開車載我們去聯合吃飯，和我們邊吃邊談，處處流露出 對學生的關懷；我從沒想過一位大教授可以和我們這樣親近。他倒後泊車，三兩下手勢 便搞定，乾脆俐落，我好像經歷了一次「飄移」。 Prof. Kenneth Young , then Pro-Vice-Chancellor, taught us Year 1 mechanics. The topics were broad but he was able to lead us to dig into great depth. He took us to United College to have lunch. I never imagined that a professor like him could be so friendly and so caring. The way he backed his car while parking was cool. No back and forth, just a few brisk turns of the steering wheel and it’s done. It was the first ‘car drifting’ I experienced in my life. 從事戲劇的苦樂如何？ What are the joy and despair of making drama? 初入行時，真的試過銀行戶口只剩數十元，想看齣戲也沒錢。然而因為年輕，沒有自我規 限，創作更覺自由。現在，創作愈發投入，情緒起伏更大，更難抽離。劇本怎樣發展，角色 怎樣寫，想有寸進但覺舉步維艱。若能衝破這些局限，又是一陣狂喜。這些複雜的情緒 是沒有甚麼人可以分享的。這麼苦仍甘之如飴走下去，就是因為自己真的很愛戲劇。 When I first joined the profession, I experienced having less than a hundred bucks in my bank account, not even enough to buy a film ticket. But I was young then and knew no limits. That gave me more freedom to create. As I became more involved and devoted, I experienced erratic emotional ups and downs which were harder to detach from. It was also more difficult to make breakthroughs in developing plots and characters. But when I succeeded, I would enter a state of euphoria. It’s hard to find anybody to share these extremities. It’s bitter, yet sweet. Despite all that, I will strive on, because I really love drama. 我資歷較淺，依然很享受那罔顧框框天馬行空的創作階段，在這個過程中，我對自己認 識更深。和年紀相若的志同道合者合作，還有雖不知前路如何仍姑且一試的源源力量， 是幸運的。當然，戶口沒錢，這個月的房租還沒着落，是會驚慌的。苦的是世界很大，自 己太小，在香港可看到的戲種太窄，觀眾人數太少，嘗新的步伐太落後，探索另類劇場 的勇氣太不足。前人珠玉難以超越，創新又苦等而未成氣候。 Being relatively junior in the profession, I can still enjoy the freedom of boundless adventures and get to know myself better. I am fortunate to be able to work with people about my age towards the same goal. We don’t know what’s ahead but we feel empowered and dare to give it a try. Of course, I panic when I have no money to pay the bills. If you ask me what my despair is, well, the world of drama is huge but here in Hong Kong I can see so little of it. The audience population is too small; we are too slow and timid in experimenting with alternative repertory. Surpassing my predecessors is unlikely, and the time is not ripe yet to break away. ( 莊 Chong 陳 Chan