Share
“Age is just a number, what really matters is how to find your purpose and something you are passionate about.” This perfectly summarises the story’s main theme. In May, 11 members of the Transformational Multi Performing Arts Programme for Golden Agers, a Hong Kong-based elderly theatre group founded by Arts’ Options and supported by the Link Together Initiatives, travelled to the United Kingdom to perform at Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, and Manchester and Rochester.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime and dream come true moment for many in the group. Finally, after 1,095 days and seven months of hard work, the actors could finally perform on stage overseas as semi-professional actors. Members collaborated and shared stories with each other, and they interacted with actors from other countries. As a result of the journey, they gained a deeper understanding of their artistic mission and how to inspire more people in the future.
Project founder Brenda Chan was the driving force behind this overseas trip. Brenda said the group had planned to perform overseas in Spring 2020, but was forced to cancel it due to the pandemic. She recalled being approached by the Leeds City Council to perform at their event at the end of 2021. “Each show had about 80 to 100 seats, with an average attendance rate of 80%, and about 30% were foreigners. Despite not having English subtitles, the audience could understand the monologues more or less.” Brenda added that many audiences approached the actors afterward to express their appreciation. “Some even asked if we were actors, “she said. “All the feedback was truly encouraging.”
Now let’s hear from the six acting groups.
A lifelong enthusiast of the performing arts, Crystal Yan participated in Bruce Lee’s First of Fury. For her performance in the UK, she wrote her own script to describe her mental journey from childhood to adulthood, including learning tailoring and singing, working in a stock brokerage firm, and emigrating overseas. Through these stories, Crystal wanted to showcase the skills and knowledge she has gained since joining the group. “It’s like I fulfilled my childhood dream only after retirement,” she said.
Crystal's 20-minute monologue was a hit among audiences from the Chinese community due to its comedic element. The story even brought some to tears to her surprise. Her experiences in the past few years have led her to see drama as an influence on lives, and she hopes to pursue it until she is 99.
CM Wong is also a lifelong theatre enthusiast in the group. Like Crystal, he based his monologue mainly on his own life experience: from getting expelled from middle school to apprenticing at a bank to a successful career in stock brokerage, to ultimately being laid off. Drama in his life provided the perfect ingredients for a script that was both personal and compelling.
In CM’s monologue, one of the most poignant moments was “I’ve been working for 29 years and this is the first time I ‘ve seen sunshine after work.” In summarising his trip, CM said what touched him most was the loneliness he experienced on stage and the fulfilment from moving the audience.
The six-minute play by Karen Law and Gloria Ho combines suspense, sci-fi elements, and an unexpected ending. In this short segment, an elder sister shows how she helped her younger sibling through mental illness with kinship and care. “We have revised the scripts five to six times to streamline the structure without missing the key messages,” said Gloria. “We also conveyed a positive message in the face of death in the segment” Karen added.
Gloria and Karen have undergone 300 hours of training in acting, physical theatre, and dialogue during the past few years. They became more confident when performing on stage, they said.
Caroline Ting, who taught English at a university before retirement and her performance was in English. She wanted to express her desire to reunite with her son, who has moved abroad. “From the photos, I was able to see him and the grandkid I have never met,” said Caroline. “The play gave me the opportunity to express how I felt towards my son as a mother.”
Caroline’s son expressed his pleasure at his mother’s newfound interest in theatre. Caroline’s work was also appreciated by others as well. A woman of similar age expressed how moved she was by Caroline’s segment and even invited her home!
After a 37-year career in nursing, Stella Kwok thought she knew everything about life and death, but her involvement in the theatre has changed her perspective. In her segment, she expressed her passions in driving, music, and her admiration for Mother Teresa.
Her portrayal of a bus driver was so convincing that an audience member asked after the Manchester show if she was actually a bus driver in Hong Kong. The audience said he had been driving bus for 20 years. He was so surprised when Stella revealed she was a retired nurse. Her performance also included John Lennon’s Imagine – a song about peace and love. “As Mother Teresa once said, we can do small things with great love,” Stella said. “That’s why I wanted to include these messages in the play to reach more people.”
Having devoted himself in the construction industry for 40 years, Jimmy Tsang aimed to use the performance to emphasise the importance of lifelong commitment in couples with his partner. “My generation sees marriage as a lifelong commitment,” he said. “But the younger generation is different. I have seen some couples decided to divorce out of impulse.”
To his surprise, even younger audiences were moved by his performance. A young lady told him how much his performance reminded her of her parents’ love story.
Besides the UK tour, Arts’ Options also hosted the second annual Symposium of Multi-Faceted Performing Arts Form for Golden Age in June. The event brings together a line-up of professionals and elderly theatre trainees to share their experiences. Among the attendees was Professor Eva Man, who has taught at the Hong Kong Baptist University for over 30 years. Professor Man encourages seniors to spend more time on novels, paintings, and movies to develop their aesthetic insights. “Through this process,” she said, “seniors can apply what they see and learn to their own creation, which will help them appreciate their own true value."
Louis Yu, Director of Hong Kong Art School, believes that golden agers are an integral component of Hong Kong's multicultural environment. “Despite representing past memories and experiences, the creativity and value of the elderly are often overlooked. They can come up with new ideas and art work, “said Yu. Arts’ Options can host a golden ager cultural festival with courses, exhibitions, and commercial campaigns. Such large-scale activities can raise public awareness about arts and culture, and encourage more retirees to participate in economic value creation, according to Yu.
Currently in its third year, the Transformational Multi Performing Arts Programme for Golden Agers has so far provided 300 hours of training to over 70 seniors. During the Symposium, Brenda provided updates on the programme's latest developments. Trainees participated in the shooting or performance of over 60 TV drama series, plays, and musicals. Brenda also shared that a graduate of the programme becomes a full-time musical performer recently. In addition, the programme also started training students to become teachers, with the goal of eventually assigning them to teach at schools and non-profit organisations. Going forward, the group plans to continue to organise its original shows in Hong Kong and to collaborate with overseas art groups to share the development of senior arts in the city.
