【一句話推介】
It is a reflection of one of the most influential theatre directors in Hong Kong, Tang Shu-wing tells us his 30 years practice on the theatre through Acting and Directing.
It is not a basic tool-book but a reflection of the author in his 30 years practice on the theatre through Acting and Directing. These two areas deal primarily with human being, while all other external objects and scenic elements are only in its service. The ideas and methods proposed in this book all come from his personal experience in his creative works which are very practical and possessing clearly articulated concepts which originate from how he perceives life. The issues which he is trying to address are very universal in the field of performing arts, especially in theatre. At the end, he concludes with some important life experiences which he has accumulated until now so that he is firstly a man, then an artist.
The Three Levels in the title mean: Level One, Level Two and Level Three. Level One refers to those things which are absolutely necessary in your creative work, without which it will crumble, Level Two refers to those things which you can have or you can do away with. Level Three refers to those things which must not appear in your creative work.
ABC refers to a principle of Yin and Yang. If A is a certain state of thing, then B is its opposite, and C is something in between, or elsewhere. Though this book aims at readers who have already got some sort of professional experiences in performing arts, beginners and people who simply love life will also find it interesting and inspiring.
名人推薦
Like the great masters of Western theatre of the last century - Stanislavski, Grotowski, Chekhov, Barba, Brook - Shu-wing proposes a systematisation of the laws of creating a show and of the actor's craft. He does this with an almost scientific method, but at the same time, he is aware that all the craftsmanship acquired and practiced is subject to something that we can call a vision, an intuition.
Enrico Bonavera
Official Harlequin, Piccolo Teatro, Milan
Tang Shu-wing is a multi-lingual internationalist and that fact alone gives his insights a rare perspective at a time when intercultural exchange and collaboration is singularly challenged. He is able to embody traditions from Asian theatre in which form and structure are reduced to their essentials. But conversely, he acknowledges the complexity of factors influencing theatre-making around the world in the current moment. This book is a touchstone for navigating that thicket of choices and obstacles.
Elizabeth Bradley
Arts Professor, Department of Drama, Tisch School of the Arts
In this illuminating book, Shu-wing, has set out a number of paths which actors and directors canuse to find a way through the forest of an artistic process. The wisdom he sets down is practical, direct and simple, a wisdom arrived at after a lifetime of testing. He offers no simple solutions, but he indicates directions to travel in, and how to walk without fear and in harmony with others.
Dominic Dromgoole
Former Artistic Director, Shakespeare’s Globe
Tang Shu-wing, MH
Regarded as one of the most influential theatre directors in Hong Kong, Tang is the Artistic Director of Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio and former Dean of the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Recent signature works include King Lear and Bhagavad Gita. His major awards include Medal of Honour by HKSAR, the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Honorary Doctorate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and I’Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.
目錄
FOREWORDS
(Sequence by alphabetical order of surname)
/ ENRICO BONAVERA
/ ELIZABETH BRADLEY
/ DOMINIC DROMGOOLE
This is a book about theatre, about how I see theatre. It is also about life. Though it is aimed atthose who already have some sort of professional experience in the performing arts, it is not a book of basic tools. However, it may be equally interesting for beginners and for those who simply love life.
Art is about sentiment and expression, about what you feel and how you express it. An artist needs to enhance the capacity to feel and the capacity to express. In between, there is a mysterious process which is indescribable.
Performing artists use their bodies to express what they feel.
In theatre-making, we are always dealing with the human being. Even if we use external objects or other scenic elements, these are always employed in the service of the human being, i.e., the mind and the body. The human mind is always a mystery. It is not visible even if it may wander here and there. But the human body is visibly neutral until it expresses something.
What has led me to write this book? It is a call from within, to share my vision and my principles of practice with others. Sharing is a natural habit of homo sapiens. It is also a way to communicate, to affirm. Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” I prefer to say, “I give, therefore I am.”
When an artist expresses a feeling, they give out something of themself. Giving out has a stronger density than taking in because you are eliminating part of yourself. You become lighter and more transparent. Daily life rarely gives you this opportunity.
In writing this book, I am giving out part of myself. Perhaps it is the mission of my life. Looking at the state of the world today, I always say to myself: If I am interested in doing something and have the means to do so, I should do it as soon as possible, before it is too late.
The Three Levels in the title are Level One, Level Two and Level Three. Level One refers to those things which are absolutely necessary in your creative work, without which the work will crumble. Level Two refers to those things which you may choose to use but are not essential to your work. Level Three refers to those things which must not enter into your creative work.
ABC refers to a principle of Yin and Yang. If “A” represents a certain state, then “B” is its opposite, and “C” is something in between, or elsewhere. The Three Levels and ABC, I am sure, apply to art and above all, to life.
I must express my gratitude to Bernice Chan, Stanley Wong, Molly Grogan, the Commercial Press(H.K.) Limited, Enrico Bonavera, Elizabeth Bradley and Dominic Dromgoole, Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio and all the people who have contributed to the publication of this book.