Artist of The Month- July- Rosalind Wong

Hot summers are for hot artists, and this month we are covering the super sparkly Rosalind Wong. A producer, actor and director involved with both the Shax Theatre Group and The Shadow Players, Rosalind was recently seen in The Learned Ladies of Mid-Levels and was awarded Best Director 2016 at The Hecklers Award ceremony. Here she shares her vision for the future and her undeniable love for Shakespeare. 

1.    Name, Birthplace, age:

Rosalind Wong, Hong Kong, 28

2.    How does where you were raised affect your work?

I find myself very fortunate as I went to Marymount, a local EMI school that gave students ample opportunities to express themselves through arts. I joined the Speech Festival at a very young age, and I was also exposed to English literature fairly early on, which opened the doors to performing arts. I loved watching different stage and film productions of classics, like Pride and Prejudice and The Importance of Being Earnest when I was a teen. But Shakespeare has the most profound influence on my work. My high school has a tradition of staging a Shakespeare play every year in its original language, and I was very involved as an actress. By the time I started university I already had many visions and ideas in my head that I hoped to realise on stage in the future. These concepts and ideas were further expanded and polished as I studied literature in my undergraduate and postgraduate years.

3.     Where did you train?
I majored in English and Education as an undergraduate, and comparative literature as a postgraduate. My main training comes from stage experience: I joined LAMDA when I was young, and have attended various acting workshops organised by the HKAPA and professional actors. 

4.    What is your favourite style of theatre? Why?
It is hard to choose, as I have done a lot of classical theatre and even commedia dell'arte. At this moment, my favourite style is probably naturalism/realism. It resonates on a very personal level, and this intimacy cannot be found in other forms. Some time ago I saw David Hare's Skylight, and it moved me on so many different levels.  

5.     What was the best show you EVER saw?  
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime by The National Theatre. 

6.    What was the best show in HK you EVER saw?  
This is a tough question! I think I'd go with the Chinese version of History Boys staged by Theatre Space. The show impressed me a lot back in 2013. I thought it was as strong as the original version from The Royal National Theatre.

7.    What piece of work are you the most proud of?   
Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It was a big-scale production with live music that I produced and directed as a part of the project Shakespeare 400 at The University of Hong Kong. A few audience members came up to me and said how impressed they were by the effort made and the progress achieved after all these years. Those were some of the proudest moments in my life.

8.    What is your process like?     
As an actress, I usually read the script quite a few times, imagining the different voices of the characters (not just mine) and interpreting characters' relationships with each other. I also talk to my director frequently about characterization and physicality. As a director, I usually start with a particular visual or a specific idea. Then I would spend months researching and brainstorming, watching all sorts of documentaries, videos and films. 

9.     What is your dream project?
My dream project is to revive Shakespeare in the Port (or Shakespeare in the Park). Alternatively, an Annual Shakespeare Festival for all schools in Hong Kong so English, theatre and literature can be promoted to young people in Hong Kong.

10.    What do you think about the arts and theatre scene in Hong Kong?
The arts and theatre scene is certainly much more vibrant than when I first started out. A decade ago, booking venues was much easier compared to now. Now, competition is so tough that you're just glad to be given one or two dates. Once, I staged Othello on Valentine's Day (But still we sold out all 120 seats. Shocking indeed!)

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