Artist of The Month- October- Christy Shapiro
Christy Shapiro is very excited, as she's currently directing Aurora Theatre upcoming production's Silent Sky. A native of Oklahoma, USA, Christy has created her theatre company CSR when first living in Shanghai. Ever since, she has continued her work in Hong Kong with various shows, such as All In The Timing, and Dark Night of the Soul. Read more about her theatrical views, and find out more about Silent Sky, which opens this week at McAulay Studio.
1. Name, Birthplace, age:
Christy Thompson-Shapiro, Claremore, Oklahoma, 43 (44 on the 22nd of this month :)
2. How does where you were raised affect your work?
I grew up in a place that really went all out for Halloween and likely because as a child my birthday was always near Halloween and the dressing up in costume appealed to me. Crisp, fall weather, haunted houses and hay rides obviously impacted me.
3. Where did you train?
I trained to be an actor in New York City at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and as a director just by doing and training under my toughest director in Shanghai.
4. What is your favourite style of theatre? Why?
I really love it all and I think it depends on my mood what I like at any given moment. Sometimes a musical is what you need and sometimes you need to hear the dialogue of a well-written character-driven piece that makes you think. If I had to choose a favourite I would say probably anything immersive and even better if it's Gothic.
5. What was the best show you EVER saw?
I really enjoyed "Sleep No More" at the McKittrick Hotel but I have seen so many wonderful things in my almost 44 years (I just can't remember so far back...)
6. What was the best show in HK you EVER saw?
6. I really really enjoyed Aurora Theatre's recent play "39 Steps". The actors that were in that one are so incredibly talented and had me cackling all the way through.
7. What piece of work are you the proudest?
Hands down as a whole experience there were two that I'm incredibly proud of (but one might be soon replaced with my current production done with Aurora Theatre called "Silent Sky"). The first one was "A Streetcar Named Desire" which I directed with East West Theatre Company in Shanghai at The Pearl. The other was an immersive Edgar Allan Poe-based interactive haunted house in a spooky catacomb-like record shop in Shanghai. Of course, my current cast of "Silent Sky" are making me incredibly proud.
8. What is your process like?
The process depends on the piece. If I'm adapting something, I can usually visualise early on what I want to do and have a clear vision about how it should look. But with some pieces, the shape of it does not reveal itself to me until we start rehearsing. I do like an organic process though, where the actors join in crafting the piece as well.
9. What is your dream project?
Ooooooohhhh my dream project would be to retrofit an entire warehouse into a macabre but thought to provoke interactive Halloween theatre piece.
10. What do you think about the arts and theatre scene in Hong Kong?
10. I absolutely love the range of theatre available to see in Hong Kong. I know so many wonderful practitioners each doing their own unique thing.
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