與學生戲台版演員十問十答 10 Questions with the Theatre Student Edition Student Actors

經過公開遴選，桃花源粵劇工作舍為《帝女花》65學生版，尋找了舞台新主人。《表演場》向這十位粵劇舞台新主人發出敲問，了解粵劇及《帝女花》對今日香港學生及年輕人的意義與價值。

After an open call, Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop found new owners for the stage of the student production of Floral Princess 65. The Art Venue came up with a set of questions for these ten new owners of the Cantonese opera stage, in order to understand the meaning and value of Floral Princess for today’s Hong Kong students and youth.

梁振文 Liang Zhenwen

跟前輩演對手戲得著了什麼?

首先我覺得可以同森哥(廖國森)做對手戲是一個十分難得的機會，森哥一直是我很敬佩的前輩。在排練的過程中，我深深感覺到森哥對藝術認真的態度，第一次排練就會把曲記熟不拿劇本，而新加的一段崇禎自縊，甚至已經根據曲中意境設計好動作和舞台調動，所以光是這種演員的藝術態度就非常值得我去學習。在排練過程中，森哥非常用心地帶住我，主動執導我的動作，向我提出唱詞上應該如何修改才通順。當與他對目的時候，他七情上面，戲都在眼中。聲音和語氣的強弱和輕重非常清晰，舉手投足之間會給予我提示，讓我更能跟隨住他的節奏和感覺去表達。

What did you learn from playing alongside senior actors?

First, I think the opportunity to play alongside Sum Gor, Liu Kwok-sum was so hard to come by. Sum Gor has always been a senior actor I’ve looked up to. In the rehearsal process, I felt on a deep level Sum Gor’s serious attitude towards art. From the very first rehearsal, he had memorized the song and didn’t need a script; for the newly added sequence in “[The Chongzhen Emperor] Hangs Himself”, he had even

arranged movement and stage direction based on the imagery in the song. Just his attitude towards art is something to model myself after. During rehearsals, Sum Gor took great care to guide me, proactively directing my movement, bringing up to me how the lyrics might be adjusted to sound smoother. When I looked him in the eye on stage, his face was filled with emotion, and his eyes with theatricality. The dynamics and weight of his voice and intonation were very clear, giving me hints within his movements, allowing me to follow his rhythm and feeling in expressing the work.

麥熙華 Mak Hei-wa

你覺得周寶倫是否更合人性?順應時勢做一個成功人士。

以我對周寶倫這個角色的了解，我認為他並不是完全失去人性。還是明朝掌權的時候，周寶倫亦有協助崇禎宮中之事。在李闖入城之際，寶倫仍然獨自在戰場上平息戰火，嘗試阻止李闖入城，沒有半途而廢，無奈寶倫一人根本未能戰勝李闖。可見他對明朝的效忠之心。而明朝被滅，寶倫失去官位，家中貧困，才設法出賣公主，把公主獻給清帝，以求富貴，並不是想置公主於死地。所以他是一個看風駛𢃇，懂得投機的人。

Do you think Zhou Baolun, who became a person of success by capitalizing on the moment, is a sympathetic character?

From my understanding of Zhou Baolun, I don't think his actions were completely inhuman. When the Ming was still in power, Zhou did assist [the Chongzhen Emperor] with affairs of the court. When the Qing soldiers entered the palace, Baolun was still alone on the battlefield putting out flames, attempting to stop the soldiers from entering. He didn't give up partway through despite the hopelessness of fighting off the Qing forces alone, which shows his loyalty to the Ming. Only when the Ming collapsed, Baolun lost his position, and his family experienced adversity, did he think of betraying the princess, presenting her to the Qing emperor — to get rich, and not to send her to her death. So, he’s someone who will adjust his sails to catch the wind, an opportunist.

Pick one similarity between yourself and Princess Coeng-ping.

In the opera, Princess Coeng-ping is a proud young woman who admires talent. Her romance with the royal consort after the Ming is lost, shows her depth of feeling and determination. I can also be a bit obsessive when it comes to Cantonese opera: not only towards the extravagant costumes and headpieces, but also in my admiration for the music and lyrics. Throughout my time studying Cantonese opera, I’ve encountered many challenges, and continued moving forward

through determination. I hope I can be like Princess Coeng-ping, who received a life’s commitment from her consort, and commit my own life to Cantonese opera.

區曉婷 Au Hiu-ting, Iris

最喜歡《帝女花》那一個情節？何解？

我最喜愛的情節是《香刧》中長平公主跟父皇和駙馬依依惜別的一幕。在戰火連天的情況下，要跟至親至愛的人道別實屬不易，那一種依依不捨的真情流露，但同時又因為國家、父親、自己的冰清玉潔的緣故不得不自縊的掙扎，確實深深感動我，亦是對我來說最深刻難忘的一幕!

Which part of Floral Princess do you like most, and why?

The part I like most is in Princess’ Sufferings when Princess Coeng-ping says goodbye to both her father and her consort. Faced with the fires of battle, to bid farewell to those you love is a truly dificult thing. That deep reluctance to part, the revelation of one's true feelings, but at the same time, the struggle of ending one’s life for one's country, one's father, and one’s dignity, deeply moved me, and to me is the most memorable scene.

鄧惠舒 Deng Huish

你是否認同長平公主殉國的抉擇? 何解?

對於長平公主殉國，我是認同的，因從親情愛情到國家情，在對待親情方面她用盡了「孝」，對待國家盡了「忠」，與駙馬的愛情本就舉世矚目，由相識相愛，歷經磨難考驗，試煉出兩人生死與共的愛情，本應該殉國，劫後偷生更覺得自己不忠不孝，在運用心裡戰術逆轉劣勢戰勝清帝之後，長平公主選擇了殉國殉情結束自己的生命突顯自己對明朝盡忠。亡國公主的抉擇驚天動地，也對應了她曾許下「誓不事二朝」之諾言!活著比死去更加絕望，無處容身的時代中，為那個末世殉葬竟是唯一的解脫。

Do you agree with Princess Coeng-ping’s choice to die for her country? Why or why not?

With regards to her dying for her country, I would agree, because between family, love, and patriotism, she had expressed ‘filial piety' to the fullest in the former, and ‘loyalty’ in the latter. Her love with her consort is one for the ages; meeting, falling in love, and experiencing trials and tribulations, produced a life-or-death romance. She ought to have died for country, but after escaping with her life she felt unfilial and disloyal. After using psychological warfare to turn the tables on the Qing emperor, Princess Coeng-ping chose to end her life for country and love, showing her ultimate loyalty to the Ming. The choice of a princess who lost her country moves heaven and earth, and corresponds with her promise ‘never to serve two dynasties’. Living was more bleak than dying; in an era where she could not rest her head, to die in those last days was her only path to freedom.

羅妍 Luo Yan

你覺得周世顯，是否甘心殉愛?還是形勢使然?

我覺得周世顯是因形勢使然，才有殉愛此舉。我認為是甘心殉愛，因為愛驅使他願意與公主生死共存。但我亦認為他不甘心殉愛，這個不甘是無路可走，駙馬當然想與公主長相廝守，但只有裝作回宮，才能求清帝釋放太子，夫妻不願效忠新朝，最終在新婚之夜服毒自殺，世間人說二人自殺殉情，但二人更是殉國，情義並存。

Do you think that Zhou Shixian was willing at heart to die for love? Or was it influenced by the situation?

I think Zhou Shixian was more influenced by the situation to die for love. I think he was willing at heart to do it, because love made him willing to live and die along with the princess; but I also think he wasn’t completely willing to do it. This unwillingness was because he was out of options. Of course the consort wanted to live happily ever after with the princess, but only by pretending to return to the palace, could they beg the Qing emperor to release the crown prince. The couple was not willing to serve the new dynasty, and thus decided to take poison and kill themselves on their wedding night. People say the two killed themselves for love, but they more so did it for country, for duty and love in equal measure.

利文喆 Li Man-chit

你是否認同王承恩殉主的抉擇?何解?

我認同王承恩殉國殉主的抉擇。翻查歷史，他雖是魏忠賢勢力的其中一分子，並沒有跟隨魏忠賢。魏忠賢想要篡位時，王承恩則暗中幫助崇禎，使崇禎繼承皇位。隨後，王承恩輔佐崇禎，幫助處理朝中大小麻煩事。李自成攻陷北京，明朝亡國前夕，國家大勢已去，文臣拋棄了崇禎，武將背叛了崇禎，只有王承恩對崇禎不離不棄，忠心耿耿。他以死相隨，忠心殉主殉國，受後世的讚揚。

Do you agree with Wang Cheng’en’s choice to die for his lord? Why or why not?

I agree with his choic to die for his lord. Looking back at history, even though he was part of Wei Zhongxian’s faction, he didn't follow Wei. When Wei wanted to stage a coup, Wang helped the Chongzhen Emperor from the shadows, allowing him to inherit the throne. Afterward, Wang gave guidance to Chongzhen, helping to address matters small and big in the court. When Li Zicheng took Beijing, the Ming was on the brink of destruction, and the favor of history had passed, the ministers abandoned Chongzhen, and the generals betrayed him. Only Wang Cheng’en did not leave his lord, his heart full of loyalty. He followed him into death, loyally dying for lord and country, and received the praise of generations to come.

黃安珩 Wong On-hang

學習粵劇的最大挑戰是甚麼?

學習粵劇的挑戰在於表達。心裏所想大多自我消化，不擅長放在臉上、肢體上。粵劇微妙之處是以肢體流露美感、表情闡述內心。感情流露正是需要體會、浸淫，才能慢慢拿捏。在舞台上若不表露自己就會失去光芒。因此，挑戰也正令粵劇昇華，令自己長進。

What’s the biggest challenge to learning Cantonese Opera?

The challenge in learning Cantonese opera is in expression. My thinking involves a lot of digestion; I’m not good at putting it on my face, on my body. The clever thing about Cantonese Opera is that it shows beauty in the body, and speaks the soul in expressions. Showing emotion requires precisely that experience and immersion in order to slowly grasp it. If you don’t express yourself on stage, you lose your spark. Because of this, the challenge is exactly what’s elevating Cantonese Opera, and helping me grow.

黃安晴 Wong On-ching

《帝女花》對你有何啟示?

命運在我手，永不低頭。只得16歲，就是一生的長平，已經嚐盡甜酸苦辣，公主的榮寵賦予她選婿的權利，睿智及強勢亦讓她擁有「皇有事必向帝女謀」的本事，她的前大半生所有事都掌握在自己手上，但生在帝王之家令她失去最基本的掌控權—生死，這尋常百姓家認為最易得到的權利。但她以此為籌碼，為國為民獻上自己生命，死不損其身，服用砒霜報天下父母之恩，以自己的方式結束生命，忠於前朝的情操，詮釋何謂我命由我，不由天！

What insights has Floral Princess given you?

‘Fate is in my hands; don’t ever bow to adversity.’ Coeng-ping, in her 16 years of life’s journey, had already experienced the highs and lows of life. The privilege of being a princess gave her the right to choose a mate; her intelligence and prowess gave her the authority encompassed in the statement ‘on difficult matters, the emperor consults the princess’. For the greater half of her life, everything was in her control, but being born into the imperial household led her to lose control of the most fundamental element - life and death, a right which

even the common folk thought easy to access. But she took this as her wager, and offered up her life for country and people. Dying not through a wound, she took arsenic to pay back her debts to fathers and mothers under heaven, choosing to end her life in her own way. Her feelings of loyalty to the past dynasty express how my life is in my hands, and not up to fate!

余仲欣 Chung Helli Yemina

你十多年前（2004）童年時候參加過桃花源舉辦的粵曲小曲比賽，今次再參加桃花源的演出有何感受?

十年人事幾番新，何況相隔十八載。難能可貴者，桃花源承傳粤藝之堅持，十八載未嘗稍減。我亦得從是次演出，尋回點滴童年回憶。當日比賽過程，已甚模糊。唯一知道的，年齡相約的參賽者，不少現在正活躍於梨園菊部。是則昔年粤曲比賽乃一方踏腳石，《帝女花》演出乃另一方踏腳石，桃花源為後來者鋪設坦途。

You participated in Utopia’s Cantonese Opera Song Competition over a dozen years ago, in 2004, as a child. How do you feel now as part of a Utopia production?

Things and people change in even ten years, let alone eighteen. Yet Utopia has done the difficult deed, carrying on the flame of Cantonese opera with a determination that over eighteen years has yet to diminish. Through this performance, I was also able to revisit some of my childhood memories. I have a hard time remembering the details about the competition that day. All I know is that many of the competitors close to my age are already active in the business. In this case, the competition of days past was a stepping stone, and this performance of Floral Princess is yet another. Utopia continues to blaze a trail for those to come.

專訪學生版導師葉泳詩及楊雲濤 A conversation with Yip Wing-si and Yang Yuntao, instructors of Student Editions

文：尉瑋 Text by: Wei Wei
Translated by: Elliott Cheung

今次《帝女花》65的學生版，將包含三個部分，學生戲台版、學生演唱版、以及學生朗讀版。桃花源粵劇工作舍特別邀請了電台節目主持人葉泳詩及香港舞蹈團藝術總監楊雲濤擔任指導，務求令參與演出的學生能更全面掌握舞台演出技巧。

經典文本的魅力之一，便是能在各種演繹中幻變新生。擔任《帝女花》學生朗讀版指導老師的葉泳詩曾在自己的電台節目中嘗試朗誦《帝女花》中<上表> 一段，並配上柳應廷的《風靈物語》歌曲，意外撞擊出新的感覺。在她看來，不是每一個人都喜歡和懂唱粵劇，唐滌生先生的文字如此厲害，這次的朗誦版正好給年輕人另一個機會去親近，去表達。

葉泳詩認為，比起朗誦技巧和聲音運用，學生最為要緊的是明白文本內容，「不是字面上的理解，而是對整個故事，以及他們所挑選的(朗讀)片段的意思的理解，並且要代入角色的感覺，思考用什麼情緒去講這個文本；不然就會好像是普通的朗誦，只是賣弄聲音的技巧，這是沒有意思的。」

粵劇的念白與唱詞有其獨特韻味，葉泳詩卻希望學生們的表達不要「太粵劇」。「否則就好像是看回學戲的學生練習。我的取向是由感情出發，感情帶到他去到哪個位，就選擇適合的語調聲音去表達。其實更加像話劇，消化一句對白不是只有一個方法去講。」

舞蹈家楊雲濤這次為《帝女花》學生朗讀版、演唱版擔任形體指導。在他看來，唐滌生先生的文本文學性很高，透過朗讀，或結合演唱的形式，可以讓年輕人體會粵劇的精髓和文學性;學生版重在讓青少年接觸粵劇，在形體上倒不必生搬硬套地按照專業演出的標準來要求。

楊雲濤說，學生版將燈光佈景等化繁為簡，但是保留文學本文的精髓，其形式有些貼近讀劇劇場的感覺。「像大家一起圍讀，不一定是非常貼近角色，這對學生來說也比較困難，重要的是他沉浸其中。這是一個體驗的過程。」對觀眾來說，所期待的也不是看學生在《帝女花》中演得有多好，「而是看一個人怎麼投入到一個氛圍中。」這是學生版的意義所在。

The student editions of Floral Princess 65 will include three elements: the Theatre Student Edition, Theatrical Concert Student Edition, and Recital Student Edition. Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop has specially invited radio show host Yip Wing-si and Yang Yuntao, Artistic Director of Hong Kong Dance Company, to ensure that the participating students can more comprehensively grasp stage performance technique.

One of the most charming parts about a classic text is its ability to take on new life in various interpretations. Yip Wing-si, the instructor for Floral Princess Recital Student Edition, once recited the original “Negotiating with the Qing Emperor” on her own radio show, pairing it with Jer Lau’s song Story of the Wind Spirit, unexpectedly making sparks fly. The way she sees it, not everyone enjoys and knows how to sing Cantonese opera. Tong Tik-sang’s text is something to be marvelled at; this recital edition is the perfect opportunity for young people to approach and express it.

Yip believes that, more so than recitation technique and the use of the voice, the most important element for students is to understand the content of the text, “not just what’s written, but the whole story, as well as an understanding of the chosen passage. Further, they have to put themselves in the character’s shoes, think about what state of mind they should use to express this passage. Otherwise, it will be another plain old recitation, a gimcrack show of vocal technique, which is meaningless.”

The dialogue and lyrics of Cantonese opera have their own flavour, but Yip hopes that students won’t be too “operatic”. “Otherwise it will just be watching opera students practice. My approach is to depart from the emotional; wherever the emotions take them, they should choose the appropriate tone and voice to express it. Actually, it’s more like a drama; there is not only one way to convey a particular line of dialogue.”

Choreographer Yang Yuntao will be the motion instructor for the Recital Student Edition and the Theatrical Concert Student Edition of Floral Princess. The way he sees it, Tong Tik-sang’s text is very literary; whether through recitation or in combination with singing, this can allow young people to experience the soul and literary nature of Cantonese opera. The student editions emphasizes allowing young people to come into contact with Cantonese opera; format-wise, there is no need to force the expectations of a professional production wholesale on the performers.

“After all, the students are not professionals; for some, it’s their first time on stage. We can’t scare them off,” Yang laughs. He thinks that the presentation of the student editions, most of all must be natural and authentic. “It needs to show the audience that it’s unforced, that they’re not doing what they can’t do. In fact, anyone can be on stage; the most important thing is that it’s authentic and natural.” In his point of view, the student editions emphasizes the ‘experience’; the students step on stage, and into the world of Cantonese opera. Immersing themselves in its qualities is the best performance; there is no need to add in too many complex elements.

Yang says, the student uses simple rather than complex lighting and sets, but keeps the literary essence of the text. Its format approaches a readers’ theatre, “like a table reading. You don’t have to hew close to the character, which might be difficult for a student. The most important thing is that they’re immersed in it. This is an experiential process.” For the audience, what they expect might not be to see how well the students perform in Floral Princess, “but to see how a person can immerse themselves in an atmosphere.” This is the significance of the student editions.

帝女花│學生戲台版 Floral Princess | Theatre Student Edition
帝女花│學生演唱版 Floral Princess | Theatrical Concert Student Edition
帝女花│學生朗讀版 Floral Princess | Recital Student Edition

*本節目只招待教育界及學生，門票不作公開發售。有關查詢，請聯絡陳先生9880-8410或電郵 cantoperaworks@yahoo.com.hk。 *By invitation to education sector and students only. For enquiries, please contact Mr. Chan at 9880-8410 or by email cantoperaworks@yahoo.com.hk

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