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Alex Lo

AWARD-winning actress Rain Lau, who has developed an enduring bond with the Academy for Performing Arts, is returning to the degree-awarding institution to pursue further studies.

   Back after a four-year break from studies, Lau will read for a degree in drama at an institution she says helped kindle the artistic flame in her.

   It is easy to understand how she found inspiration. The APA provides an atmosphere that encourages in the amateur thespian soul a longing for the stage.

   Lau felt a sense of destiny with the APA from her first audition.

   She said: 'I thought, 'I will belong here, there's some connection between this place and me'.

  'When I matriculated, I applied for all the institutions that were suitable for a Form 7 graduate and the APA was one of my choices but it only takes 25 out of 1,000 [applicants]. I did not know whether it would accept me . . . I just tried it.'  With those sort of odds, Lau, it seems, had considerable talent even before she began her studies.

   Asked what inspired her to become an actress, she said: 'Part of it is inborn. When I was a child I used to watch television all the time, so maybe I was influenced by the medium.'    So how did Lau's parents feel when she told them she wanted to study at the APA?   'At first I was afraid my father would reject my proposal, so I saved my money from holidays and part-time work for the school fees. But when I talked to him, it was OK and he paid my fees, too,' she said.

  In the four-year break between studies, Lau was a contracted artist for TVB and did a lot of film work, including Queen of Temple Street, for which she received the Best Supporting Actress award at the 1990 Golden Horse Film Awards in Taiwan, and Best Supporting Actress and Best Newcomer awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991.

  'Awards are a bonus but they are no guarantee of my future,' she said. 'A lot of people recognise me and appreciate me but they do not take any action to employ me. A qualification does not mean that I have more chances because acting is acting and it is not a matter of qualifications.'  That being the case, it may seem strange that Lau has returned to the APA for further studies but she said she felt the need to learn more.

   Lau is a talented singer and has received awards from radio stations in Hong Kong and Canada.

   But she has been caught up in the whirlwind of promotion that seems to be part of the course in the local music industry and, as a result, has developed a cautious approach to future plans for recording.

  In fact, she is keeping a low profile while she mulls over her experiences, which she described as 'interesting, challenging and painful'.

  'In Hong Kong, the singing field is quite unhealthy,' she said. 'They place too much emphasis on promotion. The emphasis on the actual singing and the creation of songs and of music is quite limited. I have stopped producing albums because I do not like too much promotion.

  'When I was singing three years ago, I participated in all the promotions and I felt confused and lost my own character and style because I had to follow the mainstream.

  'I asked myself all the time, 'What am I doing? Am I going to be a real singer?' So I got out and it is more comfortable now and [I'm] more clear about what I am doing.

 'I learned a lot. I found that you must be yourself and not be so easily influenced by the outside environment. One has to make sure of oneself and have confidence. To achieve what you want to do is the most important thing.

  'Fame is important but it is just a result.' 



Back-to-school actress wants degree in drama