Showbiz beckons over-40s
Advancing years need not stand in the way of a career in show business under a new programme run by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.
The project, supported by the Employees' Retraining Board, will help people aged over 40 to enter the acting profession - so long as they pass auditions.
'They have to be expressive people - those who speak with gestures instead of a flat face,' said programme co-ordinator Alex Au Kwok-chung.
'The prospects are better for people who look like a particular type, whether it's a monk, a banker or a drug addict.' A pilot session in May trained 19 people selected from 200 applicants in the five-day course tutored by experienced actors and directors, said Mr Au.
Most were now registered with local television stations, advertising production companies and film companies.
People without a full-time job could apply for the programme, which would hold auditions on Friday, said Mr Au.
One of the graduate trainees of the programme, Edward Yick Tsun-kwan, 50, said the freelance job had boosted his confidence.
He earns about $280 at each assignment, which could take him from a few minutes to a few hours.
