New shock for Chung Ying

THE Chung Ying Theatre Company, embroiled in controversy since the beginning of the year, got a fresh shock yesterday when artistic director Ms Chris Johnson announced her resignation.

In what is is undoubtedly an upward move, the 37-year-old Australian who has led Chung Ying since November 1988, will be leaving Hongkong at the end of August to join the Royal Queensland Theatre Company as artistic director - the first woman to head a state theatre company in Australia.

The honour could not come at a better time for Ms Johnson who has had to contend with a bitterly divided company since last December when she told three actors that their contracts would not be renewed.

What began as a pruning, almost ended in disintegration three months later when five other actors presented Chung Ying's board with a letter of protest which they had co-signed with the dismissed trio, and announced that they too would be leaving.

Ms Johnson stressed yesterday that her decision to take up the Queensland post ''had nothing to do with any of that,'' though she didn't hide her disgust with the eight who threw Chung Ying into turmoil.

''To me the greatest offence was that those three young people who were told their contracts would not be renewed in March, were intent on causing the company as much trouble as possible.

''They did nothing in December. They waited until late February to make their protest, knowing full well what chaos would result - as it did when their five friends resigned at the last possible moment before new contracts were due to be signed.