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Lee Wing-Sze

AFTER DECIDING a decade ago to concentrate on larger-scale productions, theatre group Actors' Family is making a return to the small stage this year with its latest play, Love Featherlike.

The production will stage 30 shows at the 76-seat McAulay Studio in the Hong Kong Arts Centre from today until January 19.

In the past few years the group, founded by Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts graduates in 1991, has put on several successful plays, including last year's The Border Town and 2000's 1941 Girl.

Except for its debut show, all Actors' Family productions have been performed at venues such as the Arts Centre's Shouson Theatre and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre, which can seat audiences of more than 400.

But the group has decided it was time to get cosy again.

Written and directed by Victor Pang Chun-nan, the romantic drama depicts the ups and downs of a modern young couple's relationship (Leung Wing-chung and Choi Yu-wing).

'We've done lots of middle-scale productions,' the director says.

'When we did them, we had to think about many different things such as the size of audiences, costumes and sets, which to some extent inhibited our creative thinking.'

He thinks small theatre productions allow the group to leave all those worries behind and get closer to audiences.

'We've accumulated a group of supporters over the years, and this will be a good opportunity to do some sharing with them,' Pang says.

When Pang invited Leung, Choi and Fung Ha-yin (who plays a number of characters in the drama) to become involved in the play, there was an idea, but no script. The foursome completed the script by sharing their romantic experiences and stories about relationships.

'Everyone has a different background, experience and way of thinking. These combine to create the chemistry in the production,' says Pang.

To the actors, being involved in the creation of the script was a new and exciting experience for them.

'In other productions, all we've had to do is digest the script. It's more spoon-fed,' says Fung. 'But this time we needed to do more research and preparation, and concentrate more on the script.'

They also enjoy a closer relationship with the audience when performing in a small theatre.

'It's fun and you can do something more experimental,' Choi says.

Popular Canto-pop ballads are woven into the play to accompany the plot and echo the feelings of the characters.

'It's not a conventional romantic drama, it's more about sharing. We want to provoke the audience to think about their attitude towards love,' the director says.

Although the play is entirely self-financed, the group does not feel too much pressure about ticket sales.

'Whether we can make a profit or break even in this production is not really a big matter,' the director says. 'It's more important that we can enjoy the small theatre experience again.'



Up close and personal