Stage Director Tang Shu-wing
Tang Shu-wing is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent stage directors, though he also regularly treads the boards as an actor. The Dean of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, he is also the director of a recent production of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus,” which is currently enjoying a second run. He talks to Winnie Chau about his minimalist approach to the theater and to his life.
As a child, I wanted to be a doctor or an adventurer, but my favourite subject at school was history. I liked to imagine living in different historical periods.
I studied law at university. It seemed like a promising career path. I love debating.
It was there that I fell in love with the theater. In my second year, I acted in “Woyzeck” by German playwright Georg Büchner. It had a huge impact on me. I learned to read an actor’s emotions, voice and body movements, and what they mean on the stage.
After university, I went to France to study performing arts. I loved Chinese literature, and discovered that many great Chinese artists had gone to France for their studies.
I used to consider theater a form of art and self-expression, but now I see it as a way to understand the world.
Acting is a moment of intensity. It unifies your body and mind.
The simpler the presentation of a play, the harder it is to execute. The most important element of the theater is the human being. The exchange of energy between the actor and the audience is the foundation of theater.