Newsletter No. 98

CUHK Newsletter No. 98 4th December 1996 3 16 Years On: The Sir Run Run Shaw Hall Manager Shares His Aspirations M ost of us at The Chinese University would be occasional, if not regular, visitors to the Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, and the attraction could be an exhibition, a film show, a cultural performance, a graduation ceremony, a debate, or a forum. It could also be the annual Christmas party, the Chinese New Year Fair, or the barn dance. Mr. Hardy S. C. Tsoi A Multi-Purpose Auditorium Established in 1981, the 1,453-seat- strong auditorium is indeed the multi-purpose cultural venue it was intended to be. The hall manager Mr. Hardy S. C. Tsoi, who has been with the hall since its inception, proudly says, This is the cultural centre of the University —the hub of all the art forms. We have tried to cater for everybody living and working on the campus.' According to Mr. Tsoi, the hall serves three distinct target groups. The primary target group is definitely the students. 'They have very minimal arts education at the primary and secondary levels. Our aim is to verse them in the arts, and hence give them a more complete education at the University.' The second group is the staff members of the University, both at the performing and viewing ends of the cultural spectrum. One of Mr. Tsoi's pleasures has been to discover and project the talent amongst the University staff. 'There are some very professional, talented staff in our midst �一 calligraphers, musicians, artists �一 and we try to feature them in their own exhibitions and programmes. This effort has been fairly successful over the years.' The third group is the dependants of the staff residing on campus. Their needs and interests are accorded special attention when the hall plans its activities. An Ageing Venue Undergoing Major Face-Lifts With ageing, the hall needs renovation and upgrading of facilities if it is to provide quality service. The old lighting system, for instance, was obsolete and unreliable after being used for 12 years, and was replaced three years ago. The lobby and the washrooms were renovated last year. The sound system is also being upgraded in stages, with the final stage scheduled for completion by the start of the next academic year. The TV control room has been refitted with a simultaneous interpretation system, and the stage floor has been changed after termites got the better of the original one. A l l these changes have to be wrought in a slow manner to make them financially feasible. The hall will be closed from May to August next summer for major renovations. The auditorium seats will be repaired and re- upholstered, the storage facilities, rehearsal rooms and stage overhead equipment will be upgraded, and the walls and the ceiling will be re-decorated, all in a budget close to HK$5 million. A New Programme Committee The hall's Management Committee also underwent changes recently. It was discontinued with retroactive effect from 1st July 1996, and the AAPC decided to substitute it with a Programme Committee (See Box) from 1st October. Hereafter Mr. Tsoi and his staff will bear the responsibility of the general management of the hall. Major revision of policies/regulations w i l l be considered by the AAPC after consultation with the AAC wherever necessary, while hire charges for the hall w i ll continue to be separately considered by the Consultative Committee on Facilities Charges. What elicited the need for such a change, given that, to the lay person, the terms of reference and the constitution of the past and present committees are much the same? Mr. Tsoi feels that the triggering factor was the retirement of the Management Committee's former chairman Mr. David Gilkes, who supervised at an arm's length and left much of the running of the hall to the hall manager and his staff. Mr. Tsoi deems it an expression of the trust of the University in the latter that they no longer have to work with a management committee, and have more autonomy to carry out their functions. Better Response from Students Essential With the new Programme Committee in place, Mr. Tsoi hopes that the student union will send a student representative this time round, and henceforth regain its former interest in the hall's activities. He remembers wistfully 1982 and 1984 as memorable years when student participation was most enthusiastic: 'They organized a Chinese Arts Festival all on their own. They were also able to invite professional companies from China, organize conferences and exhibitions on a campus-wide scale, as also film festivals — to the extent that in one year we actually had 51 film shows.' He believes that an impending 1997 and the shortening of the four-year undergraduate curriculum to three years are what have dealt a death blow to initiatives from students in recent years. He hopes that things will be different with students once again demonstrating the enthusiasm and initiative they are so capable of. A New Approach Conceived — Artists-in-Residence Buying and staging programmes, like what the Urban and Regional Councils have been doing, is not cost-effective and digs far too deeply into the hall's available resources. Hence, Mr. Tsoi hopes to focus increasingly on a more viable alternative, the artists-in- residence programme. 'Engaging only a few people, and not whole orchestras or troupes, w i ll be more cost-effective. In a specific period of time an artist wou ld be demonstrating and sharing his art and experience, teaching it, encouraging participation in the creative process concerned, all of wh i ch may perhaps culminate in a show-case exhibition or performance by those that he inspires. This will be testimony to his effectiveness, and will help build a self-contained arts circle on campus. It w i l l also help boost the University's image, and draw more talented people.' A Bid for Formal Arts Education Mr. Tsoi's aim is to promote artistic and cultural education on campus: 'The University has all the requisites in providing a better arts education and climate on campus. With more resources, we can try and do more arts-related programmes at the hall. We have the space, we have the people, and we have the market, so what is left is the money and the "software" for programming arts education as soon as possible.' In a recent conversation with the new vice-chancellor, Mr. Tsoi was told that Prof. Arthur L i would be interested in getting the choir from his alma mater, King's College at Cambridge, to perform at The Chinese University. Mr. Tsoi hopes that 'with his leadership, we may have a new outlook.' Mr. Tsoi looks forward to the introduction of arts education on a more formal basis to overcome the artistic and cultural apathy that is prevalent among students today. There is no formal structure to teach the arts at present, except courses in general education. What I am hoping to convince the University to do is to introduce more arts education at both the college and University levels,' says Mr. Tsoi. 'The problem is whether it can work on a credit- earning basis, given the already tight academic schedules in the three-year curriculum. I am also going to propose a summer arts school here. I think that is the way to change the tide.' Next year, after the proposed renovations are complete, Mr. Tsoi intends to organize a forum for university administrators in local tertiary institutions, the tentative title of which will be The University and the Arts'. With this, he hopes to 'awaken some people in senior administration and student affairs work to relook at the important issue of cultural and artistic education at university level'. Shalini Bahadur Sir Run Run Shaw Hall Programme Committee Composition Chairman: Mr. Hardy Tsoi, Manager of SRRSH Members: Appointed Members (each for a term of two years) Ms. Teresita Botelho, Department of Music Prof. Gilbert Fong, Department of Translation Mr. Mark Sheldon, Office of Academic Links (International) Prof. Wong Wai-leung, Department of Chinese Language and Literature Nominated Representatives (for a period as determined by the nominating body) A representative of the Office of Student Affairs A representative of each of the colleges A representative of the CU Student Union Secretary: Assistant Manager, SRRSH Terms of Reference 1. To formulate a programme policy with an aim to enhance the cultural life on campus. 2. To strengthen the links between the arts and cultural policy/programmes and academic interests/concerns. 3. To suggest and/or procure arts and cultural programmes for the hall. Calligraphy Exhibition Drama Competition Xinjiang Cabaret Dance Multiplicity '96