Newsletter No. 449/450

449/450 • 19.12.2014 3 Taken at face value, working at a theatre seems to have little to do with Hyde’s painting major. ‘We paint what we experience. The more you know about an aspect of life, the more inspiration you get for your creation,’ she said. The art student loves children and dreams about opening an art studio to teach kids to draw. After the internship, she saw the possibility of taking another path. ‘I don't feel obliged to become an artist any more. Receiving troupes is also a good job. The circus from Ukraine led me to think that working in a theatre is another way of serving children.’ Hyde Hui likes painting with ink and wash. When she saw the option of going to Mei Lan Fang Theatre in Beijing, she signed up without the slightest hesitation. But she had close to zero knowledge with either theatre or Beijing opera, and that gave her butterflies in the stomach before departure. When the four interns arrived at the opera house, they were assigned to three divisions—technology, administration, and service. ‘I went to the technology section, where I learned to control the lighting, sound, and scenic elements. Far from despising me for my ignorance, the staff showed a great deal of patience in teaching me how to operate the machines and explaining the functions of each of the buttons. I learned that there is warm and cold light in theatrical lighting, that props, drapes, and backdrops are hung on pipes above the stage before the show, and their rise and drop during scene shifts are controlled entirely by a computer!’ Apart from backstage work, interacting with various troupes also brought Hyde unexpected fun. ‘During the one and a half months, 70% of my time was spent on Beijing opera, the other 30% on performances by foreign troupes. One day, a circus from Ukraine came to the theatre to perform for kids. Staff at the theatre spoke little English, so I doubled as an interpreter. On another day, Mr. Mei Baojiu , son of the operatic master Mei Lanfang, held a disciple recruitment ritual at the theatre. I had the good fortune to listen to Mr. Mei talking about the evolution of the Mei School of Chinese opera.’ 許穎彤 喜歡畫水墨畫。當她看到「梅蘭芳大劇院」這個 藝術色彩濃重的實習選項時，毫不猶豫報了名。但她對 劇場與京劇幾乎零認識，出發前還是相當忐忑。 一行四位實習生到了梅蘭芳大劇院，分派到三個部門— 技術部、行政部以及服務部。「我分到技術部，學習後台 的燈光、音響和布景操作。工作人員非但沒有嫌棄我甚麼 也不懂，反而很耐心教導，逐部機器逐個按鈕講解。我這 才發現舞台的燈光有分冷和熱，各式道具、背景布和幕布 原來事先掛在舞台上方的一道道吊桿，轉換場景時升升 降降，全由一部電腦控制！」 後台工作帶來意想不到的樂趣，和不同劇 團的接觸更令她難忘。「在我實習的個半月 裏，劇院七成時間上演京劇，三成是外來 劇團的演出。有天來了個烏克蘭馬戲團，專 為小朋友表演。劇院人員的英文不好，於 是讓我兼做翻譯。還有一次，梅蘭芳的兒 子 梅葆玖 在劇院舉行收徒儀式，我有幸 聽梅先生親述梅派京劇的歷史！」 在劇院實習表面似乎和 穎彤本科的繪畫訓練 毫不相干，但她說： 「作畫源自生活裏的 感受。那方面知道得 越多，才越願意以那 方面為題創作。」她 喜歡小朋友，曾夢 想開畫室教孩子 畫畫。而此次北 京實習為她打開了第二扇門：「以後 不是非做藝術家不可，接待劇團也是個好選擇。烏克蘭 馬戲團啟發了我，在劇院工作一樣可為小朋友服務。」 許穎彤 Hyde Hui 藝術系三年級 Year 3, Fine Arts 實習機構 Host Organization: 北京梅蘭芳大劇院 Mei Lan Fang Theatre, Beijing 王錦欣 Katherine Wong 內外全科醫學士課程二年級 Year 2, MB ChB Programme 實習機構 Host Organization: 毛里裘斯國際經濟商學學生會 AIESEC Mauritius clouds and a blue sea, which are much sought after by urban dwellers.’ Katherine enjoyed herself thoroughly in the beautiful environment. Katherine’s internship entailed educating young people about marine protection by conducting primary and secondary school presentations with her team, which comprised 13 students (including herself) from Canada, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, and the US. The team also participated in the local World Environment Day 2014 and activities run by NGOs. They learnt about the effects of a booming tourism industry on the country’s marine ecology, as well as the remedial measures being made. Katherine said, ‘What excited me the most was seeing the colourful coral reefs and removing the damaged parts under supervision while snorkeling. We also had hands- on experience planting pieces of corals in the nursery area. What priceless experiences! They really made me contemplate the importance of marine conservation.’ The internship enhanced Katherine’s dedication to environmental protection. After it ended, she continued to take part in other related activities, and sharing her experiences in Mauritius in order to encourage others to contribute to the field. Devoted to environmental protection since childhood, Katherine Wong planned to use her summer vacation to participate in overseas environmental conservation activities after enrolling at the University. She said, ‘I have never been involved in marine protection before. When I found out the GIP offers such an opportunity, I applied at once without giving a second thought to the fact that it’s in Mauritius, an African country I knew almost nothing about.’ Back then, the Ebola outbreak had begun. Katherine was worried. Her parents objected to her trip. But after having confirmed that the epidemic was taking place in West Africa, and Mauritius is an island some distance from the continental mainland, she decided to stick to her original plan. Katherine said, ‘Upon arrival, I discovered that Mauritius is not as underdeveloped as I thought. It is like any developed city but less prosperous. What the country possesses are clear skies, white 自小熱愛環保的 王錦欣 升讀大學之時，已計 劃利用暑假到海外參與環保工作。她坦言： 「過去未有機會參與海洋環保，所以注意 到這樣的機會，即第一時間報名，沒有理 會地點是非洲的毛里裘斯，而對那裏亦 認識不多。」 其時伊波拉開始肆虐，心下一沉，父母 也反對。不過，上網一查，伊波拉疫 情肆虐於西非，而毛里裘斯是遠離 非洲大陸的島嶼，還是決定出發。 錦欣說：「到埗後，發覺原來毛里 裘斯沒有想像中落後，它與一般發 展國家的城市分別不大，只是沒有那麼繁盛，但卻擁有城 市人渴求的藍天、白雲、碧海。」光是在這麼優美的環境 下生活，已讓她愜意非常。 至於她負責的工作就是聯同十二名來自加拿大、希臘、 香港、印度、馬來西亞、巴基斯坦、泰國和美國的學生，準 備教材，為當地中小學生講授海洋保育的知識和重要性。 他們也參與當地「世界環境日2014」及一些非政府組織 的環保活動，了解旅遊業的興盛，對其海洋帶來的影響， 以及補救的措施。 她興奮地說：「最特別的，是我們在專人指導下出海，潛 水認識珊瑚生態，清除已死的珊瑚，並於保育區親手栽 種珊瑚幼苗。這種親身體驗非常寶貴！讓我反思海洋生 態平衡的重要。」 是次體會，讓錦欣更了解環保的重要，除繼續參與環保 工作，也在不同的分享會談毛里裘斯的經歷，希望鼓勵 大家加入行列。