Mrs Phelps opens Matilda up to the World of Literature

14 years ago: Kirsten Ho

14 years ago your Character in Matilda was:

Mrs Phelps, the librarian.

 十四年前你在《瑪嬌達》裡飾演的角色是…

圖書管理員，菲士太太。

 Describe your character…

Mrs Phelps is a thoughtful and kind woman, she is one of the few adult characters who treats Matilda with respect and support. She can see that Matilda is a gifted young child and arranges a list of books for her to read, opening up the world of literature to Matilda.

 你怎樣形容她的性格?

菲士太太是一位體貼、善良的女士，是故事中少數支持及尊重瑪嬌達的成年人。她洞悉到瑪嬌達的天賦，並指引她閱讀一系列的圖書，開拓她的文學世界。

 Did the story of Matilda resonate with you? If so in what way?

Growing up, Roald Dahl was my favorite author and I made it a point to read every book that he wrote- I was a big fan! So when I was given the opportunity to perform Matilda I was thrilled. I had read the story many times so it was not only a memorable experience but also an educational process learning how to transform the story from page to stage.

瑪嬌達的故事有引起你的共鳴嗎?

羅爾德‧達爾是我年少時最喜愛的作家，我曾下定決心要閱讀他的所有作品—我是他的忠實粉絲。當我要知道有機會演出他的作品時，我實在很興奮。為此，我翻閱這故事很多次，因此這不但是個難忘的經歷，亦是使我學到如何將文字帶到舞台上。

Impressions of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival:

I recommend everyone to attend the Edinburgh Fringe. The whole experience was a like a celebration of all art styles and as a teenager it provided me with inspiration, motivation and influence.

你對於在愛丁堡演出《瑪嬌達》的印象是…

我推介大家參與愛丁堡藝穗節。整個活動是慶祝不同類型的藝術風格，為年輕的我提供了靈感、動力和深遠影響。

(Above: Matilda cast 14 years ago at Edinburgh Fringe Festival)

 Any funny/interesting memory about your experience in Matilda?

The wigs! Our show was in the afternoon and after we finished I had terrible hat hair!

 Also, we were fortunate enough to meet Liccy Dahl who very kindly took the time to speak to us. She shared stories of her late husband which I thought was so special. I remember she said The BFG was Roald Dahl’s favourite story. (see attachment, I still have it!)

可以分享排練中一些趣事嗎?

表演用的假髮！在下午的演出後，我的頭髮都變成扁平的「帽子頭」！

 還有，我們有幸認識到芙莉希蒂•達爾，她特意來`

跟大家聊聊天，分享已逝丈夫羅爾德‧達爾的故事，這都是很寶貴的體驗。我記得她說《吹夢巨人》(The BFG) 是作者最喜愛的故事！看看以下的圖片，我到現在還保留著它呢！

 Now you are…

I am now the Artistic Director of DANCE Kho, a HK based contemporary dance company.

 我現在擔任Dance Kho的藝術總監，一個香港的現代舞舞蹈團。

 Did being in Matilda and with YAF impact your life? If so, how?

Yes- performing in Matilda was an unforgettable experience. We worked together as an ensemble cast, performing with professional actors and with support from a very talented creative team. Everyone worked so hard to put on a fantastic show that was met with enthusiastic reviews. I feel very grateful that YAF was able to give me such a life-changing experience and it is because of this I still work in the arts.

 參與《瑪嬌達》和香港青年藝術協會的製作如何影響你的人生?

 有。參與《瑪嬌達》的演出是個難忘的經驗。全體演員互相合作，與專業演員一起演出，及得到一個才華橫溢的製作團隊支持。大家都很努力創造一場精彩的表演，並吸引熱烈的好評。我很感謝YAF給我一個改變人生的體驗，我亦因此繼續留在藝術界發展。

Today: Ariel Chan

Your character in Matilda is…

Mrs Phelps, the librarian.

你在《瑪嬌達》裡飾演的角色是…

圖書管理員， 菲士太太。

Describe your character…

Matilda met Mrs Phelps, the librarian, when she first came to the public library.

Unlike Matilda’s parents, Mrs Phelps was anything but ignorant and shallow. She was also the first sane adult Matilda encountered. She was amazed when Matilda came stumbling into the library with such gift in reading. She was not skeptical about Matilda’s reading ability at all, only a little surprised when she asked for books that were beyond a pre-school child could handle. She was kind, encouraging to Matilda in reading, and provide as much help as possible to Matilda in the library.

With this genuine and nice old lady, Matilda learned to become smarter and cleverer, more independent as she grew. I feel like Mrs Phelps is secretly a mentor to Matilda before she went to school, which is why I feel honored to play the character.

你怎樣形容她?

因為瑪嬌達經常去借書，所以認識了圖書館管理員菲士太太。

相比起瑪嬌達的父母，菲士太太與她膚淺的父母是完全相反，她是瑪嬌達第一位遇到的理智成年人。第一次遇見瑪嬌達，菲士太太感到非常驚訝，因為她的閱讀能力遠遠超出其他同輩。雖然如此，菲士太太從來都沒有質疑過瑪嬌達在不同方面的潛力。她和藹可親，帶著一絲絲的母愛，經常鼓勵瑪嬌達多閱讀、多思考。

有了菲士太太，瑪嬌達從閱讀中不單止得到知識，更在年紀甚小的時候已懂得獨立。今次有機會飾演此角色，真是我的榮幸！

(Above: Mrs Phelps meets Matilda at the Library)

What’s your experience at rehearsals so far?

I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since our first rehearsal! And we have progressed efficiently and professionally since then.

I wanted to portray Mrs Phelps as the grandma figure that she never had. After reading the script, I imagined Mrs Phelps would be an affable and caring lady that really cares for and concerns about Matilda’s learning before Matilda met Ms Honey. And that is what I aim for, and hopefully with my acting, the audience would see that.

現時的排練過程是如何的?

原來距離第一次綵排已經有一個月，我們一班演員亦都進展得非常順利。我認為菲士太太就像瑪嬌達的婆婆。而當我看過劇本後，我想像得到菲士太太是一個親切、可親、真誠關心瑪嬌達學習的人。我希望觀眾看到的菲士太太，是我眼中的菲士太太。

Any funny/interesting memory about your experience in Matilda?

Last rehearsal, we practiced a scene which a group of us needed to act out an episode of a soap opera. We were separated into groups and make up our own soap opera scenes.

All the groups had amazing ideas and they were absolutely hilarious. The chosen group was so funny and dramatic that made my stomach hurt, even though they reenacted it a couple of times, my laughter only died down a little, never ceased. It was a great rehearsal!

可以分享排練中一些趣事嗎?

上一次的綵排，其中一幕需要演一場肥皂劇。我們分組後準備演一場短短的肥皂劇。大家的故事內容都非常滑稽。被選中的那一組，又有戲劇性，又可笑。儘管他們多演幾次，我仍然捧腹大笑。

So what’s a description of yourself in real life?

Well, I’m 15, turning 16 next month. I always loved arts, whether it’s performing arts, media arts or visual arts, because arts is a form of expression, with no specific frame or restriction, as long as you’re doing it as you.

Unlike Mrs Phelps, I, Ariel Chan, would not want to be a librarian. I like risks and adventures, to experience everything and love every moment of it. Not that I don’t love reading. Trust me. I love reading. But instead of staying in the library like Mrs Phelps, I’d like to read everywhere I go. Life would be boring for me to do one thing repeatedly with nothing new. So, for now, I enjoy what I do and planned to cherish every second of it with no hints of regret.

你能形容一下現實中的你是怎樣的嗎？

今年十五歲的我，一直以來都很喜歡藝術，因為藝術是一種釋放，沒有框架或沒有限制，最重要的是自己。所以無論是表演藝術、媒體藝術或是視覺藝術，我通通都喜歡。

我不像菲士太太，  我不希望當上一個圖書館管理員。我愛危機與冒險，我愛經歷的每分每秒。話雖如此，這並不代表我不喜歡閱讀，只是我不希望自己停留在同一個地方。每天重複地做同一樣的事，實在太乏味。所以現在，我要享受我做的事，好好珍惜。

(Above: The Library Scene, Matilda)

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation. No doubts. Who wouldn’t want to go to anywhere you want in a flash? No more waiting for buses nor getting late for school. If you feel like you want to go to Paris and see the Eiffle Tower and BAM! You’re there! What more could I ask for?

如果你有一種超能力，你希望是甚麼？

一定是擁有瞬間轉移的能力。隨時隨地，想去那裏就可以去哪裏。不再需要等巴士，上學不會再遲到。如果想到巴黎看夜景，不用一秒就可以到巴黎鐵塔上。真是夢寐以求的超能力啊！

How did you get involved in YAF and has that impacted your life?

I have done a few dance projects and one physical theatre project with YAF before, but this one is by far the most enjoyable one! Not only do I get to work with people my age, I get to work with some professional actors and actresses too! This is such a great opportunity to learn from them. Moreover, reenacting a classic children’s book, is so much fun, seeing the characters come to life in all of our interpretations. It feels like a breath of fresh air.

I got involved in YAF when I came across one of the Arts In The Park event two years ago. Everything was so new to me and I was extremely glad to find a new community, where arts is celebrated and appreciated, performers and art lovers can gather around, share experiences and make something wonderful.

Thanks to YAF, I have broadened my horizon on the range of arts. I became so much more confident in myself and dared to act and perform. YAF helped me to believe that everyone has a chance to shine and everyone has potential. I am very grateful for that.

參與香港青年藝術協會的製作怎樣影響你的人生?

我曾參與YAF一些舞蹈和形態劇場活動，但今次的比以往的更有趣！我不單止能夠與同輩一起演出，還有一些專業的演員。這絕對是一個非常好的學習機會！另外，重新演繹一本經典的兒童小說，看見一些角色被演員們用自己的方法演繹，使人耳目一新。

兩年前，我因著渣打藝趣嘉年華認識YAF。對我來說，很多東西我都從來沒有接觸過。在這裏，藝術是受人欣賞的。表現者與藝術愛好者都可一同分享自己的經驗和興趣，更創作出獨一無二的作品。

感謝YAF擴闊了我的藝術視野，令我變得更有信心和勇氣去表演，亦令我明白每個人都有潛質。我實在非常慶幸能認識YAF。