當瑪嬌達的最好朋友薰衣草...

14 years ago: Patricia Chiu

14 years ago your character in Matilda was……

Lavender

 十四年前你在《瑪嬌達》裡飾演的角色是…

薰衣草

 Describe your character…

Matilda’s best friend, loyal, curious, cheeky (think I may have been typecast – ha ha ha!)… I have a feeling she was the one who put the newt in Miss Trunchbull’s pitcher of water.

 你會怎樣形容她?

她是瑪嬌達的最好朋友–忠誠、好奇、滑稽 (我想我當時已抽離不了–哈哈!)…我想應該是她把那條蠑螈丟進Trunchbull校長的水壺中。

Impressions of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival…

Marvelously magical. Beyond my wildest imaginings. Whimsically wonderful. Eloquently eye-opening. Melting pot of creativity. It was where I really began to believe that art could be a vehicle for change.

你對於在愛丁堡演出《瑪嬌達》的印象是…

稀奇巧妙、出乎意料、出類拔萃、大開眼界、創意無窮….就在這裡，我明白到藝術可以推動改變的。

(Above: Old matilda Cast in Edinburgh – Click photo to enlarge)

 Funny/interesting memory about your experience in Matilda:

 The wigs. I felt like I had knots of spaghetti strapped to my head.

可以分享排練中一些趣事嗎？

表演用的假髮  –感覺尤如一碟意粉綁在我的頭上。

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

 I remember the first time I ever read Matilda: the wonder, the inspiration that it conjured within me.

 Looking back now, I think what I really loved was the way it inspired an expansion of my horizons – the suggestion that one could have such a capacity for intellect that when not sufficiently challenged, it would manifest itself in ways beyond our wildest dreams, outside of the realms of what we thought was possible.

 The story cultivated courage and hope with great clarity but with such authenticity, without realising it you would believe that a child can be empowered and rise above anything.

《瑪嬌達》的故事有引起你的共鳴嗎?

我記得第一次閱讀《瑪嬌達》的故事, 是充滿夢幻、奇蹟和靈感。

現在回想起來，它啓發我拓展自己的視野，讓我體會到一個人原來可以有如此龐大的容量去吸收知識；而當環境沒有充分去挑戰這個潛能時，它將以最瘋狂的方法體現出來。

這個故事很真摯地表達到勇氣及希望的信息，更令我意識到一個小孩的潛能是可以克服一切。

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

Freelance yoga teacher/ choreographer.

 你能形容一下現實中的你是怎樣的嗎？

我現在是一位自由工作者，擔任瑜珈導師和編舞者。

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

This is not an easy question to answer concisely. YAF gave me so many opportunities as a teenager, that it is difficult to acknowledge what came from what experience. To say that YAF’s impact on my life is significant is a profoundly humbling understatement. I would not be the person I am today, had I not been enabled, empowered, inspired and cultivated by YAF.

(Above: Patricia Chiu in YAF projects as a teenager)

I don’t believe I would be as open-minded, enthusiastic, optimistic, confident or as compassionate without YAF.

 YAF encouraged me to dream and to be constantly in wonder with the world. I know it sounds like it is an exaggeration, but as a teenager, when you’re trying to figure out who you are, at a time when you feel repressed, insignificant or you start to feel disappointed in the world, YAF provided a space that encouraged us to explore who we were and gave us opportunities that consistently reinforced the truth that we mattered and that we can make a difference.

Never underestimate the power or the gift of being given a platform where you can pour your heart and soul into something, express it through performance or art, and then have it validated by inviting the public to see it.

(Above: Patricia Chiu performing in HKYAF’s flagship musical, Sweeney Todd)

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?

這個問題絕不容易回答。YAF在我年青的時候給了我很多機會，現在卻很難具體形容哪些影響來自哪次經驗。

 要說YAF對我人生有巨大的影響，也只是個輕描淡寫的說法。若不是有機會被錄取、被激勵、被栽培，我就不會成為今天的我。我相信我不會如此豁達、熱情、樂觀和有自信。

YAF鼓勵我要追尋夢想，不斷發掘這個世界。這聽起來很誇張，但當你只是一個十多歲正在尋找自我的青少年，並開始感到被壓抑、渺小、對世界感到失望時，YAF提供了一個平台，鼓勵我們探索及認識自己，讓我們自我肯定，相信自己能改變世界。

 當你有一個平台可以讓你將所有心血力量化為藝術或演出作品時，再有幸邀請公眾去欣賞它、驗證它 — 千萬不要低估這種力量!

Today: Rachael Lee

Your character in Matilda is…

My character is Lavender, a close classmate of Matilda.

你在《瑪嬌達》裡飾演的角色是… 

我飾演的角色是薰衣草，是瑪嬌達的好同學。

 Describe your character…

She is a sweet little girl that can be nice, but often is envious of Matilda’s natural talent. Lavender can be sometimes curious as she is always asking question after question, trying to get all the facts.

 你會怎樣形容她?

她是個甜美善良的女孩，但有時亦會嫉妒瑪嬌達的天賦。薰衣草的好奇心很強，經常發問問題，直至知道真相為止。

 What’s your experience with your rehearsals so far?

Rehearsals are really fun and everyone is really funny but still focused. We can usually get a lot done in a short period of time, which can be exciting but also tiring. The play is really starting to come together and I just can’t wait for everyone to see it.

 現時的排練過程是如何的?

綵排很好玩，大家都很有趣，但同時亦很專注。我們通常只用很短的時間便能完成大部分的排練，這實在令人興奮，但亦因此疲倦。整齣劇將近完成，我實在急不及待讓大家欣賞呢！

Any funny/interesting memory on the production so far?

There is one memory that stands out. We were practicing a scene where Aurora and I had to be a mirror. In this scene Daren (Mr Wormwood) comes into the bathroom to admire himself in the mirror. This is when it happens. He breaks out into the most hilarious movements possible to admire his hair. Every single time, everyone laughs… no one can help it!

 可以分享排練中一些趣事嗎?

我與另外一位演員Aurora扮演鏡子的那一幕特別難忘。在這一幕，演員Daren (飾演旺活先生) 要到洗手間欣賞鏡中的自己。就在這個時候，他就會用非常滑稽的動作欣賞自己的髮型。他每演一次，我們就大笑一次，無人倖免。

(Above: Mr Wormwood in rehearsals)

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

I am a year 8 student at Chinese International School. I am usually a shy person around my friends and classmates, but when in a comfortable environment I finally come out from my shell. I am a complete nerd when it comes to writing, I love it when I get an idea and the words flow onto the page.

 你能形容一下現實中的你是怎樣的嗎？

我是一名就讀漢基國際學校中二級的學生。雖然我在朋友和同學面前比較害羞，但當我身處安全環境時，我就會表現出真我。談到寫作時，我完全是一個書呆子。當我想到一個新主意時，我最愛將文字寫在紙張上。

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

If I could have just one superpower in the whole wide world, it would probably be able to fly. Not only is it a fun and awesome way to get around but it is a greener way to travel. And on top of that, I can fly to another country without paying those high flight fees.

 如果你有一種超能力，你希望是甚麼？

如果可以選擇一種超能力，我想有飛行的能力。這不但會很刺激，亦也較環保吧！還有，我可以不用付昂貴的飛機旅費，亦可輕易到其他國家去。

 Is this project different to other projects you have done before? How/Why?

Well I have only starting doing projects with YAF last year, meaning that I have only done a few (extremely fun) projects. When I first started here, the projects I did were dance-related. Switching from dancing to acting was not as hard as one would imagine—you have to put the same amount of energy and emotion into it. The only difference really is dancing involves music and movement, while acting involves more speech.

 今次的演出與你之前參與過的演藝項目有所不同嗎?

我參與YAF的活動只有一年，所以只參與過幾項有趣的計劃。我第一個參與的活動多與舞蹈有關的。由舞蹈員變身成為演員其實比想像中容易，因為兩者都需要投放很多精力和情感。唯一不同的是跳舞包含音樂和動作，而演戲則講求對話的技巧。

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

This all started at school, when my hip hop teacher asked my friend and I to be in a dance for The Peninsula’s anniversary. After that I knew new opportunities could come from this, and I was right. Arts in the Park quickly came by and I really loved it – it was one of the best experiences of my life. Then came the Matilda auditions and before I knew it I got to play Lavender! YAF has really made me a more confident person. I has showed me that I can do more than I think. It also taught me to reach out and seize new opportunities, because every opportunity helps me in different ways.

(Above: Rachael Lee performing in Arts in the Park 2013)

 你是如何參與香港青年藝術協會的製作? 有影響你的人生嗎?

這一切從學校裹開始。當我的嘻哈舞蹈老師邀請我和另外一位朋友參與半島洒店的週年舞蹈演出時，我就知道這是更多新機會的開端，而我是正確的。藝趣嘉年華的演出機會隨即發生，我十分熱愛這次活動，亦是我人生中最好的經驗之一。接著便是《瑪嬌達》的面試，我更在了解這著作前，已被安排擔演薰衣草這個角色！

YAF讓我變得更有自信，使我知道我的潛能原來比我想像中大。它亦教會我要捉緊人生裡的各個機會，這可在多方面助我發展。

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

Whenever I hear the story of Matilda, it always reminds me that everyone has amazing secret abilities, whether it’s extreme flexibility or photographic memory, but just like Matilda it takes a little bit of time to find out what they are.

瑪嬌達的故事有引起你的共鳴嗎?

每當聽到《瑪嬌達》的故事，就提醒我每一個人都有特殊的天賦。

不論是超強的記憶力或是極柔軟的身軀，大家就如瑪嬌達一樣，只需要多花一點時間就能找到自己的才能。