(English version below)

早排見到有幅圖，講舞台劇質素下降，知道要保持一個劇本質素參差有好多方法，係一件唔容易嘅事，最常見嘅手法有：所有角色講話方式一模一樣，阿豬阿狗都講到金句至理名言；角色對白直接解釋劇情，講晒觀眾就明晒；結局突然「教訓觀眾」，所以我哋做人要點點點；人物動機前後矛盾，本來想咁突然又想咁咁；本身可以係戲嘅對話，用旁白直隊觀眾交代；人物情緒突變極速，上一秒憎下一秒變冇嘢；人物突然知道啲佢明明唔知道嘅嘢仲話自己知道咗好耐，邏輯不通編劇主宰；劇情靠巧合推進，前無伏筆鋪排…… 手法層出不窮，不能盡錄。

睇咗呢個報導心生一振，隨即萌生一個意念，為咗要保持呢個下降走勢，決定開放自己嘅時間同 Quota 出嚟，只要你 send 個劇本嚟 script consultancy，我可以講解你現有劇本裡面嘅乜嘢會令人覺得個劇本質素低，從而你返去可以 “強化” 嗰啲部份，同時，我都會指出點樣可以令劇本質素提升，咁你就記住 “千祈唔好” 跟嗰個方向去修改。

開放名額：每月兩個 (除我的編劇工作坊學員以外)

時限：一人一年一次一小時三十分鐘網上面談

劇本條件：不接受中小學生演出之劇本及學校巡迴演出劇本／必須完成初稿，full length，已確定將要製作之公開演出劇本優先考慮

費用：免費

*非誠勿擾，同行免問

導師：鄧世昌

Some time ago, I came across a graphic news about the declining quality of Hong Kong theatre. It struck a chord with me. I suddenly realised that maintaining a consistently uneven quality in a play is actually no easy task. There are so many techniques involved.

The most common ones include:

— Making every character speak in exactly the same way, so that whoever they are, they all get to deliver profound quotes and life-changing wisdom;

— Having characters explain the plot directly through monologue, so the audience understands everything immediately;

— Ending the play with a sudden “lesson for the audience”: therefore, this is how we should live our lives, blah blah blah;

— Giving characters contradictory motivations: they wanted one thing, and suddenly they want the complete opposite;

— Taking a scene that could have been dramatised through dialogue and replacing it with a voice-over that simply tells the audience what happened;

— Giving characters ridiculously rapid emotional transformations: one second they hate someone, the next they are completely fine;

— Having characters suddenly know things they clearly could not possibly know, while insisting that they have “known all along” — logic be damned, the playwright is in charge;

— Letting the plot move forward through coincidence, with no foreshadowing, setup or groundwork whatsoever…

The techniques are endless. The list could go on forever.

After reading that article, I was deeply inspired. An idea immediately came to me: In order to help maintain this downward trend, I have decided to open up some of my time and quota. If you send me your script for a script consultancy session, I can point out exactly what, in your existing script, might make people feel that the quality of the writing is low. You can then go back and “strengthen” those elements accordingly. At the same time, I will also point out how the script could be improved and made stronger — so that you can remember those suggestions and make absolutely sure you do NOT follow them when revising.

Limited places: 2 per month (Excluding participants of my playwriting workshops)

Frequency: One 1.5-hour online session per person, once a year

Script requirements:

‧ No scripts intended for performances by primary/secondary school students or school touring programmes

‧ First draft must be completed

‧ Full-length plays only

‧ Priority will be given to scripts that have already been confirmed for public production

Fee: Free

Please do not enquire unless you are genuinely interested. Fellow playwrights/theatre practitioners, please do not apply.