盧樂謙
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在很多年之前我已經知道在八九年六月七日，油麻地碧街曾經發生過一場有關六四事件的暴動。但出奇地在二十多年來，很少從其他人口中聽到這事的來龍去脈。而「碧街事變流動劇」這個念頭，最初是來自2014年4月的某個下午，在一場市建局總監自稱是政府避孕套的講座後，我與李俊峰坐在修頓球場觀眾席上吹水時想出來的。當時想到既然油麻地曾經發生過這一段有關六四事件的暴動，不如我們嘗試組織一次社區自發的流動劇，把當時的事件重演一次。
我們都對這個構思相當感興趣，因為除了可直接連結社區之外，更加重要的是，就着當時甚至現在香港的情況，有勢力人士如何在民間活動中混入搞事，讓一般的遊行示威演變成暴動，導致社會混亂。這個劇的重要性除了是重演當時的事件，更希望讓市民從過去的故事中吸取經驗，避免在將來的抗議行動中被有勢力人士搗亂。的確，在2014年的雨傘運動中，我們看到不少這些情況出現。在一些看似正常的遊行示威中，突然會出現一些意想不到的人物及行為，借機製造混亂，讓大眾對此遊行產生負面的看法。
我和李俊峰的工作背景與劇場完全拉不上任何關係，但有趣的是我們好像都從來沒有考慮過這一點。想到這個概念便開始從街坊朋友中入手，在區內貼海報呼籲街坊參與。由資料蒐集，到劇本創作、準備道具及排練等等。一班朋友街坊柴娃娃便開始了。在資料蒐集的過程中，我們發現了兩件比較有趣的事情。第一，我們發現在油麻地碧街、彌敦道一帶，因為城市發展，鋪租增加等原因，現已很難找到當時在油麻地居住或店舖的店主、職員。另一有趣的是，大部份街坊記得的都是六七暴動，而非八九年這一次。所以在開始的時候，資料蒐集比較困難。幸好其後在活化廳附近的一間麻雀館，找到一位老職員，他告訴了我們很多當時看見的片段。
在分工上很多朋友街坊亦都十分落力，大家都從不同的方法入手，希望找出事件的來龍去脈。當中受訪者包括，排檔檔主、區內背景人士、老街坊等等。其中一些故事說得十分精彩，天花龍鳳，亦為我們在構思劇本時增加了不少創意。除了親身訪問外，我們亦嘗試從網上找尋資料，例如一些新聞片段、電影及舊報紙，也有很多與當時時間吻合的資料。完成資料蒐集後，我們邀請了雄仔叔叔為我們做了一次劇本創作分享會。透過不同參與者的六四故事，與碧街事變的背景一同創作，成就了這個由下而上的民間「碧街事變流動劇」的劇本。
在完成劇本後，我們在油麻地碧街一帶找尋適合的演出場地。第一幕在碧街的兩檔生果檔前的公共空間。我們利用了該處兩檔生果檔真實的場景，帶出那一幕戲的質感及張力。我認為那處是最合適的開幕場景，活生生的街坊在演員身邊經過，戲中的演員對白交集在街坊日常的生活對話之中。加上屋頂上的電線，生果檔的太陽傘、茶餐廳的摺檯及塑膠櫈，就這樣成就了我們第一幕的流動劇場。
我們創作的碧街流動劇，一切由＂錯過＂開始。在20多年後的今天，想起那年六四，我們在生活上雖有着很多不同的改變，但現在我們又在錯過什麼？是咄咄逼人的生活，還是夢想消逝的唏噓？從三組演員不同的故事背景中出發。當年一對年輕情侶，因暴動及誤會錯過了對方；當年的熱血學生，20多年之後成了平凡的中年人；丹心一片的左仔，這些年來看到事情真實的一面，每天在內心掙扎，活在無間斷的循環之中。
一下哨子聲，時間回到八九年六月七日，飾演暴動分子的我，穿着白背心、窄身牛仔褲，手臂纏着黑布帶，拿着抗議的旗幟，叫住李鵬下台的口號。從碧街出發，跑到油麻地地鐵站口，第二幕場景的地方。德昌里的朋友，以音樂相伴，黑色的布幕包圍着扮演暴動份子的演員，時空交錯。20多年前的情緒又回到今天的油麻地。在藝術視覺上來說，這一幕的黑布在街頭上舞動，確實是十分成功的場地設計。設計善用了周邊的環境空間，讓顏色來說出當時暴動的氣氛及演員的心情。
在一輪混亂之後，一班暴動演員跟隨着黃衍仁的鼓聲，由快到慢，從油麻地地鐵站向旺角方向前進。我們走到一個比較人少，空間較大的公園，作為這個流動劇的尾場，並在整套劇完結之後作一點討論。在公園這一幕，三組主角再次輪流出場，說著這20多年來他們錯過的到底是什麼？記得有一幕，不知何故，我有比較長的對白。想起這套流動劇的感想，突然之間淚水便湧出來，在我來說，籌備這一套流動劇是因為我深深相信，我曾經生活過的香港不是現在這個樣子，我亦深深相信在我們這群朋友中多年來以不同的方式參與社會活動，有一天必定能找到香港人相信的價值觀及本土的核心價值。
到頭來回望這流動劇，幸好當日市建局的總監在論壇上提出政府避孕套這言論，不然我們可能沒有機會坐在修頓的觀眾席上吹水，也不會有機會嘗試做這套街頭流動劇。雖然所得到資料並不多，但在雨傘之後的今天，亦是一個很好的起步點，讓我們去思考六四究竟是什麼意義？已錯過的就由它過去，革命尚未成功，同志仍需努力！
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“Pitt Street Riot” Reflection
Lo Lok Him
Since years ago I already know there was a riot related to the June Fourth Incident took place on Pitt Street, Yau Ma Tei, on 7 June 1989. Surprisingly in the past 25 years I seldom heard people talking about it in details. One afternoon in April 2014, Lee Chun Fung and I listened to a talk in which a director of the Urban Renewal Authority said the authority is actually a condom of the government
. Then, we came up with the idea of “Pitt Street Riot” mobile theatre, when we were chatting on the bench in Southorn Playground. We thought that perhaps we can organise a mobile theatre initiated by the local community, and re-enact the riot.
We were all interested in this idea because it can link up the community directly. It can also demonstrate how can people with certain influence and hidden agenda stir up a row, as to turn a manifestation into a riot, and ultimately create social unrest. The importance of this theatre was not only to re-enact the riot in 1989, but also to let citizens learn from the experience so that they can prevent people intentionally making troubles in future demonstrations. Indeed, during the Umbrella Revolution in 2014, we witnessed such troublemakers were not uncommon. During some demonstrations that seemed to be normal, all of a sudden some troublemakers would misbehave and create disorder, in order to leave a bad impression on the public towards particular demonstrations.
The career backgrounds of Lee Chun Fung and I had nothing to do with theatre, but amusingly, we had never considered about this. After we came up with the idea, we started to recruit crew members from the neighbourhood. From background research, script writing, props making to rehearsal, everything was done solely by our friends and the neighbourhood. During the process of data research, we found two interesting facts. One, due to the urban development and the rise in rental price, it was difficult to find people who still lived or worked in the Pitt Street or Nathan Road area during the riot until now. Second, most people remembered 1967 riots, instead of the one happened in 1989. Therefore it was more challenging to do the research. Fortunately, we managed to contact an old staff member in a Mah-jong school, and he told us a lot about the riot.
Our friends and the neighbourhood worked hard to look for the details about the riot through different methods. The crew had interviewed the owners of pai dongs, people with gangster ties, old residents from the neighbourhood, etc. Some stories were told vividly and contributed creativity when we were writing the script. Other than first-hand sources, we also collected TV news broadcasts, film and old newspaper articles that matched with the time element of the riot from the Internet. After the completion of the research, we invited Uncle Hung Jai to hold a script writing sharing session for us. With the June Fourth stories narrated by the participants and the background story of the Pitt Street Riot, we wrote the script of “Pitt Street Riot” mobile theatre, which was produced by commoners from bottom up.
Having completed the script, we went searching for appropriate venues for the mobile theatre in the Pitt Street area. Scene one was staged in the public space in front of two fruit stalls. We utilised the real fruit stalls setting, which helped bringing out the texture and tension of the scene. I believe there was the most suitable place for the opening scene, thanks to the neighbours passing by and the way the dialogues of actors integrated into the daily life of the neighbourhood. With the electric wires on the roof, sunshade of the fruit stalls, folding chairs and plastic chairs from cha chaan teng, the first scene of our mobile theatre was accomplished.
The “Pitt Street Riot” mobile theatre began from the idea of “miss”. Today, recalling the June Fourth Incident after 25 years, even though our lives have changed, what are we missing now? Is it the exhausting life or the sigh for our fading dreams? The theatre started from the story backgrounds of three groups of protagonists. A young couple missed each other because of the riot and misunderstanding. A student, who used to be ardent, grew up being an ordinary middle-age man. A loyal leftist unveiled the truth in these few years. Internal struggles troubled him, and he lived in a vicious circle.
With a whistle, time flowed back to 7 June 1989. Wearing white tank top and tight jeans, I played the role of an extremist with my arm wrapped with black cloth. Waving the flag and chanting the slogan “Li Peng Step Down”, I ran from Pitt Street to Yau Ma Tei MTR station, where scene two was staged. Along with the music, our friends covered the actors who played extremists with black cloth on Tak Cheong Lane. Like a time slip, the emotions of 25 years ago returned to Yau Ma Tei tonight. In terms of visual arts, waving the black cloth on the street was a very successful setting design. This design utilised the surrounding space, and expressed the atmosphere of the riot and the emotion of the actors through the colour.
After some chaotic moments, the actors followed the drum sound of Wong Hin Yan, from fast to slow, and marched towards Mong Kok. We marched to a park to stage our last scene. With more space and fewer people, the park allowed us to hold a discussion session after the mobile theatre. In this scene, three groups of protagonists took turns to be on stage again, and tell the audience what exactly they missed in this 25 years. I remembered there was a scene that I had a long dialogue. Thinking of this mobile theatre, suddenly I could not help shedding tears. The reason why this theatre was produced was that, I believe Hong Kong that I lived in the past was unlike how it is nowadays. I wholeheartedly believe that we have been participating in different forms of social movements, so one day we will be able to find the values that Hong Kongers believe in and the indigenous core values.
Looking back to this mobile theatre, we were lucky to have the director of the Urban Renewal Authority suggested the idea of “condom of government” in the forum, or else Lee Chung Fung and I would not be chatting on the bench in Southorn Playground, let alone produce this street mobile theatre. The volume of information we got was not large. Nevertheless, it can serve as a starting point for us to reflect on the meaning of the June Fourth Incident after the Umbrella Revolution. We shall let go what was missed. The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard!
