HKAPA

Ms May Fu Yuet-mai has held various positions in the local theatre industry and has made significant contributions to its development for 40 years.

Since 1977, when Ms Fu joined the newly established Hong Kong Repertory Theatre by the Urban Council as a trainee before becoming a full-time actress, she has been committed to theatre.

In 1985, Ms Fu was part of the first cohort of students to enter the School of Drama of the Academy. In 1988, she pursued further studies at the Academy before graduating with distinction.

Ms Fu became the first alumna to teach at the Academy’s School of Drama in 1993 and her passion and endeavour were highly appreciated. Many students who took part in her productions have received widespread recognition, including a number of awards. She has always been enthusiastic in support of the Academy and was the first Vice-Chairman of the Academy Alumni Association. She has been a scholarship patron of the School of Drama since 1994.

In 2003, Ms Fu was the assistant director of Sweet and Sour Hong Kong, a co-production of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, the Hong Kong Dance Company and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. This play helped restore confidence to the community after the SARS outbreak. She was later invited by the School of Theatre of the Macao Conservatory to plan directing courses and taught art direction for seven years to students of theatre.

Cultural and academic exchange is one of Ms Fu’s great passions. In 2008, her teaching on a two-month exchange programme at the Shanghai Theatre Academy was greatly appreciated. In the same year, she joined the Education Committee affiliated to the China Musical Association, an umbrella organisation for various art institutes in China. She has also delivered many papers at symposiums on the development of musical theatre in Hong Kong.

From 2011 to 2014, Ms Fu returned to the Academy to work as Artist-in-Residence (Acting) in the School of Drama, where her vast experience inspired a new generation of students. She is now a member of the Advisory Committee of the School of Drama.

Active in the local theatre scene, Ms Fu has been a committee member of the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies, as well as Hong Kong representative of the Chinese Drama Festival for 20 years. In 2007, she was responsible for planning the Hong Kong Theatre - Romance with China exhibition to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of drama development in China, which involved searching for exhibits and conducting interviews with industry veterans. In 2016, she curated the 20-Year Retrospective Exhibition at the Chinese Drama Festival and became the Chief Editor of the commemoration publication for the 10^th Chinese Drama Festival (《劇藝華采：第十屆華文戲劇節紀念特刋》).

Ms Fu has been widely recognised for her artistry, being nominated six times for Best Director at the Hong Kong Drama Awards and winning twice. She also won Best Actress for her performance in Another Last Lesson. In 1998, she edited A Great Epoch: Daniel Lai (《大時代中的黎草田》), a research work that traced the development of music in Hong Kong.

Ms Fu is an advisor (Drama) to the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, as well as director of or advisor to different theatre companies.