Story of Cherie

We sat down with Cherie, Deputy General Manager here at Shakespeare4All, to explore her journey from backstage wardrobe supervision to leading projects and operations at one of Hong Kong’s most dynamic theatre education NGOs.

Q: When did you join S4A?

I joined in 2018. I’d just relocated back to Hong Kong from Beijing and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next.

Q: What were you doing before you joined S4A?

Mostly theatre wardrobe supervision projects, but I also taught yoga and did translation for different schools. It was all freelancing.

Q: So what made you click “apply”?

I wanted something more stable, but I still wanted to be part of theatre. I saw a Gala Project Officer role — it was a six-month contract — and I thought, I’ll give it a go. Six months felt like a good timeline to experience a full-time job and see if I actually enjoyed it. After that six months, I just stayed.

Q: Were you always theatre backstage — or did you start on stage?

I first got into theatre in secondary school, but I was mostly a narrator — on the side.

Q: What did you study?

I applied to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and got into the backstage department — it was called Applied Arts under Technical Arts Faculty, back then. I did a two-year diploma and then a three-year bachelor degree. I was trained as a wardrobe supervisor and costume maker.

Q: What was your first S4A production?

The Tempest — The Gala production in 2018.

Q: What did your job look like back then?

Logistics and scheduling, assisting the project manager — dealing with students and parents, lots of emails — and also communicating with the production team.

Q: And now — what do you spend most of your time doing?

It’s more back-end work: contracts, funding reports, budgeting, HR. I still support the project managers with projects and events planning , and I work closely with the Artistic Director and General Manager, I also engage a lot with other NGO leaders in Hong Kong.

Q: You came from a costumes background. What did that teach you that you still use every day?

Communication and teamwork. In wardrobe supervision you’re coordinating with different departments. Even arranging costume fittings — you can’t just do it your way. You have to communicate with stage management, and you have to understand the actors. It’s collaborative.

Q: What’s changed most in how you see S4A after eight years?

When I first started, I saw it as just a theatre company. But in the past few years, the NGO aspect has become very important to me too. Now I try to look at it as a theatre company, a charity, and theatre education — and how we balance all three.

Q: A moment you’ll never forget — one that shows what S4A does?

After the Gala in 2018, a mum came to the office and gave the team a box of cookies. Her daughter had moved to Hong Kong from mainland China and she was very shy — not confident, especially speaking English. After the summer programme, the mum told us her daughter went back to school and raised her hand to ask to be the English class prefect.

Q: What do you think unlocked that change?

Seeing other students every day — connecting, mingling — it gave her confidence. And I think the whole team always tries to make sure students feel comfortable and empowered, that they can do what other students do.