When one thinks of an artist, one thinks of passion and confidence. At SAS Pudong, no teacher wields these qualities quite as well as Mr. Stephen Finegold. As the PAC director of the school, Finegold manages most performances, on top of teaching his theatre classes. Any student or collaborator of his can surely tell you of his dedication to teaching the arts. Though Finegold’s talents as an experienced actor, musician, and director are undeniably invaluable to SAS and its theatre program, the man himself has some interesting stories, and insights to life. 

How would you describe your experience in China? 

I think other parts of China are very different from Shanghai –it’s a very cosmopolitan, very culturally distinct city – I love it. 

I have always lived in London, which I always thought was a really big city, but then you to Shanghai, and then you see what a really big city is (laughs). 

I spent quite a lot of time in Japan and I really loved the culture… and then when I came here, I got so attached to the culture here too with people being so welcoming and friendly. 

When did you come to SAS? 

“I kind of just really fell in love with this place the city the school the kids and it just felt right and I think in my personal life I was ready for an adventure another adventure so I went back home and I asked my wife if she was ready for an adventure and she said no. But we’re here anyways,” Finegold laughs.  

I came here as the director of a theatre festival, the November before, for about two weeks. 

Do you speak any Chinese? 

没有 (Mei you). 

(Laughter) 

Are you involved in the theatre scene here in Shanghai? 

Only as an audience member…. The theatre here has been mostly imported from the West —and the big tours and big shows have been fun, but they’re not really my area of interest… I’ve worked a lot with Beijing Opera, and we used to have a Chinese Performance Academy every year, but we can’t this year because of restrictions.  

And I find that fascinating – I’ve seen two or three performances. It has an air that I’ve never heard of.  That took getting used to, but it’s wonderful. And the tradition and culture behind it. Which is why when I first came here, I did a Westernized version of the Monkey King. 

Speaking of which, we heard that you played at West End Broadway…what are the roles you’ve played that you are the proudest of? 

My personal taste is Shakespeare, I love performing him… I suppose it’s a British thing (laughs) 

I’ve been very proud of the roles I’ve played in Macbeth, particularly Macbeth, I’ve played him three or four times. I love that story. I suppose the most successful show I’ve been involved in was the Adventures of Tintin. I played Captain Haddock. 

It was a big thing in Europe. 

 How did you get into theatre? 

I was a police officer and I kept getting really badly hurt. So, I decided after several occasions after which I was very seriously injured. On the last case I was injured I was in a wheelchair for two years, and I thought enough was enough. 

I went back to university and then studied. I’ve always been a musician, so I’ve always been a performer but in bands, and when I got into university, I got really involved with the theatre there. As I was beginning to learn to walk again, I applied for drama school to be an actor thinking that they would laugh at me, but I got into one of the top drama schools in London. 

And… didn’t look back.  

My father always told me to get a proper job, so here I am teaching. 

(laugh) 

How did you originally decide to become a police officer? 

When I was younger as a teenager, I was very good at soccer. The Metropolitan Police, which is the police of London, they had a football [soccer] team that was in the national league. They saw me playing football [soccer], and they said maybe you should join, so I thought yeah, play football [soccer] for a living, that’ll be alright.  

Then, I realised I had to be a policeman as well. 

(laugh) 

It was in the 70s and 80s, and it was quite tough in London in those days. I became a member of the special branch, which deals with very serious crimes, which was why I kept getting hurt.  

Overall, do you feel like you learned anything from your past careers? 

Yes. I think it would be a shame if I didn’t (laugh). 

The police work Is very interesting, the minds of people who do not very nice things to each other, the criminal psychology. It helps an awful lot with my theatre work, to get into someone else’s shoes and see where that takes you. If you work in, particularly, naturalistic theatre or film that kind of observation over a long period of time of humanity is invaluable. Otherwise, you end up just sketching a character rather than being a character. 

What advice do you have for students? 

Whatever you choose, do not choose something you can regret. Consider what it is that you cannot live without. But you are still young enough to change your direction. Your future is secure because you are here, and you are talented students.  

Mr. Finegold’s life serves as an inspiration to his students. His resilience and his drive to find passion resounds in his teaching. Having been a policeman, an actor, and now a teacher, Mr. Finegold also records music with his son, under the name Acoustic Blues. Find their albums here.

Article by Shelley Yang, Amy Huang, and Eva Yuan