Polish theater maestro Krystian Lupa was once asked by a journalist what theater is. He replied, "Theater is a way to understand people through direction, while actors understand themselves through different roles." I wholeheartedly agree with Lupa’s succinct response. As theater practitioners, if we only indulge in our own creative worlds and forget the ultimate goal of our work, our creations will never transcend the limitations of technique. Local emerging theater company "Rooftop Productions," founded by Ivor Houlker and Michelle Li after studying performance creation in London, has debuted their inaugural work The Decline of Behavior. They opted for a small theater style of performance, incorporating new media theatrical techniques to portray a 1960s sociological experiment called "Mouse Utopia," exploring the relationships between modern living spaces, technological development, and behavioral patterns.
Audio Guided Tour
The performance is divided into two parts. First, the audience participates in an audio guided tour. They must use their personal smartphones and headphones, downloading an app prepared by the company to listen to audio instructions while being guided in small groups through the streets near Tai Yau Street in San Po Kong. I believe this approach to environmental theater is currently the most mature in Hong Kong. Ivor, who was responsible for the app design, skillfully utilized the narrow streets and architectural features of the San Po Kong industrial area, combined with the park environment managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, to lead the audience into the two major elements of their theatrical world: Greek mythology and historical events involving humanity as experimental subjects. Ivor carefully injected the names of streets and the appearance of hotels with references to Greek mythological characters. A highlight of the experiment's events is the design of the Rainbow Road amusement park, where audiences discover parallels to the Garden of Eden in the biblical story, discussing how Adam and Eve failed the temptation test and were expelled. The half-hour tour, coupled with the app and the guide's performance, showed no hardware or software instability, which is quite rare.
Returning to the Black Box Theater
The second half returns to the black box theater, featuring audience seating. Using physical theater and elements from ancient Greek mythology, different theatrical art forms present related themes, interweaving reality and the virtual to encourage the audience to reflect on the mode of theater viewing. This part is feasible in terms of performance form and fully reflects the spirit of small theater. The director deliberately raised the rectangular seating about one and a half meters off the ground, requiring the audience to sit in a line and use a movable steel ladder to access their seats. If an audience member raises their hand from their seat, they can almost touch the ceiling of the factory building. The lighting design during the performance and the stage aesthetics are particularly thoughtful, and the use of space is appropriate. However, the only area for improvement lies in the actors' performance skills.
Refining Performance Skills
Currently, the primary performance style of the actors is rooted in ancient ritual forms, with live drumming and character singing imbued with a primal essence. When narrating the sociological experiment of "Mouse Utopia," there should be a contemporary aspect of civilized individuals. However, the actors have yet to reach the level of enchantment associated with shamans when dealing with this primitive physicality. Some actors are overly cautious and rational in executing their movements, which prevents these scenes from fully returning to the original roots of performing arts. Furthermore, when articulating the sociological experiment, the actors must manage complex positions and their own movements, akin to contemporary dancers who must move while delivering extensive experimental data dialogue—this is a high level of difficulty. Although there are occasional missteps, the effort each actor makes to fulfill their role is commendable and worthy of support. If the company continues down this creative path, in less than ten years, they will become one of the most important local theater companies producing quality small theater works.
Autotranslated from the original Chinese
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