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The Finalist of
Shekou Theatre Festival 2024 · Theatre in Situ
Shekou Theatre Festival 2024 · Theatre in Situ
01 New Works Focusing on Theatre in Situ
Project Name
Creator
Performance Venue
Diary VII • The Story Of......
Mui Cheuk Yin / Hong Kong
Shekou I-Factory Runway
In the shadowy, softly lit Grand Machine Hall of the old industrial site, I-Factory, Mei Zhuoyan and a cat tiptoe cautiously. This performance weaves together words, light, sound, and fluid body movements, crafting a narrative that explores the subtle resonance between the traits of stray cats, the fluidity of the definition of "home," and Mei's own life philosophy. Amidst the grandeur of the industrial relics, an emotional arena is created to foster shared experiences. Audiences join Mei in establishing trust with the cat, listening to its stories and Mei's diary entries.
Type: Monologue
Executive Producer: Crystal D.
I Remember…
AO Ieong Pui San / Macau
Nanyou Seafood Wholesale Market
I Remember… is an interactive theatre. Audiences become ambassadors of the "Emotion Soup," journeying through a marketplace where reality and imagination converge. Their mission is to restore two fragmented, suspended memories linked to a mysterious recipe. Each participant embarks on a unique, ever-evolving path of memories, with their choices and the whims of fate shaping distinct outcomes. Like a kaleidoscope's shifting patterns, the narrative continually transforms with each turn.
Type: Participatory Theatre
Executive Producer: KU Ieng Un
Dreamless Machine, Useless Class
Sam Leong Son U / Macau
Sea Word Gateway One
During the annual self-service machine evaluation day, several machines unexpectedly malfunctioned before the mall could open. Factory workers, summoned at the last minute, are tasked with repairing the machines from the inside, with the threat of immediate dismissal if the evaluators find their work unsatisfactory. Audience members step into the role of evaluators, roaming the mall to experience and assess the various “self-service machines.” Knowing that their ratings will determine the outcome of the machines’ evaluations and the workers’ fates, how will they perform their jobs?
Type: Interactive Theatre
Executive Producer: KWONG Wai-lap
My Dad Is Dead
The Open Door Theatre Studio / Foshan
Shekou I-Factory: Watch Tycoon Café
My Dad Is Dead fuses the artistry of European mask theatre with a poignant Chinese family story. Set against the evocative backdrop of the Watch Tycoon Cafe in a repurposed factory, this production orchestrates a tender, thought-provoking but surreal Chinese funeral. As the layers of the ceremony peel back to reveal the truth behind a father's suicide, the production delves into the nuances of emotional expression within Chinese families and shines a light on the fading sense of individuality in today’s world.
Type: Mime, Mask Theatre
Executive Producer: KWONG Wai-lap, SZETO Roy
Good! Girl!
AWPlanet / Marco x Beijing
Qianhai Ma Wan: Ma Wan Dream City Exhibition Hall
The yearning for desire twists this mutated world, turning love and lust into excuses for seizing everything. When will we have the chance to redefine BEAUTY on our own terms? Lin Daiyu, birthed from Dream of the Red Chamber, and the Virgin Mary, brought to life through religious paintings, carry the weight of objectifying labels, aestheticising our rights of love and desire, which seem like natural urges. But what if I want to say NO to all of these?
Type: AI Action Theatre
Executive Producer: KU Ieng Un
Public Assemble
ModularTheatre / London x Guangzhou x Shanghai
Shekou I-Factory: Colonnaded Exhibition Hall
Public spaces intersect and juxtapose, buildings rise and expand, leaving gaps filled with traversing streets. Pedestrian paths lead in all directions, uncertain if you’ll encounter a self-tuning traffic light or a handrail waiting to be touched. These objects, never silent, respond to everything passing by.
—Festival begins,
Once more construction, 'clang,' 'bang,' 'clang-bang,' sounds echoing as it climbs. People delight, imagining they hear the city's own drumbeat. But this word is too human, city is merely shaping its structure in motion, leaving traces behind. As for how this will be interpreted, the city lets everything flow through itself.
'Public Assembly' will launch an unceasing light and sound interactive performance at the site of the former Glass Factory. Over five days, actors, pedestrians, spaces, and objects might all become performers. Together, we enter the flowing city, freely exploring or encountering performances as they unfold—city and us shaping each other.
Thus, in the upward stacking and the disordered crossings, people flow through the city.
Type:Interactive Theatre and Exhibition
Executive Producer: SZETO Roy, WANG Hao
Ticket, Please
WU Jian / Shenzhen
Intercity Bus
The bus, though seemingly in constant motion, is a vibrant microcosm uniting passengers, drivers, ticket sellers, city planners, station staff, and more. Within this small intersection, people converge, then each bound for their unique destinations.
Ticket, Please harnesses the power of documentary theatre to delve into the impact of urban development on every individual, using the bus as a captivating focal point. Audiences will gain a fresh perspective on the life, history, and diverse inhabitants of Shekou, and they are also invited to reexamine their own everyday routines.
Type: Site-specific Theatre / Documentary Theatre
Executive Producer: Crystal D.
The Last Toe 3.0
The Physical Guerrillas / Jinan
Shekou Old Street: Time Lawn Park of Shekou
The last toe, located at the very edge of the human foot, symbolises the outermost part of the body. Its relationship with walking and shoes are often used to refer to the relationships between individuals and their family, workplace, and the world. When closely associated with the imagery of walking and exploration, the last toe aligns perfectly with the symbolic and narrative significance of Shekou! As one of the first special economic zones, Shekou plays a role in the country's development much like the last toe in our bodies; its geographical shape even echoes this concept. The production team integrate these intriguing ideas with the local community and the Lawn Park to create a site-specific performance piece.
Type: Site-specific Body Performance
Executive Producer: KWONG Wai-lap
02 “Enhanced Versions” of Previous Incubated Works of Shekou Theatre Festival
Project Name
Creator
Performance Venue
Dream Cycle
Shengbai Theatre Boratorium x Katharisi Create / Guangzhou x Taipei
Nanhai E-Cool: RUBY Columbus Hotel
Everyone has a soft spot that makes them human. But what happens when someone carries too many vulnerabilities? Once these soft spots, once a sign of weakness, become commonplace, they are easily forgotten. Encased in a suit of armor called "Numbness," a person appears invincible but loses their humanity in the process—this is what Dream Cycle about. The Dream Eater in the house lose the ability to dream and the very vulnerabilities that made them human. Alcohol becomes their weapon, aiding them in stealing the dreams of others. When the Dream Hotel turns into a prison, trapping these fragile yet vibrant dreams, it traps the Dream Eater too. Today, as an invited guest at the Dream Hotel, after witnessing the Dream Eater's treasured dreams, will you trade your vulnerabilities and weaknesses? Will you stay at the Dream Hotel, accompany the Dream Eater, and become one yourself?
Type: Immersive Theatre
Executive Producer: KU Ieng Un
Tales of Consumed Dreams
LIU He / Shenzhen
Sea World: Public Square
As a sequel to Tail of the Snake, Tales of Consumed Dreams delves deeper into the social issues of the city, turning the urban environment itself into a dynamic stage that breathes with local authenticity. This enhanced production introduces event-driven storytelling, inviting participants to go through various narratives. Through an interactive, game-like journey of scene decryption, each participant will be swept along the unfolding plot, crafting a unique Shenzhen story along the way.
Type: Participatory Theatre, Urban Theatre, Real Life Adoption
Executive Producer: KWONG Wai-lap, SONG Ke
03 Developed Works Based on the Original Playscripts Incubated at Shekou Theatre Festival
Project Name
Creator
Performance Venue
Everywhere
Plain Studio / Singapore x China
I-Factory: THE SILØS
Everywhere is a homage to the city and to youth, a dialogue that transcends time and space with poet Xu Lizhi. Emerging from the New Writing section of the 2023 Shekou Theatre Festival, this script takes shape in 2024 under the direction of Huang Suhuai. He joins forces with Chen Yanjun, Jin Mengjiao, Li Yuqian, and Zhu Yanmin—a creative team of cross-media artists—to stage a contemporary performance in the vast silo of the I-Factory, an industrial relic. Blending text, body, scent, sound, and visuals, they aim to craft an immersive experience that seamlessly intertwines theatre, exhibition, and expanded cinema.
Playwright: HUANG Suhuai
Type: Multi-media Contemporary Theatre
Executive Producer: SZETO Roy, WANG Hao
About the Incubation Projects
Unlike many other arts festivals that primarily feature invited performances, the Shekou Theatre Festival is centered around original creation. The decision to take such a challenging path was made in response to the disruption of international arts and culture exchanges by the pandemic in 2022. During the planning meetings, Crystal, one member of the jury, proposed, "When the borders reopen, what can we offer to the world?" To answer this question, the Shekou Theatre Festival boldly shifted its focus to young creators, initiating the Incubation Projects, assembling a jury, establishing selection criteria, and providing resources and platforms.
Starting from the submission of project proposals by creators, the works undergo a process of selection, nurturing, mentoring, and companionship, resulting in unique and distinctive creations. These works are presented to the public during the Shekou Theatre Festival, where they are further refined through interactions with the audience, evolving into more complete productions. Each year, the festival also invites scholars, experts, media commentators, and program curators from both domestic and international spheres to participate, providing a platform for young creators to be visible and connected with the world.
But the Incubation Projects don't end there. We aspire for the works cultivated at the Shekou Theatre Festival to transcend even further. Beginning in 2024, the festival will invite previously incubated works to return with an "enhanced version" as part of the "Homecoming" programme. With continued nurturing, we anticipate these incubated productions will evolve into a formidable artistic force.
Starting from the submission of project proposals by creators, the works undergo a process of selection, nurturing, mentoring, and companionship, resulting in unique and distinctive creations. These works are presented to the public during the Shekou Theatre Festival, where they are further refined through interactions with the audience, evolving into more complete productions. Each year, the festival also invites scholars, experts, media commentators, and program curators from both domestic and international spheres to participate, providing a platform for young creators to be visible and connected with the world.
But the Incubation Projects don't end there. We aspire for the works cultivated at the Shekou Theatre Festival to transcend even further. Beginning in 2024, the festival will invite previously incubated works to return with an "enhanced version" as part of the "Homecoming" programme. With continued nurturing, we anticipate these incubated productions will evolve into a formidable artistic force.
Projects Offered
Incubation Camps and
Writing Workshops
The Incubation Camps and Writing Workshops aim to immerse creators back into life, focusing on life itself and establishing genuine connections with others.
Selected creators from the first round of auditions will be invited to join the Incubation Camp and Writing Workshops in Shekou. Why go to such lengths to bring young creators to Shekou? Our hope is that once they arrive in the space, they can let the space speak to them, transforming their ideas into a more comprehensive and locally integrated presentation.
In the Incubation Camp and Writing Workshops, in addition to on-site inspections, exchanges with creators from various places, lectures, and sharing of experiences in the space, there are heavyweight sessions: one-on-one sessions with judges/mentors. New space judges will carefully listen to your creative proposals, pinpointing issues and presenting various challenges; while one-on-one sessions with new writing mentors involve a process of teamwork, where only mutual commitment can unleash each other's potential, creating surprising works.
Selected creators from the first round of auditions will be invited to join the Incubation Camp and Writing Workshops in Shekou. Why go to such lengths to bring young creators to Shekou? Our hope is that once they arrive in the space, they can let the space speak to them, transforming their ideas into a more comprehensive and locally integrated presentation.
In the Incubation Camp and Writing Workshops, in addition to on-site inspections, exchanges with creators from various places, lectures, and sharing of experiences in the space, there are heavyweight sessions: one-on-one sessions with judges/mentors. New space judges will carefully listen to your creative proposals, pinpointing issues and presenting various challenges; while one-on-one sessions with new writing mentors involve a process of teamwork, where only mutual commitment can unleash each other's potential, creating surprising works.
Creators Feedback
Incubated Projects
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