Is the performance of the “Wuyan Tiandi Theatre Company” “there is something to say”?

Deaf in Hong Kong The formed “Theatre of the Silence” is amateur in nature. Since its establishment in 2000, it has traveled to Europe and the United States for exchanges and performances. In 2005, it was selected by the US “Time Magazine” as “the best in Asia with a unique style”. “Theatrical troupe” shows that its performance has been affirmed. The active organizers when the troupe was founded in the early days, and even the deaf people who are still participating in performances are all the old students I have known and taught when I worked at the school for the deaf. Last week, I had the opportunity to go to the Cultural Activities Hall of Sha Tin Town Hall to enjoy the performance of the troupe after a few years of silence. This short article can be regarded as an afterthought.

Of course mime is not listening The unique performing arts for the handicapped, the hearing-sounding British bargain. Charlie Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin) and French Marseilles. Marcel Marceau is one of the famous mime artists. However, from the perspective of deaf culture, deaf people break through the limitations of oral expression with their body dynamics on the performance stage. Their innate instinct to be good at sign language and visual language is sufficient to develop the aesthetics of alternative art forms and create a piece of art. “Silent” performance world. In addition, in a performance world with no language or even sound, in addition to the visual form that highlights the artistry of skills, the author believes that it is more important to convey important messages through the performance. There should be “words in silence”. !

Generally speaking, performance Performing Arts can judge performance effects from three aspects: technical form, script content, and stage technology. The form of technique is the special artistry of the performance; the content of the script is the story of the performance text; the stage technology includes the setting, costumes, sound and light effects, etc. Traditional opera focuses on singing skills and music. The script is relatively unimportant. A hundred times a thousand times are “Othello”, “Carmen” and “Madame Butterfly”; traditional ballet takes dance skills as the key, and the script is relatively secondary. They are all performing “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Puppet Prince”. This is an example of the “form” of the performing arts overshadowing the “content” of the repertoire. However, the difference. Chaplin’s mime performances have a unique style, with equal emphasis on the “form” of technique and “content” of the message. “The Tramp”, “Gold Rush”, “Modern Times” and “The Great Dictator” are all eye-catching. And moving works not only win with the visual effects of their body and movement, but also convey messages that are contemporary, ideological and critical, which are worthy of deep aftertaste and serious consideration.

“The Silent World Theater” The “Hong Kong Kung Fu” repertoire performed this time uses the violent and drunk charterer in the martial arts hall throughout the play. There are three mischievous brothers who perform the roles of Ip Man, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, trying to create Playful atmosphere and farce effect. However, to be fair, the technical performances of several Kung Fu characters are superficial and lack depth. The comic effect produced by the repeated movements, rigid positions and exaggerated sparring is too artificial, and there is no tension in the nonsense scenes. , The arrangement of the four breakouts appeared to be fragmented and scattered, and could not be done in one go. The author criticizes with a more harsh attitude: the overall performance of the troupe is still stagnant at the amateur level. For many years, the performance has been stagnant, the skills are immature, and the content of the rough script is weak and superficial. Therefore, strictly speaking, the “form” and “content” of this performance are two. All aspects are not pleased, it is not up to the level expected in the past, and it is hard to say that the professional level standards, there is still a lot of room for improvement and progress.

Or for an amateur For the deaf mime troupe, given the lack of resources and insufficient support, the performance that was not satisfactory this time should be excusable and should not be criticized. However, the author really has high expectations for the deaf mime troupe, so the requirements are a bit strict, and love is deeply responsible. The author does not say anything ambiguously, suggesting that the friends of the “Wu Wen Tian Di Theatre Company” re-examine its development direction: If you decide to focus on the “form” of technical performance, you must study the body language expression to enhance the observability and professionalism of the technical level. And artistry; if you think it is necessary to take into account the coordination of “form” and “content”, so as to enhance the effect of theatrical message, achieve “silent” over “voiced”, and give full play to the “talkless performance” environment. Jun opera force, then, deaf friends must work harder in technical performance art and script creation in an all-round way!

From the deep meaning and long-term In terms of development, the author believes that the world of the deaf in Hong Kong is a wasteland left behind by the mainstream hearing society. The language barrier of the deaf, the barriers to life experience, and the lack of professional cognition have failed to allow the deaf to have a distinctive culture. The negative factors that have taken root in Hong Kong’s soil and thrive, I believe that the problems that are difficult to deal with and solve in the short term are indeed unfortunate and regrettable. In any case, the author must pay respect and blessings to the deaf friends of the “Silent World Theater” who have been working silently for many years!