A new play for audiences of one
Everyone at the reunion of primary school classmates was wondering where Martin disappeared to so many years ago.
And, as one attendee opens an old box of cookies, the container becomes a memory box of their own, full of childhood memories.
This is a scene from the experimental drama Being and Time 2.0 that premiered at the Guangzhou Opera House in Guangdong province’s capital city.
The performance was one of 60 selected plays, dance dramas and operas performed during the recently ended Guangzhou Art Season.
The work is inspired by German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s masterpiece, Being and Time, in which he attempts to explain the basic questions of “the meaning of being”.
As the sole member of the audience, viewers of the immersive play are not part of the cast, but are required to interact with the leading performers onstage.
Old items that remind the audience members of their childhoods, such as stuffed toys, candies, a cassette recorder and a violin, are set on all 300 seats of the theater.
The stage set is a cozy and small bar. Participant and performer sit beside a round table, chatting like old friends while drinking wine. They begin to exchange secrets and pour out the ups and downs of life as they become familiar with each other.
The drama is unrestricted by a script because most conversations are improvised. It’s more like an in-depth dialogue between the participant and the performer, offering a platform for the former to recount their story onstage.
Actor Li Jialong and actress Wang Xiaohuan took turns playing the leading role, and audiences could choose between them when buying their tickets.
Tickets for all 40 performances, that ran between Oct 1 and 10, priced at 680 yuan ($105) each, sold out online within 10 minutes.
About half of the audience members were born after 1995 or even after 2000, and 30 percent were born between 1980 and ’95.
They interacted with the leading performer freely, and the length of each performance ranged from 70 to 140 minutes, depending on their actual conversations.
“It’s a breakthrough of theater — the whole cast serves only one audience member,” says avant-garde theater director Wang Chong, founder of the Beijing-based Theatre du Reve Experimental.
He has directed two experimental plays that limit the number of audience members to four and 11, respectively.
“It’s like an artistic church where you can heal your soul and relieve pressure,” he says.
“Being here will arouse precious memories hidden behind the mundane routine of busy life and urge participants to think about how they became themselves now and what they’ll be like in the future.”
He has watched similar plays involving one performer and one audience member abroad, but they only last for about 20 minutes.
There are also seven supporting roles, including his. They go onstage to play popular childhood games with the participants, such as jumping rope.
While Heidegger’s philosophical book is difficult to read, the drama seeks to guide its audience to ponder such issues as “the existence of self ” through recalling childhood memories.
Wang Chong says less than a fourth of the content is about the story of “finding Martin”. The rest is about the memories of the participants and the performers that surface during their private conversations.
“The core is not about plot but sincere communication between the participants and performers in a private space. For most of the time, only the two of them are onstage. It’s a theatrical performance that allows you to reflect on your own life experience,” he says.
When participants are asked what they’d say to their 12-yearold selves, some simply reply, “Having fun is more important than studying.”
They also need to think about what they want to say to their future selves, 20 years later.
It’s like an artistic church where you can heal your soul and relieve pressure.”
Wang Chong, founder of the Beijing-based Theatre du Reve Experimental
Audience members have different careers.
One is a fresh university graduate at a crossroads in life as a newbie at her workplace. Another is a scalper — he says he loves watching dramas and explains that reselling tickets is not his primary goal.
Some have shed tears onstage. Two have even written letters to the theater group to share their feelings and offer suggestions about the drama.
Actor Li Jialong would first introduce himself to the participant onstage and engage in idle chitchat. To his surprise, many people are very willing to share their life stories.
“Martin’s story is like a trigger, allowing them to recall their own memories. Some conversations are secrets just between us. In life, it’s not easy to start such an in-depth talk with a friend unless you’ve had a close association for at least half a year,” Li says.
“While performing, it’s like I’m wearing the mask of the character and my real self is behind that. When there’s only one audience member and we have to have eye contact, it’s difficult to hide myself. That’s the challenging part for me.”
He has enjoyed himself to the fullest onstage and realizes that every individual is unique, with wonderful stories of joy and sorrow, irrespective of age, gender or profession, he says.