Chinese Drama 倾情奉献——Amber, 琥珀

written by Yuan Xuting

edited by Mao Yinan

    到底是什么在影响我们的爱憎？挑起我们的欲望？左右我们的视线？引发我们的爱情？

这是今年King Edward VII Hall, Chinese Drama Group倾情奉献的剧目《琥珀》所希望揭示的——爱情尽管悲伤，依然是我们所知道的最美好的事。

一个是玩世不恭的唐璜氏人物，一个是看似普通的自然博物馆解说员。两条应该不会有交集的平行线，却又偏偏的交汇，而后，故事就此展开，从此纠葛不清。有些愤世嫉俗，有些自以为是的高辕原以为自己可以诱惑那个看上去单纯有些小羞涩的小优，却在不自知时被其吸引。

深情对视的高辕和小优。

什么是爱情？我们自以为喜欢的，却无聊乏味？我们自以为厌恶的，却深具魅力？

《琥珀》，在短短的几个小时之内，给观众展现了一个小型的社会百态。夸张，却又那么真实的扣人心弦，引人发省。无疑，《琥珀》是成功的，从ucc hall的座无虚席，观众拍案叫绝就可见一斑。演员们出色到位夸张又大胆的表演，让观众们大呼“重口味。

“重口味”的场景之一

而犀利一针见血的台词，又让他们大呼过瘾。把人心的丑恶，人性中的贪婪以夸张的手法放大，以反讽的方式表达，当代社会的虚假，恶心，世风日下，表露无遗。社会上各个阶层各种身份的人物，有着一张张虚假虚荣的面具，而面具之后是他们不为人知的欲望。《琥珀》把这一张张面具撕开，把一切的交易，目的，欲望，摊开在大家的面前。这些有些过激的台词，有些超出了大家一般的认知。抑或是，违背的一贯的信仰。让阳光刺破面具，让所谓的楚楚衣冠不复存在，让以往所相信的“真理”被打破，《琥珀》所希望的，是在一个个笑料之后，在观众笑过赞叹过之后，能够有所思考。

一直以来，Chinese drama group所带给我们的表演都是深刻的，引人思考的。当然，随之而来的，是有些难懂的剧情，有些难以理解的情节。这也让观众们在欣赏之后，仍然讨论不止争论不休。

《琥珀》的表演落幕，而其余韵仍在。在大家念念不忘《琥珀》的精彩时，也不妨静心期待着明年Chinese drama group会给我们带来什么惊喜吧。

中文戏剧迎新会

Written by: Guo Zihe

Edited by: Mao Yinan

一年一度的KE中文戏剧招新又开始了，经过三天紧张的面试，Chinese Drama的steering comm从百余名面试者中选拔出了70位新成员。借着刚刚面试过后的热情与对未来活动的期待，中文戏剧的迎新活动于2011年9月17日下午在Com Hall隆重举办。

Chinese Drama 招新海报

迎新会一开始就十分热闹，中文戏剧的工作人员将所有到场的新生随即分成几组，在每组OGL的带领下，每一组展开了自己组的ice breaker小游戏。这些游戏虽然简单，但在场所有的新老成员都玩儿的乐在其中，就这样迎新会在轻松愉快的气氛中开始了。

Ice Breaker小游戏欢乐多

很快，迎新活动的气氛持续升温，进入了第二阶段——station game。

在这个环节中，中文戏剧的每个部门，都会用自己部门独特的方式为各组组织有趣的益智游戏。例如，音效组通过调换不同的背景音乐音效，让每个组随机编出一个故事；市场部与宣传组让各个组选择特殊的主题亲身拍摄海报图纸，从而争取把自己的海报推销出去；美工组让大家根据不同的卡通电影，借助现有的材料把某个组员打扮成原版的卡通人物；道具组更加直入主题，让新生们动手实践，用一些对大家很陌生的机器和工具把本是毫无生气的木板做成精美实用的道具……

某组在市场宣传组用6个男生拍摄的以《少女时代》为主题的海报。

这些看似简单的游戏不仅可以让组员们发挥自己的才能，体验团队工作的乐趣，更是让新生们加深对每个部门工作的了解与体验，从而为以后的工作分配打下基础。

开心愉快的Station game之后就到了迎新会最激动人心的环节——Talent Show。在这个环节中，每个组要在有限的时间内排练出一部精彩的十分钟短剧。导演的唯一要求是：结局既要在意料之外，也在情理之中。

一个小时的时间，剧本，台词，道具，舞台效果……一切的准备工作都要在一个小时之内安排得井井有条。很快，新生们便开始把刚才station game获得的经验和技能运用到接下来的表演当中。道具的彩绘，服装的搭配，灯光的调控，声音的配合……三场几乎即兴的演出就这样，即将呈现在我们面前。

在满怀期待的企盼中，精彩的final performance开始了。三组的风格迥然不同但却都那么扣人心弦。

第一组：一个女孩儿不顾父亲的阻挠自己的男朋友结婚，然而一场激烈的争吵之后却揭开了一个惊天秘密：五年前，女孩儿因为车祸失了忆，前男友的悉心呵护让她把男友误认成了爸爸，现在她所谓的“爸爸”为了她的幸福放手把她交给了另一个男人。

第一组“父女”深情表演

第二组：故事发生在一个名为“按摩店”实为“淫秽场所”的店铺，警察们搜查多次却苦于没有证据查封此地。男警“大谯”挑唆一直不被领导看好的女警“小程”去按摩店做卧底，从而为警局立功。不曾想到，“小程”就这样沦陷在了那个非法按摩店里。其实，这一切阴谋的幕后主使就是那个男警——大谯。

第二组“风月场所”搞笑表演

第三组：爱慕虚荣的女孩儿婷婷一直追求昂贵的名牌商品。然而并不富裕的家庭和窝囊的男友都无法满足她。一个偶然的机会她来到了一家名为“梦想成真”商店，在这里，每个人都用自己身体的器官换来自己的想要的商品。女孩儿被眼前的场景吓得落荒而逃，然而噩梦没有褪去，她的脸上留下了永久的印记。

第三组“恐怖场景”惊悚表演

演出过后，学长学姐们掌声不断。他们由衷地赞叹新生们精彩的演出。导演郭丛对大家卖力的演出给予了很高的评价，她说：“看了大家在如此有限时间内准备的这么精彩的演出，我们更应该有信心让我们今年的final production更上一层楼！”

导演郭丛总结性发言，表扬新生们的精彩演出

在丛导振奋人心的讲话后，几个小时的中文戏剧迎新会圆满地结束了。这次迎新会不仅拉近了新老成员们彼此之间的关系，也为之后的工作打下了坚实的基础。许多新成员都在走出会场的时候说，加入CD这个组织让他们感到很开心很有意义，迎新会让他们充满了动力来做好以后的工作。

KE中文戏剧新十年作品《如影随行》的台前幕后

Written by Hui Ze

Edited by Png Ning

如影随行

《如影随行》是KE中文戏剧成立第十一年的作品，也是新的十年第一部作品。

从前年的《过客》，去年的《我和我和他和他》，到今年的《如影随行》，KE中文戏剧每一年都带给观众不一样的体会和感触。笔者有幸与几位主创人员聊聊今年中文戏剧创作的台前幕后。

Chinese Drama 2011 – Like Shadows

Written by: Stephanie Yeo

Edited by: Jocelyn Yeo

Reality vs fantasy; dreams vs awareness; life vs death. Is there such thing as an “in between” state? These were the issues explored in this year’s eagerly anticipated KE7 Chinese Drama production, Like Shadows <如影随行> , held at the University Cultural Centre (UCC) theatre on the 15th and 16th of February.

On both nights, the tickets were quicky snapped up within 20 minutes of the ticket counter’s opening at 7pm, much to the dismay of some who came to get tickets slightly later. There were also snaking queues which had formed outside the theatre doors, with people wanting to get the best view of the stage.

And what a worthwhile wait that was! Upon entering the theatre, we were greeted with a visual spectacle. A catwalk extended from the stage, reaching all the way to the centre of the stall seats. A lone red-haired figure sat at the end of it, cross-legged and unmoving, garnering many stares from the audience. My gaze then shifted along the catwalk to the stage, where translucent white drapes hung from ceiling to floor. Behind them, there were figures wandering back and forth accompanied by a haunting jazz piece, casting silhouettes of various sizes onto the drapes, as if they were souls walking behind a veil in another dimension. This transformation of the theatre thus set the atmosphere for what was to come later.

YEA! (Wen Qi) sitting still in the middle of the theatre before the start of the show, piquing the curiosity of the audience

Chinese Drama – 如影随行

Written by: Mao Yinan

The Cast & Crew of Like Shadows with Hall Master

 

接近“如影随行”即将上演的日期时，每一个Chinese Drama成员都在紧张地进行宣传。管理灯光的赵鹏发来的一条短信让我印象十分深刻：我看了排练将近十遍，仍然能被打动。宣传工作做得很成功，七点刚到，发票点就立刻排起了长龙。甚至翘课去看表演的也不在少数。虽然Hallplay, XinQingRongJi我都看过，对KEVII自主自导自演的大型活动有了心理准备，每一次还是会为我们辛勤劳动的成果感到惊讶。

KEVII Chinese Drama Production: Me2 vs He2 《我和我和他和他》

 From an audience’s perspective

Writer: Wang Liansheng

If there were two words to describe the production, it would be “conceptually astounding”.  The production far surpassed what is deemed average in a student (and even hall) production. With just a small cast of 9 and an extremely efficient technical team, they brought wonders and created layers in their acting, lighting, sounds and sets. Though at times, I felt the play was a little too long, generally I was kept entertained with both the witty lines and passionate acting from the acting ensemble.

I had been eagerly anticipating KEVII’s Chinese Drama’s production because of the scripts they have chosen over the past decade. Ranging from works by late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun (《老九》, performed in 2001) to works by acclaimed Taiwanese playwright Stan Lai (《暗戀桃花源》, performed in 2003, and this year’s 《我和我和他和他》)   – these are scripts that many have performed, and it would be interesting to see a student’s interpretation of them, though their show is by no means, a student’s work.

All right, let’s rewind back to 7.30pm. I had just arrived at the University Cultural Centre, but there was already a small crowd of people, eagerly anticipating the show. Xu Nan (the producer) was at the Front-of-House, warmly receiving guests to  《我和我和他和他》, proudly sponsored by ExxonMobil. (On a side-note, can I just mention how gorgeous the key image of the programme booklet and bookmark were? Kudos to the publicity team led by Li Xun)

At around 8pm, the house lights dimmed to a packed house, and the show began. And we beheld the first sight of conceptual awe. The stage had just a double-decker bed on one side, and a two-seater with a small coffee-table on the other side. Plain it may seemed, but it was the brilliant concept of using the stage maskings at the back to signify a passageway by parting them slightly that captivated the audience. And this concept lasted throughout the show, efficiently used for many scenes.

Thus, the story began. In a summary, the story tells of how two characters, Shen Mo and Jian Ru Jing (played by Ying Long and Xinying) had a visit by their past of a decade ago. Two ghostly figures came back (their doppelgangers played by Zi Chen and Li Wen) to remind them of their past, the love they had, and the change they are now compared to their younger days. Shen Mo, a CEO of a company from mainland China, was meeting Jian Ru Jing, the director of a Taiwanese company, in Hong Kong for talks of merger. Unknown to the both of them, they had shared a passionate love story between the two of them a decade ago.   Slowly, through the scenes and hints dropped by the two doppelgangers, the story of their past unravels, just as the negotiations between them broke down. They revisited memories of their past once again, but it was not enough for them to salvage the failed love, and the talks of their merger came to a naught as their subordinates had unscrupulously taken over their posts.

Act 1 was like a roller-coaster ride of emotions, from the introductory scene of the characters to the culmination of dramatic tension when scene of the revelation of the relationship between the protagonists came forth.

Throughout Act 1, there were several notable outstanding moments – The sound cues were impeccable. Imagine coordinating visual cues of knocking the doors, and opening it, then closing it for every such action throughout the entire show – the sound team led by Hong Fei must have had countless of practices to coordinate every such cues. I have to say, for the lights, I had this moment of goosebumps nearing the intermission when two blue precise spots came out and the doppelgangers were looking in anguish – It was just, beautiful.  

Of course, enough said about the technical aspects. Who could have watched this production and not notice some of the acting gems from KEVII Chinese Drama? I have to admit, some members of the audience were gushing about the acting by some of the members. In particular, one of our KEVII seniors, Wai Kit, shone and stole the show by crafting a memorable personality for every character he portrayed. Wai Kit played the role of a cocky train attendant, a flight attendant, a very diffident bell boy, Hong Kong-accented absent-minded waiter, a struggling violinist busker and a emotional drunkard. Though his characters each appeared in fleeting moments, they were enough to consolidate his skills as an impressive actor. Imagine having to change your accent, your gestures, and your posture with respect to each characters and nailing them in different scenes, all 6 of them throughout scenes of around 20 minutes each – That’s one big feat to accomplish. Kudos to the effort! And if I may add on, his accent for each character was so funny, especially how he tried to be a Mainland Chinese, a Malaysian for one character, then Hong Kong for another, and finally settling to one of silence – The drunkard and the street violinist. He was definitely another one who exemplified the conceptual brilliance of the show.

The protagonists each claimed their stake on stage as well – With the two doppelgangers portraying the young lovebirds with much innocence, they drew you into their story, making you feel their ups-and-downs, highs and lows. At times, I feel it was overly-dramatic, but I guess, considering the script, it would be something tolerable.  As for the protagonist, Ying Long was believable as a conniving CEO, yet during the times of revelations, he showed nuances of weaknesses which made his character endearingly humane. Xingying, on the other hand, coupled with that by displaying tenderness underneath that strong veneer. She had glimmers when she shone through as an actress, especially towards the end of Act 1. Though she had shaky moments trying to establish her fort as a demanding company director, she didn’t let it disappoint the crowd, but instead gain her footing as the show went on.

The two subordinates (played by Xiao Xi and Hao Yang) were equally surprisingly when they took over the two companies respectively at the end of the play.  Xiao Xi was flirty, and displayed her affections for her director, explicitly making every moves flamboyant and coy. Hao Yang, on the other hand, pretended to be a newbie on the ground, humbly accepting every order of Jian Ru Jing in a rather hilarious way, but took over her role at the end. He contributed to some of the laughs that night with his geeky replies, and somewhat wayward demeanour.

Act 2, after the intermission, followed on to the conceptual brilliance of the first act. In depicting the streets of Hong Kong which the protagonists were roaming to avoid their frustrations, the director chose to use a bright and colourful projection of the streets, projecting it across a translucent white masking, resulting in a multi-layered picture that was aesthetically intriguing. In addition, the simple white lights from the side booms were beautiful in showing this cold and lost inner-soul of the characters as they traipsed down the streets. Those who watched this scene, could not forget the shifting Wong Kar Wai-esque boards with black motifs and wordings that ended up being the backdrop of a bar scene interestingly lit up with a tinge of green and red at the sides.

For me, this Chinese Drama production was slightly long (almost reaching 3 hours) and at times, may have lost some of its dialogue on me (Sometimes, actors were speaking a little too fast), but its aesthetic value was one to be beheld in awe for. The sets were simple, no doubt – mainly structures covered in white, but they were able to create amazing lighting and conceptually redefining direction to more than make up for this. For this, I think the artistic team (especially the director Cao Ying, and her assistants Wang Lu and Su Jie!) had done an awfully good work in creating this piece of work. It was heartening to see Max Yam (an alumnus) helm the role of Artistic Director as well, showing his support and loyalty to our Hall productions.

《我和我和他和他》is definitely an impressive artwork to mark the group’s decade of excellence and a sign for many more to come.

《过客》—-King Edward VII Hall中文戏剧社倾情奉献

(Translated article will be up soon.)

by: 刘晨瑶

烛光摇曳，乐声凄婉。

伴随着那抹白色的身影隐入幕后，《过客》－KE VII中文戏剧年度大戏－在观众的惊叹，意犹未尽中，画上了华丽的句号。

二月十七日晚上八点，这一出耗时一年，倾入中文戏剧全组人员心力的年度大戏呈现给了观众最好的视听盛宴。感人至深的表演，美轮美奂的舞台设计，如梦似幻的灯光效果，摄人心魄的背景音乐，不能不说，今年的年度大戏各个方面都取得了长足的进步。

剧情剖析

《过客》，是赖声川导演早期创作的一部舞台剧，讲述了一个诡异的乡下女孩闯入了一群文艺青年的生活。她的到来引出了激烈的冲突，撕破了表面平静的表象，呼唤出每个人真心的自我。

相别于很多舞台剧分段式，破碎不连贯的场景，《过客》巧妙运用了分段却连贯的情节发展手法。首尾呼应的独白，构成铺陈与结论，结构更显饱满，完整。

第一幕的独白，七个剧中人物勾勒出第八位主角的故事，从各自的角度刻画了一个谜样的林未。七段独白如同告解一般，向观众吐露心中的疑惑及感受。不完整的叙述引出倒叙的剧情，接下来的场景则自然而出，水到渠成而不显突兀。一如第一幕，第13幕的独白中，林未依然是缺席的主角，前后浑然一体，凸现了“谜”一般的形象，平添了几分神秘的色彩。

一桩报上的分尸案暗中推动着情节进入了主旋律。这个由鸿鸿无意提出的片断性话题看似不至于成为剧情的脉搏，然而在无意识下，我們一直被提醒著有关“清水分尸案”的后续报道。不免有点对号入座式的联想，到底这案件和此剧中的人，事物有没有关系？这样，成功的勾起了观众好奇心，观众的心中不免在像看偵探小說般有着深切的好奇，“到底，誰，是兇手？真相，是什么？”

值得一提的另一个吸引眼球的手法是戏中戏。在〈(3) 訪客〉及〈(5)劉董〉這兩段場景中，太劍一人在台上假想著自己是武俠小說中的大俠，自己自說地演出一個段落中的片段。這樣似真似假的「角色扮演」無形中已建構成一個戲中戲的模式。此外，最為明顯的段落莫過於〈(7)雙焦點舞台〉及〈(10)在森林中找尋自我〉。配上绝美的音乐和灯光效果，似假还真，欲说还休的氛围贯穿了整出戏，扣人心弦，欲罢不能。事实上，这就是赖声川所提及的“集体创作”的原貌及整体的运作模式，同时，更为剧场及表演下了很好的注解。

最后的独白无疑是剧情的升华，犹如August Strindberg’s A Dream Play的结局，角色一一舍去自己最重要，最珍贵的东西抑或负担，重新审视自我。呼应开场，仿若回忆着如梦似幻的相遇。然而，梦醒了，却仍百思，不得解。这样的再现不仅承袭了现代剧的表现风格，也加入了后现代的元素，而这也正是当时台湾戏剧流行的表现手法。

分段式连贯的剧情架构以及独白前后呼应，让这出戏有着完整的呈现；戏中戏的手法，加深了情节发展，拓宽人物层次；侦探式的片段，切片剖析创作的面貌让此剧成功吸引了观众的目光。无疑，这是一次成功的尝试。

结束语

让人赞叹的是，中文戏剧社在没有任何专业演出可以参考的情况下，所有场景，灯光，音效全部由学生自己揣摩，反复推敲，讨论。无数次修改方案，多少夜晚挑灯开会，终于，这样一出凝聚了所有成员心血的剧作成功在艺术中心成功上演。

我们相信，一路走来，点点滴滴，都将铭刻在我们的记忆，烙印在观众的心上，成为King Edward VII Hall历史上永远的一笔。