Interview by Ginnie Liang
New local original drama “Get Lost, I’m Done”, presented by the Macau Experimental Theatre, will be shown in the Macau Cultural Centre Small Auditorium from Thursday to Saturday, and the drama’s actor and producer Tam Chi Chun in the theatre’s studio on Friday talked to The Macau Post Daily about this upcoming performance that will bring together drama, music, and visual art.
The drama will star Wong Pak Hou, who had the leading role in the local film “Kissing The Ground You Walked On” in 2019, Helen Ko Hoi-Lam and Eliz Lao I Lum – the latter starred in the local film “Ina” in 2019.
Written 10 years ago by local playwright Wong Teng Chi, who was studying in Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan at that time, the play is about a complicated relationship between a teacher and a student, but the teacher has a very unique value system towards romantic relationships, which is very much at odds with the traditional morals of Chinese society.
“The story revolves around how the teacher looks at himself and how he treats others in the face of emotional taboos, exploring minorities’ issues of gender concepts and pluralistic family formation.” Tam said, noting that he plays a “transgender person” in the drama, and that he was chosen by the director to play the role of the teacher’s same-sex partner in his early years.
Tam has been the artistic director of the Macau Experimental Theatre since 2015, where he has been exploring the aesthetics of the stage in Hong Kong and Macau through the use of new European texts and Chinese musical theatre creations.
Tam has performed in a number of theatres in North America and mainland China, and he has performed his works in theatres and festivals in North America, mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Drama, montage
“The scenery was designed by Director Cheong Kin I and Audiovisual Art Designer Wan Si Lok, who will use videos and images to serve the performance in a unique and aesthetic way, adding elements of cinema to the stage,” Tam said. He allowed The Macau Post Daily to watch the troupe’s rehearsal at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) om Friday.
Staying for a while observing the surroundings and how the actors were preparing, this reporter saw a photographer taking pictures on the spot while the actors were performing, focusing on actors and actresses’ subtle movements, facial expressions, and glances in sync. Meanwhile, the photographs were instantly transmitted to the large-scale display on the stage, “This is to form a subtle and organic relationship with the characters”, Tam noted.
This reporter also noticed a drum set that had been set up, and Tam further explained that the live music and images will serve as an extension of the scene, adding that not only do they add to the impact of the scene, but also aim to enhance the imagery of it, “We want each audience member to see something different from the angles where they are sitting,” Tam said.
“I hope our theatre will be even more expressive than the film, as the combined images and live pictures are captured to create a film-like montage of the viewing experience.” Tam underlined.
New way of storytelling
One of Tam’s renowned works is the musical “Mr. Shi and His Lover”, an innovative musical theatre positioned between musical theatre and opera. Directed by Tam, the play was adapted from the opera “Madame Butterfly” by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini.
The work straddles the worlds of opera and musicals with a score that evokes the music of East and West, contemporary and classical, Peking opera to vintage pop, pondering the complexities of love and intimacy, gender and sexual politics, individual identity and nationhood.
The drama was voted by The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, as one of the 10 best theatre productions of 2017, making it the first time that a musical produced by a Macau-based theatre group has made its debut overseas.
As the Artistic Director of Macau Experimental Theatre, Tam has set their goal to break away from the old ways of storytelling, “This is our most important value,” Tam said, hoping that his theatre troupe could take this drama to Taiwan and Hong Kong for a tour, “Or even further, as the issues discussed in the play is rather concerning minorities,” Tam added.
Tam said his theatre company hopes to bring out works that resonate with the audience, “For those who see the drama will find it ‘worth the price’.” Tam said his ambition was to make those who have not been to see local dramas gradually feel that local theatre is “becoming more abundant”, so that more local people would develop a hobby of watching plays.
The 100-minute drama will be performed in the Cantonese language. Ticket prices will be 270 and 330 patacas, depending on the seats, and it will be shown from 19:45 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They can be bought from the ticketing website at https://www.macauticket.com/TicketWeb2023/en/programme/P-003786.
All photos provided by the Macau Experimental Theatre.
