Theatre Poster
Written by Tang Dainian, directed by Nie Jingzhu, with Yuan Yuan as the project director, the flash play SEVEN/SEVEN starring Wu Zhoukai, Leng Xinqing, Guo Shenyu and Wang Lang, and with the theatre theme song sung by Wei Xueman, is being staged in September 2024 at the New Interpretation Museum. Seven/SEVEN is like a hearty flash mob game that creates an instantaneous vision of the earth.
The play is adapted from the film ‘In Search of Her with Fangs and Moustache’ directed by Chintse Nobu. It tells the story of the protagonist's seven dreams with only seven days left to live, from a panicked collision with the outside world for solutions to a gradual focus on the inside and reconciliation.
Stills from the film
Seven represents seven dreams, and can also be a metaphor for the eternal movement of matter in the long river of history, the continuity and sequence of change. The venue chosen for this theatre is quite meaningful. It is performed in Song Dong's work ‘One Moment’, which is like a huge dream boat with traces of old things used by people, carrying all the dreams of the old days.
Project director Yuan Yuan says the theatre retains the absurdity and magic of the film, adding vibrant life to the slowly flowing philosophical ideas. ‘Just like the mirror reflection in the artist's work, everyone can see a different version of themselves, and is able to peek into different angles of life.’
Live theatre photos
Playwright Tang Dainian said that the artist's installation is like an invisible maternal womb that nurtures a constant flow of life force. If everyone can find such a force or establish a connection with it, a sense of being alive can be reawakened. ‘The hero's line goes like this ‘I feel this power calling out to me’, and in fact, everyone has this kind of vitality within them, a capacity to suffer, to love, to hate. Putting aside the differences in perceptions, to feel that power of mingling, communicating, and growing between people.’
SEVEN/SEVEN subtly presents the inner world of the male protagonist allegorically through the unique presentation of theatre. The female protagonist is both a soul guide and a confidant of the male lead, and the transformation of her dual identity allows for a natural interweaving of dream and reality.
The surreal mirror effect allows the actors to travel between reality and illusion. The sense of interaction and participation is superb, allowing the audience to become part of the art and experience the charm of the fusion of theatre and art.
Director Nie Jingzhu
Interview with Director Nie Jingzhu
Q: What is the difference between performing theatre in an artist's work and on stage?
Nie Jingzhu:The viewing habits of museum audiences are very different from those of theatre audiences. We will try to keep the length of the theatre work within 60 minutes, so as to increase the visual and auditory experience of the audience, and try to achieve a balance between the space of the artwork, the audience experience and the storytelling.
Live Stills
Q: What influence does the artwork bring to your theatre?
Nie Jingzhu:Towards the end of the play, the male lead actor had an improvised line that mentioned Nietzsche, which gave me an angle to answer this question. Nietzsche suggested in The Birth of Tragedy that ancient Greek theatre was born out of the spiritual confrontation and reconciliation between Apollo, the god of the sun, and Dionysus, the god of wine. The plastic arts represented by painting, sculpture, and installation embodied the harmony and order of the spirit of the god of the sun; the art forms of performance, music, and dance embodied the pain and ecstasy of the spirit of the god of wine. Nietzsche believed that together they shaped the cultural and artistic characteristics of ancient Greece, and even the wider field. Thank you, Mr Song Dong, for constructing such a wonderful field for all kinds of art to stir.
Photos from the play
Q: If the previous play ‘Shakespeare's Women’ focused on women's growth, then ‘Seven/SEVEN’ is about the relationship between people?
Nie Jingzhu:Most people in this era will always care about how others perceive them, how we get along with others ...... people are always looking outwards tirelessly. SEVEN talks more about how to get along with oneself and how to get along with one's own heart. Maybe try lying in bed every day before you go to sleep, close your eyes and get along with yourself ‘Not with your eyes, with your heart, to see. Look, just look ......’
