Although Sun Li-Tsuei (孫麗翠) studied under France’s Marcel Marceau during the late 1980s, her pantomime doesn’t resemble her late mentor’s Bip the Clown. Instead, Sun and her Shang Orientheatre (上默劇團) are noted for adapting the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to the stage. Ancient classics from the East and the West also make the sources of inspiration for the mime’s silent art.
INTOXICATED BY PEACE
For its latest production, The Lotus Eater (食蓮者), the pantomime troupe looks into Homer’s The Odyssey to deliver an anti-war message. Based on an episode in the ancient Greek epic poem, the story follows Odysseus and his men on their sea voyage home after the Trojan War. During the journey, they get caught in a storm and land on a strange island where the lotus-eaters dwell. Warm and amicable, the islanders offer lotus seeds and flowers, their staple food, to the exhausted crew. While indulging in the sweet delicacies, the men soon fall into a blissful, trance-like state, forgetting who they are and where they come from.
Photo Courtesy of Shang Orientheatre
In Homer’s work, Odysseus has to force his intoxicated men back to the ship and prevent them from swimming back to the shore just to consume more of the narcotic plants. For Sun, however, the lotus eaters reflects the soldiers’ longing for a peaceful world, an inner serenity away from the tumult outside.
“Our world has become increasingly restless. Wars are frequent. Upheaval grips natural environments… We not only fight against the world outside, but struggle against ourselves. The point is not how to win a battle, but to examine why we wage warfare in the first place,” she says.
Founded by Sun in 2000, the Shang Orientheatre has produced a number of works that mix the elements of pantomime, Chinese martial arts and Ya Yue Dance (雅樂舞), an ancient form of Chinese dance and music.
Photo Courtesy of Shang Orientheatre
ZEN AESTHETIC
With a Zen-like aesthetic, the troupe’s performances always strike one as solemn, meditative and ritualistic, making the performers less mime artists than ascetics in search of spirituality by performing in a highly disciplined manner.
Without a doubt, the pantomime company’s distinct style is rooted in the creative belief of its founder, who speaks of the art of miming as a form of meditation.
Photo Courtesy of Shang Orientheatre
“Pantomime isn’t equal to no talking. It offers a language of silence, a way to reach spiritual tranquility,” Sun says.
More information about The Lotus Eater can be found at the troupe’s Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/ShangorientheatreOfficialPage.
Photo Courtesy of Shang Orientheatre
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