Now in its 10th year, Green Ray Theater’s “world theater” series will present two award-winning plays — a remounted work Proof, which they first performed in 2005, and a new work for them called The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia? in May.
Last year, following on from director and playwright Wu Nien-jen’s Human Condition series, which was presented in its entirety from part one to part four in a record-breaking one-month-long marathon string of performances becoming a runaway hit for the troupe’s “national theater” series, Green Ray Theater focuses this year on staging two adaptations of Western contemporary literary works, which will not only expand audiences’ world view, but also impress them with a whole new theatrical experience.
Green Ray Theater marketing director Li Yen-hsiang said in a telephone interview with the Taipei Times last Thursday that as compared with original plays, which are often larger in scale and put more emphasis on the sense of storytelling, adaptations of contemporary literary works in the “world theater” series are often more delicate and smaller in scale, with only four to six performers in a one-act play. In other words, the more delicate a play is, the greater a challenge it will place on the acting skills of the performers because they have a relatively larger part in the play. This gives performers an opportunity to display their strengths as professional actors and actresses.
Photo courtesy of Green Ray Theater
照片由綠光劇團提供
David Auburn’s Proof, which won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, explores the affection and trust between a father and a daughter, a man and a woman, two sisters, as well as a teacher and a student after the discovery of a proof of a mathematical theorem written in a notebook. The play only has four characters, whose emotions constantly flip back and forth between past and present. Given that the mood of performers must change swiftly and frequently, and performers must memorize lots of lines in the script, the play requires performers with sound performing skills and emotional and psychological depth. “This is a play that brings forth a brilliant playwright and a feast for audiences, but it is also one that is very exacting on its performers,” said Wu after reading the script.
Theater of the Absurd playwright Edward Albee’s 2002 Tony Award for Best Play The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia? tells the tale of a married architect, who leads an ostensibly ideal life with his loving wife and gay teenage son. But his life crumbles when he falls in love with a goat. In the play, the son’s gay identity is nothing to be surprised at since it is just a lifestyle choice. But when a man loves a goat, does such “love” really exist? This is the question around which the play is themed. The construction of the characters challenges performers’ acting skills, and the incisive dialogue constantly pushing itself to its limit tests the audiences’ bottom line.
Proof and The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia? will be performed four times each in Mandarin Chinese at the Metropolitan Hall in May and Proof will also go on tour in Greater Taichung and Greater Tainan in June. Tickets will be available through ERA ticketing and online at www.ticket.com.tw starting next Monday.
(Lin Ya-ti, Taipei Times）
Photo courtesy of Green Ray Theater
照片由綠光劇團提供
綠光劇團在「世界劇場」系列邁入第十年之際，將於五月重現二○○五年舊作《求證》並推出新作《山羊》。
繼去年導演兼劇作家吳念真的《人間條件》系列一至系列四，創下連續一個月馬拉松式演出的記錄，並掀起「國民戲劇」系列熱潮後，今年著眼當代西洋文學改編戲劇作品，不僅拓展觀眾國際視野，也帶給觀眾迥然不同的戲劇震撼。
綠光劇團行銷主任李彥祥上週四告訴《台北時報》表示，相較於規模較大且較著重故事性的原創劇作，「世界劇場」系列的作品，相對精緻小巧，僅一幕，且經常只有四至六位演員。換句話說，愈精緻小巧的作品，演員演技的挑戰相對就更大且戲份更吃重，但也藉此讓專業演員發揮實力。
大衛‧奧本的《求證》─二○○一年獲得普立茲戲劇獎與東尼獎最佳劇本─從發現一本筆記本中數學定理的解證，帶出父女、男女、姊妹與師生之間的感情與信任的探討。全劇僅四個角色，不斷在回憶與現實的時空轉換。因為角色心情轉換之快速頻繁與大量台詞，演員必須有穩紮的內心戲功力。這也讓吳念真在看過劇本後表示：「這是一齣成就了劇作家，爽了觀眾，但絕對可以整死演員的劇作。」
荒誕劇作家艾德華‧阿爾必的《山羊》─二○○二年獲得東尼獎最佳劇本─描述一位中年建築師的故事，他與嬌妻及一位同性戀兒子一起過著看似美滿的生活，但他的家庭因為他愛上一隻山羊而崩裂。劇中兒子同志身分不足為奇，只是生活方式的選擇罷了。但當人愛上山羊時，這種人羊之「愛」是否存在？這是此劇探討的主軸。在劇中角色的形塑建構，挑戰演員的詮釋，尖銳的對白，挑戰觀眾底線。
《求證》與《山羊》將於五月於台北城市舞台以中文各演四場，《求證》也將於六月巡迴台中與台南，票券將於下週一於年代售票系統（www.ticket.com.tw）發售。
（台北時報記者林亞蒂）
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