East Kowloon Cultural Centre Theatre | 'Re-Structuring the Script-Reading'

Description

Drawing inspiration from European theatre and creating anew upon returning to Hong Kong

A 10,000-kilometer journey to a foreign land, a 10-plus-day investigative trip, an unexpected train stoppage, twice being kicked off the train, three experiences of feeling dwarfed by the height of Europeans… Fortunately, five local performances made it all worthwhile!

In May this year, the artistic director of Re-Structuring Theatre took two up-and-coming theatre creators to Germany to attend the Berlin Theatre Festival, one of the world's three major drama festivals. Immersing themselves in the European theatre scene, they drew inspiration and incorporated their thoughts from the journey into their creations. With three scripts, the unique perspectives and writing styles of the three creators build three different worlds in the same space, each responding to the current human condition.

The plays will be performed in rotation, with each performance featuring two plays. After the performances, guests and the creative team will be invited for a dialogue to uncover the 're-structuring' philosophy behind the texts.

10.10.2025 (Fri)
Performances: 'Nine Breakup Scenes' and 'When Chimpanzees Begin to Tell Stories'

10.11.2025 (Sat)
Performances: 'Cloth-iography' and 'Nine Breakup Scenes'

10.12.2025 (Sun)
Performances: 'When Chimpanzees Begin to Tell Stories' and 'Cloth-iography'

'Nine Breakup Scenes'
Du Du Du Du Du
This train will end at an unknown station, and along the way, it may stop at stations of encounters or pass by platforms of love.
Please hold on to your ticket tightly, as it is proof of your heartbeat.
Next station, love at first sight. The doors on the left will open, please prepare to fall into the abyss of love.
Mind the gap between the platform and the train, even the most intimate couples have their secrets.
Next station, cooling-off period. Please let unsuitable partners off first.
This train has arrived at the final station, single and happy. Please disembark with your memories and regrets.

'Nine Breakup Scenes' is directed and written by Yan Bat-to. Like a 21st-century version of Roland Barthes' 'A Lover's Discourse', Yan Bat-to delicately sketches the myriad landscapes of urban love. From the fervent youth of 20-year-olds to the serene retrospection of 70-year-olds, nine stories of different ages, orientations, and moods intertwine, presenting the multifaceted nature of love—passion, struggle, vulnerability, and profundity coexist. Each relationship whispers in the din of the city, speaking of our collective subconscious.

'When Chimpanzees Begin to Tell Stories'
'Once upon a time' —— Once upon a time, three little pigs decided to build their own houses.
'One day'—— One day, Little Red Riding Hood's mother asked her to visit her sick grandmother.
'Suddenly'—— The little pigs used bricks to build the sturdiest house. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
'Unexpectedly'—— Little Red Riding Hood arrived at the cottage in the woods, but unexpectedly, the one who opened the door was not her grandmother. So, she called for the hunter's help.
'And they lived happily ever after'—— The little pigs offered the hunter and the wolf to the Big Bad Wolf in exchange for peace. And they lived happily ever after. The little pigs and their family lived happily ever after.

A cage, four chimpanzees, day after day, they undergo storytelling training.

This revolutionary evolutionary biology experiment, which extends the idea of Kafka's short story 'A Report to an Academy' in the study of the ape Red Peter, may overturn our understanding. Humans once believed they were the supreme beings in the animal kingdom, only to discover a minuscule genetic difference between themselves and chimpanzees. Scientists set out to intensely train chimpanzees, attempting to find a breakthrough in evolution. Unexpectedly, the key lies in the ability to weave stories. Through imagination, humans invent shared stories and develop concepts like 'money', 'religion', and 'nation'. With relentless practice, the chimpanzees master this skill and become more human than humans themselves. And then…

'Cloth-iography'
(You will be forced to join)
A mind-blowing spectacle certified by 99.9% of locals—

Centred on the classic script 'The Rifles of Frau Carrar' by German playwright Bertolt Brecht, this play plunges you into the tumultuous times of the Spanish Civil War.

The story revolves around a fisherwoman, Frau Carrar, and her family. She firmly believes that pacifism will shield her two sons from the flames of Franco's fascist coup. She is convinced that by forbidding her sons from joining the fight against Franco and fascism, she can protect them from the violence of the Spanish Civil War. But an incident causes her to pick up a weapon… herself

A leaf from a bodhi tree, a three-kilogram bag of flour, a gust of wind blowing in from the opposite shore—together they sketch out the eternal ritual of war. Where has the human's 100% free will gone?