前 進 進 戲 劇 工 作 坊 作 品 An On & On Theatre Workshop Production 9-11/1 2021 香港藝術發展局全力支持藝術表達自由， 主辦 Hong本計劃內容並不反映本局意見。 Kong Arts Development Council fully 合辦 Presented supports freedom of artistic expression. The Co-presented views and opinions expressed in this project by do not represent the stand of the Council. with SYNOPSIS A group of educated youths found themselves at a crossroads as they quieted down from the turbulence of the ‘70s and got thrown into a new, thriving ‘80s. In an abandoned British-style mansion there came two brothers, Hei and Ho, who each forged a new life while being caught between the past and future. Hei, the younger one, spent some time in Europe, where he trod a solitary path, struggling to step out of the shadow of his el - der brother—only if he could shed his dreams and memories to seal the rift in time. On the other hand, Ho decided to leave the past behind and entered the film industry. While standing at the junction between art and commerce, he was also oscillating between despondency and silence, wielding a sword of revenge. Tensions soared as the brothers confronted each other in their reunion, under the eye of writer Fa, who secluded herself up in the mansion—and the scene reignited the spark that had long been dead in the onlooker’s heart. Another critical moment in history unfolded, ushering in a brutal reality. What should the characters do when faced with difficult choices at the dawn of this new epoch? CAST LIST Leung Tin-chak-HO Hanks Li-JACOB Lau Chun-him-HEI Wong Hin-yan-TOU Cecilia Choi-FA Chiu Lo-yin-JULES Ng King-lung-JIM SCENES Scene One At night Interlude One Scene Two The next day at noon Interlude Two Scene Three Later the same day at dusk Scene Four At night ( Intermission ) Scene Five A week later, in the afternoon Interlude Three Scene Six Workshop Scene Seven The next day in the afternoon Scene Eight The same day late at night Epilogue The next day at noon This is a 3-hour programme including a 10-min intermission. This online performance is brought to you under the strictest health and safety measures. Apart from es- sential crew who have their masks on at all times, there is no public audience in the venue. WRITTEN BEFORE THE UNKNOWN Chan Ping-chiu The past creates tension in our psyche—sometimes it pushes you forward, and other times, it pulls you back. While adapting Waking Dreams in 1984, I often felt that a mysterious force was trying to bring it into the present and connect the pain, the trau - ma, the silence, the rage and the fear from both eras. But at the same time, another voice reminded me that we may understand better when we think outside of our own times. I wish Waking Dreams in 1984 is like a roll of old film, on which this tension creates a double exposure. After the premiere of Waking Dreams in 1984 in early 2016, I received some polarised feedback. Friends also recounted to me the comments of some younger members of the audience, especially those who were active in the Umbrella Movement— some liked it, some loathed it. Their response, both criticisms and praises, far exceeded my expectations and made me realise, more than ever, that when you stand in the gap of time, the act of storytelling in itself creates both a continuity and a rupture. To tell a story is to confirm this fact, and to strive to move forward on a path that will always loop back and repeat itself. In the new adaptation, I further accentuated the dreams and the atmosphere of mansion, and tried to make the characters more realistic and believable by making small adjustments to their actions and dialogue. In order to successfully fine-tune these parts, I decided to remove four subplots that were woven into the story in the previous production, replacing them with new imagery that I conceptualised with our designers. As I’m penning this, the city is still in the midst of the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether and how the play is going to be viewed by the audience is beyond our control and certainly our original plan for it. With the scheduled opening day right around the corner, the production team has been working very hard to find the best contingency plan. Regardless of what will happen, we believe that theatre is a creation of time and space, and no matter how difficult the situation is, or what kind of unknown challenges await us, just like Hei says in the play, we are never in control of time and space, all we can do is to give our best. They say it’s a struggle; I’m reminded of a poem written by Polish poet and playwright Tadeusz Różewicz during Poland’s communist era: The curtains the first of iron in my plays the second rag do not rise the third of paper and do not fall do not conceal they drop off do not reveal piece by piece they rust on the heads rot clang of spectators tear open actors CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM Director & Playwright Costume Designer Stage Assistant Chan Ping-chiu Ho Pui-shan Leung Ming-ho, Assistant Director Video Designer Tse Man-kuen Chow Wai-chuen Adrian Yeung* Audio Assistant Stage Designer Production Manager Ip Pui-kwan Stephanie Yuen Hon-wai Lee Ka-on, Eva Chau Producer Lighting Designer Stage Manager Emily Cheng, Becky Fung Kwok-kee Gabriel Leung Tat-ming Wong Assistant Lighting Designer Deputy Stage Manager Publicity Kwok Pui-yan Lai Kam-shan Olivia Chan, Assistant Stage Manager Lawrence Lai Music & Audio Designer Chan Wai-fat Vicki Yeung Ticketing Assistant Music & Audio Designer Wardrobe Supervisor Lawrence Lai, Chan Hin-hou Liz Lau Jumbo Lam Hair & Make-up House Programme Coordinator Suen Wing-chi, Miu Law Bonnie Yiu * With kind permission of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Live-streaming Director & English Surtitle Translator Performance Photographer Technical Coordinator Kwong Wai-lap Hong yin pok, Eric Wilfred Wong Live-streaming Surtitle Graphic Designer Live-streaming & Perfor- Operator studio TIO mance Videogarpher Tam Yuk-ting Wilfred Wong, hongnin, Publicity Photographer Live-streaming Platform YC Kwan Lo Man-hong, Gary Support Chan, Yeung Shing-hei, art-mate.net Blue Ka Wing Special thanks to the creative And also to friends who have & production team of the provided assistance to the first-run production: Chu Pak-hong, Sheena Cheung, Tsang Man-tung, Fong Ki-tuen, Dung Kai-cheung, Wong Nim- Yau Chung-wai, Ip Ka-man, Bonita Ho, Jacky Chan, yan, Sham Chung-tat, Wilfred Wong, Trista Ma, Tam Wai-wah, Wong Man-yung, Tsui Ka-sen, Philos Nip, Ng Fung-ming Felix Chan, Miu Law, Dick Ko Arts Production Co., Lotus Chan Stage Tech Limited KEYWORDS FOR Waking Dreams 2 in 1984 The 70’s Biweekly The 70’s Biweekly was a cultur - 1 al publication founded in the early 1970s by a group of young activists, including Mok Chiu-yu, Ng Chung- The Flaming yin and Chan Ching-wai. The maga- Years zine set up its office in Avant-Garde Bookshop, which doubled as a hub (The Decade for anarchist and Trotskyist activists. of Student The collective referred to themselves Radicalism) as the “70’s Front” and were on the front lines of many social movement The Flaming Years refers events. to a period of student radi- calism in 1970s Hong Kong. Image 1. Cover of The 70’s Biweekly – Issue 1 During this time, there was a lively political atmo- sphere in the city’s higher education institutions, and ideas about social reforms 火紅clashed both inside and outside the campus. Par- ticipants of various student and social movements were divided into different 年代camps, including patriots, socialists, Trotskyists and the anarchists, who en- gaged in heated debates over ideologies and move- 火紅ment roadmaps. 年代 火紅 年代 3 Warriors 4 The Seventies Monthly Room The Seventies Monthly and The 70’s Bi- In the 1980s, Cinema City Com- weekly are two different magazines. Found- pany, a film production compa- ed by Lee Yee, a renowned political pundit ny founded by Karl Maka, Ray- and columnist, The Seventies Monthly was mond Wong and Dean Shek, a Chinese-language current affairs maga- emerged in the industry as a zine that first hit newsstands in February, force to be reckoned with. It 1970, and remained a highly impactful publi- collaborated with prominent cation throughout the 1970s and ’80s. It was directors and producers such renamed The Nineties Monthly in May, 1984, as Tsui Hark, Eric Tsang, Teddy and ceased publication in May, 1998. Robin and Nansun Shi. Before its reorganisation and rebrand- ing, Cinema City was named 5 Mini Toy Swords Warriors Film. Rumour has it that in the early days of War- riors Film, Shek had a room in his home called the “Warriors Room”, where these filmmakers spent many sleepless nights, coming up with the ideas for These cheap plastic toys were prevalent in the what would become some of 1960s, sold at stationary shops, street markets and the most classic moments in toy stands across town. Although called “swords” Hong Kong’s cinematic history. generically, they in fact included a variety of weap- onry, from glaives and hammers to axes and Inspired by this legend, in spears. The matches can be one-on-one, or one Waking Dreams in 1984, Chan versus many. You would push or flick your sword Ping-chiu named the film com- forward, and if it lands on your opponent’s sword, pany that Ho works for “War- then you win and earn the right to take the lost riors Room Film Studio”, as a sword.