Before heading to Japan’s Festival/Tokyo in November, Against Again Troupe gave a debut performance of its new work Eventually Withering Away Little by Little last week. The play experiments with the possibilities of a theater without people. The new work, being performed in celebration of the troupe’s 10th anniversary, will also be performed at this year’s Macau City Fringe Festival.
Combining various theatrical art forms, including object theater, installation art, sound art and behavior art, the play forms a theater without actors. The production will be put on by Against Again Theater’s five artists, including Joyce Ho, who won a special award at the KOBE Biennale, theater musician and director Chiang Tao, producer Lin Jen-chung, and artists Kappa Tseng and Wang Shih-chi. The five of them use their own individual performance methods to outline evidence that is supposed to prove the existence of a woman who is never actually present on the stage. The play creates limitless possibilities for its stream-of-consciousness narrative, paying tribute to one of the most important female writers of the 20th century — Virginia Woolf.
A theater of actors that does not actually use people was the brainchild of Against Again Troupe director, Huang Sze-nung. He says that the absence of others is something that every individual must experience in life, “Maybe people leave, perhaps they die, or maybe they are there the whole time but just not seen.”
Photo Courtesy of Against Again Troupe
照片:照片由再拒劇團提供
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
十一月前往東京藝術節前夕,再拒劇團上週演出《接下來,是一些些消亡》的台灣首演,實驗無人劇場的可能性。該作品也將受邀澳門藝穗節演出,這也是今年成立十年的再拒劇團代表作。
結合了物件劇場、裝置藝術、聲音藝術、行為藝術等多樣戲劇型態,就是不能有「演員」,再拒劇團邀約五位藝術家包括獲得日本神戶雙年展評審特別賞的何采柔,劇場音樂雙棲鬼才導演蔣韜,製作人林人中,藝術家曾彥婷以及藝術家王詩琪。五人分別以自己的表現手法,勾勒出「不在場」的女子存在的證據,嘗試「意識流」劇場的無限可能,也同時向二十世紀最重要的女性小說家吳爾芙致敬。
Photo Courtesy of Against Again Troupe
照片由再拒劇團提供
這場無人演員的劇展由再拒劇團團長黃思農策劃,他表示,事實上,各種各樣他者的缺席,是每個人的生命所經歷的必然過程,「也許對方離開,也許死亡,也許一直都在,卻不被看見。」
(自由時報記者趙靜瑜)
Photo Courtesy of Against Again Troupe
照片由再拒劇團提供
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition marked by disruptions in brain-signaling that causes people to behave, communicate, interact and learn in atypical ways. Autism diagnoses in the US have increased significantly since 2000, intensifying public concern over what might contribute to its prevalence. Here is what you need to know. HOW IS AUTISM DIAGNOSED? There are no objective tools for diagnosing autism, such as blood tests or brain scans. Instead, diagnoses are made based on observations and interviews. The term “spectrum” reflects the wide range of possible manifestations. Some people with ASD might have good conversation skills, while others might
A: When is the Lantern Festival? B: The festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, which fell on Feb. 12 this year. A: Oh no! Did I miss the 2025 Taipei Lantern Festival? B: Yes, you did. But you can still go to the 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan, which will run until this Sunday. A: Let’s go admire the exuberant lanterns. A: 元宵節到底是哪一天? B: 就是農曆1月15日啊,今年則落在國曆2月12日。 A: 喔不,我是不是錯過了2025台北燈節? B: 是的,但你還可以去桃園的2025台灣燈會,活動將持續至週日。 A: 那我們去欣賞豐富的花燈秀吧! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Every February, the small town of Ptuj in Slovenia comes alive with the vibrant celebration of its famous carnival. This festival, with its deep historical roots, is a cherished tradition where local residents come together to ward off the winter cold and embrace the arrival of spring. Participants dress up in furry costumes, transforming into kurenti, mythical monsters believed to drive away evil spirits and bring good fortune for the new year. Although the exact origins of the Ptuj carnival remain a mystery, it is firmly rooted in ancient Slavic and Illyrian cultures. The modern form of the carnival
A: What’s the theme of the 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival’s main lantern? B: The theme is “Paradise,” and the main lantern is a snake-shaped “infinity” symbol that features a lighting show every half an hour. A: Cool, I heard that there are over 300 lanterns. B: There are even giant lanterns in the shape of Pikachu and some other popular Pokemon characters. A: Let’s go now. A: 2025台灣燈會主燈的主題是什麼? B: 主題是「無限樂園」!主燈的造型則是蛇形的數學「無限號」,主燈每半小時還有一次燈光秀。 A: 酷喔,聽說總共有300多件花燈作品。 B: 甚至還有皮卡丘和其他熱門寶可夢角色的巨型花燈呢。 A: 哇我們現在就出發吧! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)