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‘Tragedy’ doesn’t in the least describe us. We do not believe in tragedy. Simply for the fact that we are still roiling the theatres where give us shelters that allow us to continue to observe and think independently. Despite the pessimism we experienced from time to time when we left theatre, we always remain positive because only in positivity we seek ourselves – the self that critiques the multitudinous phenomena of the world, including the notion of tragedy, the root of everything, and the “birth of tragedy”.
Nietzsche, being a man of his own, is cheeky and capricious. If he were put on Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods in Greek mythology, he would definitely choose to be the mischievous Dionysus. Playful as he may be, Nietzsche was a philosopher who spared no effort in dialectical thinking. That is the reason why he could criticise Wagner, the musician, with a passion of love and hatred interwoven into the fabric of his ideas. The Birth of Tragedy inspires us to think about philosophy and music, and to analyse the relationship and differences between the two. It also enlightens us on the complex and dilemma in which Western civilisations had found themselves caught after the Renaissance.
Our creative team is from Hong Kong. Through stories and the history of theatre, we explore our relationship with the non-self. One table and two chairs, the basic stage setting of traditional Chinese theatre, and the nature and structure of Chinese characters give us inspiration for us to imagine Western mythology. Let us imagine – at the two ends of the table sit Nietzsche and Wagner, each on one chair, though that is very unlikely, as Wagner certainly cannot sit still. Or let us imagine by the table find Apollo and Dionysus sitting against each other. That, likewise, seems quite impossible, as Dionysus doesn’t play by the rules. And that is why, with non-appearance, we have stories.
We used the Grand Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre for time and time again. Its history, its space, its foyer, its backstage, its revolving stage, the auditorium, exits and entrances, and the flying bars were all part of our creative works. Think of it as the Mount Olympus in Greece or a study in the Ming Dynasty.
The allure of the theatre comes from its power to inspire, to empower the imaginary. Once that veil of imagination got lifted, we return to reality, back to the beginning. Such transformation inherently makes part of the creation. We don’t wallow in it, neither are we obsessed. It is because magic is unreal, and theatre, given its evanescent form, is always a world of make-believe. Nevertheless, we believe that the power of theatre is real as truly as we believe in ourselves.
An experimental art pioneer, Danny Yung is a founding member cum Co-Artistic Director of Zuni Icosahedron. Yung is widely regarded as most influential artist in Hong Kong and the neighbouring regions, and an advocate in experimental arts and new art forms.
In 2014, Yung is the laureate of the 2014 Fukuoka Prize – Arts and Cultural Prize. In 2009, Yung was conferred the Merit Cross of the Order of Merit on Ribbon by the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his contribution to the arts and cultural exchange between Germany and Hong Kong. In 2008, with Tears of Barren Hill he was honoured the Music Theatre NOW Award by UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute. In 2022, Yung received the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts by Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
Beginning in 1997, Yung has initiated several important cultural and arts networks. Among them are the Asia Arts Net, Asia Performing Arts Network, and World Culture Forum. The City-to-City Cultural Exchange Conference initiated by Yung has been held for more than 20 consecutive years, and is the premier and the only exchange program conducted among Chinese speaking regions and on a city-to-city basis.
In the past 40 years, he has been actively engaged in various fields of the arts, including theatre, film and video, comics, as well as visual and installation art. Yung has contributed significantly to the provision of a platform for both acclaimed and emerging artists to explore and carry out cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration. As director, scriptwriter, producer and stage designer, Yung has created over 100 theatrical productions, which have widely toured to over 30 cities in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Yung is the creator of cross-disciplined and cross-region Tian Tian Xiang Shang conceptual comics. TTXS has become an iconic figure in creative industry and education sector. It’s exhibition and educational program have reached out to Europe, America and Asia. On- and off-stage, Yung is an enthusiastic protagonist for innovation in cultural policy, cultural exchange, institutional development and creative education.
Chuk Yin Man graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University and completed a two-year Professional Physical Theatre Youth Training Programme by Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio in 2018. He also completed The Circus Theatre Group’s Psychophysical course in 2021. In 2022, he was hired as Zuni’s Young Fellow (Performance).
He has received trainings of the Western and Eastern streams, including Jacques Lecoq, Jerzy Grotowski, Chinese Tai Chi, Japanese Butoh, etc. He is one of the founding members of Feast on Waste Land. Image and theatre art are the mediums he is currently focusing on.
Student at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts. In 2018, he performed in One Table Two Chairs – Innovative Asian Traditional Performing Arts Public Performance (Cross-Culture Workshops), One Belt One Road Experimental Theatre Heavenly Palace of Monkey Business, and The Interrupted Dream: Chinois Dream at Château de Versailles by Zuni Icosahedron. In 2017, he assisted at a performance by the Formosa Circus Art.
Graduate from the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and having majored in Costume Making, Ellen Kong now works as a freelance theatre artist.
Kong participated in the graduate performance Six Waves Six Shocks and Invisible Cities/Decameron, as well as the Creative Playground, a project organised by Zuni Icosahedron and curated by Danny Yung.
Actor of Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Theatre. Lyu graduated from the Jiangsu Provincial Drama School in 2021, majoring in the Martial role (Wusheng) of Kunqu Opera. He has followed the tutor’s suit of Bai Dongmin, Zhao Rongjia, Wu Liangliang, Yang Qianli, etc. In 2023, he was selected into Jiangsu’s Master and Apprentice Program and studied under the renowned Kunqu Opera artist Ke Jun.
Repertoire including: Flee by Night, Fushan, Fighting the Sword, etc. Lyu has received awards from the 2021 National Vocational Skills Competition (First prize in the Chinese Opera Company Competition), 2020 Huang Xiaoci Cup (Top Ten Emerging Artist Award) and 2019 Jiangsu Vocational Skills Competition (Silver Award in Chinese Opera Category).
A freelance performer graduated from the School of Drama, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, major in acting.
Recent performance: Interrupted Dream, 2 or 3 Thing About the Interrupted Dream, The Interrupted Geng Zi Dream by Zuni Icosahedron; The Blind (Awardee of outstanding actor & The 13th Hong Kong Theatre Libre – best overall performance) and Antigone on the Beach by the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
Liu Xiaoyi is the Artistic Director of the Singapore arts group Emergency Stairs. A committed practitioner with a desire to push artistic boundaries, he is regarded as a promising figure at the forefront of the experimental theatre scene in Asia. Xiaoyi received the Young Artist Award awarded by the National Arts Council of Singapore in 2016.
A multi-talented artist, Xiaoyi was involved in over 70 theatre productions as director, playwright, and actor over the past two decades. As a director, the cornerstones of Xiaoyi’s oft lauded but controversial work are unsurprisingly experimentation, introspection, and poetry. Xiaoyi has also been actively promoting dialogues and creation across cultural and geographical lines for many years, particularly the exchange between tradition and contemporary art forms.
Steve Hui (aka Nerve) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Hong Kong, whose practice mines the boundaries between contemporary music, sound art, multimedia theatre and underground subcultures. He studied composition and electronic music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
His work has been presented at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Microwave International Media Art Festival and New Vision Arts Festival. He is the founder and Artistic Director of DECADE Ensemble, the first music ensemble in Hong Kong to specialize in experimental music. As a performer and DJ, he is active in the underground music scene.
Matsushima graduated from the Nihon University of College of Art. He launched his stage career with the Japanese dance theatre company Pappa TARAHUMARA while he was still a student, and won critical acclaim both for his performance in television and on stage.
Since 1995, Matsushima began creating his own pieces, working both as choreographer and dancer. As a solo performer, he has toured Asia, Europe, and the U.S. with Pappa TARAHUMARA. He is also active in the areas of painting, set design and music/sound design.
Soprano Vocals: Jessye Norman
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Composer: Richard Wagner
Poet: Richard Wagner
Composer: Richard Wagner
Piano Version
Arr. for Solo Piano by Ronald Stevenson
Pianist (Recorded): Igor Levit
Re-arranger and Editor: Steve Hui
Orchestra Version
Orchestra (Recorded): Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Karl Bohm
Re-arranger and Editor: Steve Hui
Composer: Steve Hui
Artistic Director, Director & Designer: Danny Yung
Assistant Artistic Director: Cedric Chan
Assistant Director: Liu Xiaoyi
Guest Actors: Kang Boneng, Liu Xiaoyi, Lyu Tingan, Makoto Matsushima
Performers: Martin Choy, Chuk Yin Man, Ellen Kong
Music: Steve Hui (aka Nerve)
Creative Coordinator: Chuk Yin Man
Production & Technical Manager: Chow Chun Yin
Light Design: Mak Kwok Fai
Sound Design: Anthony Yeung
Server-based Control: Johnny Sze
Costume Design: Beijing Jing Ya Art Studio Stage
Costume Company, Twinny Cheng
Video Design: Wing Chan, Benny Woo (2023 Version)
Stage Manager: Onki Chan
Deputy Stage Manager: Zeta Chan
Wardrobe: Bonnie Chan
Stage crew: Chan Chin Ho, Wong Sai Tsun Christopher
Rehearsal Assistant: Garrick Ton
Interns : Fong Chun Hin, Lam Ka Ho, Low Cheuk Hei, Ng Cheuk Hang
Key Visual: Lee Ken Tsai
Translation for Promotion: Mona Chu
Guest Documentation Photographer: Stanley Wong
Photography: May James, Ebohom Liga, Tam Kui Chun, Vic Shing
Video Documentation: Lin Kar Ming
Promotion Video Production: Ricky Cheng
Intern (Video Documentation): Ally Chan
Interns (Promotion Video): Ally Chan, Victor Cheung, Vanilla Guo
International Exchange Director / Producer: Wong Yuewai
General Manager (Administration and Finance): Jacky Chan
General Manager (Programme): Doris Kan
Senior Manager (Programme): Ho Yin Hei
Manager (Programme & Outreach): Momoko Ng
Manager (Administration): Colin Cheng
PR & Publicity: Luka Wong
Creative Assistant: Chloe Li
Programme Assistant: Niki Luk
Programme and Graphic Design Assistant: Carol Mak
This new work is commissioned by Zuni Icosahedron in 2024 with partial sponsorship from CASH Music Fund.