The search for life after death
Veteran stage performer Olivia Yan Wing-pui has experienced life and death in the past three years - the death of her mentor Kuo Pao-kun in 2002 and the birth of her daughter a year later.
Inspired by her experience, the associate artistic director of Theatre Ensemble will stage a solo performance, You Yuan, at the Shouson Theatre of Hong Kong Arts Centre from tomorrow until Sunday.
Drawing elements from the Chinese classic Peony Pavilion, You Yuan explores love and identity as well as life and death.
To Yan, the performance is a way of understanding her life and career.
'Kuo's death shocked me . . . It made me think what life and death is all about,' said Yan.
'I think many people have had a similar experience. They think about the meaning of life after their loved ones pass away.'
The birth of her daughter in 2003 was another event that inspired Yan's performance.
'Many parents think they have to make sacrifices for their children. But I feel I am taking something from [my daughter],' she said.
'It's like we are experiencing childhood together. There are many things that I had forgotten, but now I can review life from my baby's point of view.'
To explore life in a broader context, Yan compares humans with wildlife in her performance. And her conclusion is that humans are the 'most unnatural and weird living things' on this planet.
'Many friends around me are emotionally or spiritually suppressed,' Yan said.
'In the performance, there's a part in which an eagle looks down from the sky. Everyone is walking in the same direction. No one crosses boundaries or breaks the rules. It's like a prison.'
Yan uses a variety of characters and animals to depict different conditions in life.
There are no elaborate costumes or plots but only poetic monologue, imagery and body movements.
Compared with Jim Chim Shui-man's standup comedy Man of La Tiger, another popular production by Theatre Ensemble, You Yuan is less likely to be a big hit.
But Yan urges audiences - even children - not to shun the topic, because it's relevant to us all.
'Why do you think death is not an issue for children?' she asked.
Yan recalled a trip to Europe about two years ago. She saw a group of small children in a museum.
Their teacher was teaching them to appreciate the paintings of Edvard Munch - a Norwegian artist best known for his work The Scream, which portrays anguish and fear.
'In Hong Kong, many issues and feelings are suppressed, so people don't know how to face them,' said Yan.
'There are too many illusions in society, and very few people are brave enough to face the truth.
'But that's what art is all about - facing the truth and reflecting on it.'
For tickets, call 2734 9009
