Classic pandemic novel The Plague given Covid-19 treatment in two new productions for Hong Kong Arts Festival
- The modern interpretations of Albert Camus’ classic novel will be shown online, with the English version streamed live by six actors in six countries
- Both versions avoid being critical of governments’ response to the pandemic in mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively, instead marking a positive tone
Chinese stage director Wang Chong enjoys exploring theatre’s “endless possibilities”. So it came as no surprise that he should be the first in China to live-stream a major theatre production online, free of charge, at the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak last April.
Wang’s version of the stage classic Waiting for Godot, written by Samuel Beckett, was presented in Zoom-style split screens and centred on a contemporary couple separated by quarantine. The work resonated with audiences across the country and pulled in 290,000 viewers, a record for the 39-year-old director who is known for his unconventional approach to theatre.
His exploration into the profound impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on human lives will continue in his new work, The Plague, an original commission that will be performed in English in this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival. Wang says he saw how people in different parts of the world have been coping with the pandemic through casting the six performers for the show online.
“Two actresses from Brazil grumbled about the Brazilian government’s handling of the outbreak in the audition and criticised their president [Jair Bolsonaro]. ” Wang says. “Somebody said in the audition they have been out of work for a year. I saw humanity and politics and how people work very hard to live and steer clear of the pandemic.”
The six selected cast members come from Wuhan in China, Brazil, South Africa, Lebanon, the US and the UK. “During the live performance, we will let the audience see the six performers [in their different] cities and even homes as much as possible, all in real-time,” Wang says.