La statue vit aussi (2024)

La statue vit aussi / The Statue Lives As Well - for violin, electronics, three actors, and three puppeteers in three acts (masked performance throughout)

In collaboration with Chinese Theater Works

Synopsis:

This is a composed theater piece with live music (electronics and violin) that narrates the story of the resurrection of Osiris, an ancient Egyptian myth, through the aesthetics and masks of nuo drama, a ritualistic practice dating back more than four thousand years.

It also incorporates Chinese puppets of various sizes to represent Osiris' body parts and his form after resurrection. The intention behind merging elements from these two distinct civilizations is to explore the possibility of a collective unconscious underlying shared themes of devotion, sacrifice, and confrontation with the unknown. Based on this principle, the piece is multilingual, with each actor speaking their native language while wearing their mask. The languages represented include Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, Arabic, Yoruba, Turkish, and Hebrew.

Roles: Narrator - Kuang-Yu Fong, Isis - Aurora Carlota, Hand Puppeteer - Jing Shan, Ano - Adi Nathani, Osiris - Charlie Santos, Osiris’ Head - Stephen Kaplin (in order of appearance)

Written, Directed, and Produced by Hongbo Cai

Violin - Fengwan Chen

Live Electronic - Emre Sener

Max/MSP Patcher Sound Design - Hongbo Cai

Director of Photography: Jialu Tang & Hongbo Cai

Edited by Hongbo Cai