Preview- BEEP- Black Sheep Theatre
14-11-15
By: Haddie Nguyen
‘Has technology gone too far in Hong Kong?’
This is the question that Black Sheep Theatre is asking with their newest production, BEEP. You might be wondering who is Black Sheep Theatre? Black Sheep Theatre is a relatively new theatre company to Hong Kong. They produced their first show last year, INFECTION and do devised theatre work, which makes them different from other traditional theatre companies.
The Black Sheep Theatre motto is ‘Dare To Be Different’. They try to make theatre that is accessible to everyone and that will not burn a hole in anyone’s pocket when they buy a ticket. They try to keep tickets affordable and under 200HKD. After doing some research into the theatre scene in Hong Kong, their leaders learned that a lot of people do not audition for shows or are too scared to audition as the theatre scene has cliques and can often be too closed off to new performers.
The Black Sheep team knew at that point that they had to make a theatre company that gave people of all different levels the chance to experience theatre. They hold auditions and there is a certain skill that they need for their productions but the thing they look for most for in performers is "passion and creativity" rather than a traditional actor or actress.
Black Sheep is a devised theatre company, meaning that all their performances are created by the cast, rather than a script, which gives them the freedom to express their own ideas. The cast is made up of people of all different ages, ethnicities and experience levels which helps to widen the material perspective. Devised Theatre for our readers who might know about it; is a show that is made by the cast themselves, similar to improv but created during the rehearsal process rather than during the performance. The cast do not start with a written down script; they have to create it using their own ideas. All devised theatre starts from either a word or a concept and then the cast create scenes around that concept and then write a script from it. Famous artists that use devised theatre include: Decroix, Peter Brook and House Theatre.
Daniel Felix-Johnson who is directing and acting in the production shares his thoughts with me on their show and how this technique is beneficial for performers. "I think that using devising and improvisation as a method to create theatre is important as it means that the cast can do what they feel comfortable with which will mean stronger performances. Furthermore all of Black Sheep Theatre’s productions are based on Hong Kong issues and use local theatre spaces and sponsors."
Technology is everywhere in Hong Kong but how does it affect us in our everyday lives?
BEEP's plot is described as such: "Follow the 5 characters as they battle with technology and try to survive in Hong Kong. Share their triumphs and failures and see if you can relate to any of them. This show will send you on a rollercoaster of emotion..." It has to make you wonder how often you use your phone? Are we addicted to technology? Are we becoming addicted? Are we all becoming Facebook zombies?
"I do not think it is as simple as are smartphones evil or not. There are a lot of good things that smart phones can do for us. I think the question we should be asking is do we know when to disconnect from our phones," says the director, Daniel Felix-Johnson.
"This is an original show written by the Hong Kong people for the Hong Kong people. Using a wide range of theatrical styles, singing, dancing and with audience challenges and a charity donation. We are raising money for the charity, Sunshine Action. Sunshine Action are a local Hong Kong charity that provide aid for the homeless as well as doing many other worthwhile projects in Hong Kong and abroad. I chose this charity as it is a local charity and it is helping the Hong Kong people." says Daniel. He's an interesting artist who is passionate about Hong Kong's people and its issues. Who wouldn't want to see a show from an artist like this? I'm intrigued by Daniel and his team's concept. Everyone has a smart-phone... So obviously this show will resonate with a lot of people in Hong Kong. I wonder if they'll let us whatsapp during the performance? I'm joking, of course...
But as a fair warning, this show is playing at one of Hong Kong's more non-traditional venues... Not that the location should stop you from venturing outside your comfort zone. You have google maps on your smart-phone right??? Theatre Pi is between Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong MTR station. It's a 10 minutes walk from the MTR station. The address is 7G Heng Seng Industrial Building, 185-187 Wai Yip street. And to help you even further, there will be a representative from the company standing outside the venue with a banner. For directions you can use google maps or check out www.ticketflap.com/beep for directions. You can also buy your tickets at Ticketflap. No excuse now, get off your smart-phone and go explore the real world!
BEEP is playing at Theatre Pi from November 19th to 21st at 8pm. For more information, click here.
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