Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

Drawing from the experience and reflection of personal lives, and borrowing from western literature and drama, the creator fused, collaged, intertwined and sorted out the sorrowful and joyful emotions so as to make a strong and poetic note about life. The minimalist concepts and techniques simulated an energetic and lyrical mood at the site, the Plum Wine Factory of the Hwa-shang Art District, and appropriately highlighted the corresponding feeling of desolateness and remoteness. In the dream-like mood of tranquility and decadence, the dramatic action was successfully manipulated to build up the powerful and unique beauty of space.

Artwork Introduction

The Wu Mei Winery in the Huashan Arts District has preserved its bleak yet charming aura by adding minimal decoration to imitate the bitter coldness of a rural area in Russia more than 100 years ago, which makes an excellent reproduction of the ancient time and space. Parts of Chekhov’s masterpieces are interwoven together to form this play, including “Ward Number 6”, “Ivanov”, “Uncle Vanya”, “The Three Sisters”, “The Seagull”, “The Cherry Orchard”, though storyline of each work is not exactly followed. However, the closing of the play has reached to the Chekhov-style conclusion of the early middle age life, featuring a reflective and sensitive viewpoint towards life.

In this play, many relevant or irrelevant roles come and go, just like the fragmentary and inconsecutive scenes in one’s life. It is just like that in a sleepless night, one blindly and carelessly fumbles into Chekhov’s pieces of work which are being scattered on a desk. In the end of this play, Ivanov shoots himself, the Count is killed in a duel, the cherry orchard is sold, and some people leave for Paris, while the other stay in the orchard. Who will become an excellent actress or will the young and righteous doctor be another Ivanov… Although Chekhov does solve some of these questions, he remains quiet on many of them.

This play evolves around themes of fatigue, anxiety, sorrow, failure, memory and wait. Actors’ dialogue is of philosophical and sorrowful taint. In the end, we can tell that Chekhov still has a mystic belief in the future or even the next life. A clear embodiment of this belief is the beef stew with potato and onion. In the end, he merely hopes that people have enough food to survive the bitter cold winter and have faith to move on.

About the Artist

For a middle-aged and sleep-deprived theater director, it is undeniable obligations of our life to create a play which honestly describes the importance of doctors and Stilnox, and also to learn the trivia value of onion peeling, potato peeling and beef stewing. I would like to thank all members and audience of River-Gauche Theatre Group in the past 18 years and Chekhov.(by Director Lee Huan-Xyong)

Production Team

Production Company： Rive-Gauche Theatre Group