Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

JI Wei-Ran is one of the few local playwrights who has continually produced new works. For many years, the language in his works has developed a coldly detached style of humor and anger found in intellectuals that deride current events and sneer at human nature. JI Wei-Ran’s colorful and distinctive personal style and creative energy has made him into an important figure in theatre. After much discussion, the jury feel that Playing the Violin scored in structural storyline and narration strategy. The plot of the performance resembles that of a detective novel, and it goes in-depth into the chaotic cross-section of modern society, looks back at the intertwined history and politics of Taiwan and describes the collapse of interpersonal and family relationships in today’s world. The plot moves forward on the edge of reality and fantasy until the final twist, which strengthens its reference to the crazy “present” undertone in the performance. The director of Playing the Violin respects the spirit of the original work, the pacing of the production is distinct, the directing is smooth, and the performances of the actors along with the costume, lights, stage and music design are all above average, making Playing the Violin one of the most distinguished original scripts in Taiwan modern theatre in 2012.   Committee member:HSIEH Tung-Ning

At first glance, you might guess Playing the Violin to be a musical. On a closer look, you find that this is actually CHI Wei-Jan’s latest play. Under his description, “playing the violin” simply means “boast and lie,” having absolutely nothing to do with the romance that one might imagine. In this play, CHI wants to express the lack of power and helplessness of Taiwan’s intellectuals.

Artwork Introduction

The idiom “playing the violin” refers to the act of bragging, exaggerating facts or tooting one’s own horn. How can a man describe the inner workings of his mind? How do families communicate the strength of their bonds? How is the nation constructing its own history? As we all undergo the above experiences each day, all of our efforts become “playing the violin” from the perspective of a spectator.

Playwright CHI Wei-Jan aims to illustrate the inner workings of the mind and to re-construct the irreproducible flow of consciousness so that we can see the actual thought processes of the overly tech-dependent Taiwanese. The script deliberately blurs the divide between reality and fantasy, and techniques of alienation are used in order to highlight interwoven themes such as “Taiwanese-ness,” culture, identity, and discourse.

Director LU Po-Shen reveals the intricate relationships between the characters while drawing out the profound desperation and helplessness of the modern intellectual. With the onstage presence of everyday visual media such as televisions, video cameras and tablet computers, Lu highlights human reliance on media and technology, compositing an MRI scan of the highly educated mind in the so-called post-emotional era.

Who Is Playing the Violin?

A middle-aged intellectual named LIU Shan is accidentally pulled in to the strange suicide of his old friend. Overnight, he is represented as a “cold-blooded Taiwanese” by the media, which then gradually unveils his insensible marriage, estranged family relations, and failures to accomplish anything. Confronted with his life, he appears to be useless and powerless. After drinking something like antifreeze and passing out, his split memory, which had accumulated for years and years and deeply affected his personality, is brought to light by a bored scientist. However, is this intricate wonder ever real, or just a dream? Will this make his mind clearer, or even more confused?

Playing the Violin is the latest script after playwright CHI Wei-Jan’s last novel Private Detective, which was performed five years ago. The insightful language and profound introspection are fervently expressed in the play. Through Liu’s uselessness and inane distress, CHI wants to ask: what has happened to the intellectuals?

CHI said this play was inspired by a foreign movie. The main actor is a medium, and as he’s interacting with the main actress, he sees a ghost making funny faces and playing a violin, sneering at him that he is lying. Chi thinks that every day we hear others talking about themselves, their families and nations, but to those listeners, every speaker is like “playing the violin.” On the other hand, will those listeners behave similarly when they have something to say? In an age when everything has become relative, and everyone’s opinion seems valid, will all of us become clowns that play the violin? It is cause for consideration.

A Black Comedy between Reality and Delusion

CHI won the 3rd Taishin Arts Award with the play Who-Ga-Sha-Ga. In describing Playing the Violin, he says half-jokingly that “This is the best script I have ever written!” In distinction to CHI’s previous plays, Playing the Violin doesn’t contain dirty words and is less dominated by language. Instead, he changes his style, adding stage indications toward music and images, trying to find the magic power that a performance should have.

On stage, CHI gives us an intimate look into a person’s mind, recreating the conscious that cannot be built again. By this method, the audience can understand what the heavily technology-relying Taiwanese are thinking. Playing the Violin intends to obscure the boundary between reality and delusion, and uses estranged methods to deal with the complex issues of nation, culture, identification, and description. CHI said, before the 1980s, Taiwan’s intellectuals could not display their talents because of the control of speech. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the intellectuals could speak out through social movements. However, after the 1990s, due to the chaotic state of Taiwan’s media, Taiwan’s society has become superficial and ridiculous, making the intellectuals feel even more powerless.

Director LU Po-Shen, in his first time working with Creative Society, merges the black comedy with some abundant elements, successfully bringing the play to life in an alienated, ironic, bantering, and serious way. It reveals modern people’s heavy reliance on media and technology by image-producing products such as television, camera, and iPod, and interprets the depths of intellectual thought in the so-called post-emotion generation.

About the Artist

Creative Society (CS) was established in May 1997 by a group of experienced directors, playwrights, theater scholars, arts administration professionals as well as media workers in Taipei, Taiwan. Realizing the intrinsic connection between contemporary theater and social/ cultural movements, CS operates under the spirit of living in its times and dedicating itself to the creation of original theatrical works. In its 15 years of existence, it has won the 3rd Taishin Arts Award as well as grants from the National Culture and Arts Foundation.

Production Team

Producer: LEE Huei-Na

Playwright: CHI Wei-jan

Director: LU Po-shen

Cast: FAN Kuang-yao, YAO Gwen, LU Grace, CHANG Winnie, KUO Yao-ren, YANG Ching-hsiang, CHEN Yen-pin, TSAI Yi-ling, LIN Chia-chi, Archie HU

Stage design: Austin WANG