The Sage

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Director: Lin Yong

Dramaturg and Performance designer: Tan Zeen

Literary Coordinator: Wu Qiaona/ Liu Yiming

Design Assistant: Ma Zhixin/ Gao Min

Video/ Scenic Painter: Xiao Yuan/ Zhu Haijie/ Li Mutang/ Qiao Yue/ Tang Ran

Costume and Makeup artist: Chen Xueyu/ Lin Luquan

Producer: Lin Hong

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The project was developed by the designer in the role of a dramaturg, beginning with the space design itself, from which everything else unfolded. This marks a new approach in our creative process.

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The performance space is a Chinese classroom that can be quickly assembled and dismantled, with set pieces either repurposed or borrowed from schools to minimise material use and meet Theatre Green Book standards.

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The audience and actors sit among each other. The actors share memories connected to the classroom, weaving real events into the performance. Audience members are also interviewed and may become part of the performance by sharing their own stories.

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One of the textual foundations of the play is the legendary story of Wang Yangming, an enlightenment philosopher in the Ming Dynasty of China, and his philosophy of mind. The play actively examines the "sage" halo attributed to him in social education.

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The performance space is fluid, it can move across different locations, but it is not “tent theatre.” Instead, it focuses on engaging with each location, valuing the unique theatrical potential each place brings, and building continuity by repeatedly placing a classroom within different contexts.

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