Winner
L' Orphelin
L’Orphelin (formerly known as L’Orphelin 2.0) first premiered in 2014. Until now, the production has accumulated 58 performances throughout 27 overseas tours. Our most significant performances include Beijing Fringe Festival, Wuzhhen Theatre Festival, and San Francisco International Arts Festival. L’Orphelin has no extravagant costumes nor elaborate backdrops, but only actors of various backgrounds coming together to retell the violent story of bloodshed, with their own sweat and tears, through the art of the body.
L’Orphelin is an adaptation of a historical event referred to as The Orphan of Zhao. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhao Shuo, the highest general in the Dukedom of Jin, was framed by Tu’an Gu, his political enemy. As a result, the House of Jin was brutally exterminated, except for Zhao Wu, who would eventually take revenge for his family’s honour.
What makes this occurrence in history worthy of reflection lies in the fact that numerous accounts on the same historical event were exceptionally well-documented in notable literary works such as Records of the Grand Historian and Commentary of Zuo on The Spring and Autumn Annals. Not only so, these drastically different narratives have proven to stand the test of time. For this reason, this legendary tale has not only been adapted into Chinese play, it was also the first script to be translated into European language. Ever since then, this story has inspired various interpretations through different mediums, such as Peking Opera and film.
The only question remains here: Among all the versions that retell the same tale, which one is the closest to the truth of what actually happened to the orphan of Zhao?
L’Orphelin is an adaptation of a historical event referred to as The Orphan of Zhao. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhao Shuo, the highest general in the Dukedom of Jin, was framed by Tu’an Gu, his political enemy. As a result, the House of Jin was brutally exterminated, except for Zhao Wu, who would eventually take revenge for his family’s honour.
What makes this occurrence in history worthy of reflection lies in the fact that numerous accounts on the same historical event were exceptionally well-documented in notable literary works such as Records of the Grand Historian and Commentary of Zuo on The Spring and Autumn Annals. Not only so, these drastically different narratives have proven to stand the test of time. For this reason, this legendary tale has not only been adapted into Chinese play, it was also the first script to be translated into European language. Ever since then, this story has inspired various interpretations through different mediums, such as Peking Opera and film.
The only question remains here: Among all the versions that retell the same tale, which one is the closest to the truth of what actually happened to the orphan of Zhao?
Genre/Form
Physical Theatre
Concept and Director
Ata WONG Chun Tat
Cast
SUEN Chi-hung, LI Tengfei, LIAO Shuyi, WANG Yao, TO Chun-yiu, Benjamin TSANG
Assistant Director
SUEN Chi-hung
Music Design and Live Music
Heidi LAW
Lighting Design
WANG Han
Costume Design
CHENG Man-wing
Producer
LEI Yuen-hung
