DragonBeard is the first play written in Cantonese by Clara Hsu. She wrote the play after realizing that there hasn’t been any Cantonese play performed in the San Francisco Bay Area since the 1980’s. Whereas in New York City, the Four Seas Players have been actively producing Cantonese Plays for over 50 years. Inspired by the Four Seas Players in using drama to uplift the Cantonese language, Clara wrote DragonBeard in honor of her mother tongue and the plight of the new immigrants.
《昧夜之交》是詩人馬文蕙 的第一部粵語話劇。 在一次聚會上，一位朋友告訴她: 舊金山灣區自 20 世紀 80 年代以來就沒有再創出粵語話劇。而在紐約，四海劇團50多年來一直積極製作粵語話劇。 馬文蕙深受感動, 尤其是因為四海劇團用藝術作品來提升粵語。 在朋友的鼓勵下馬文蕙 寫下了《昧夜之交》，以褒表粵語和新移民的困境。
Coming into a new country is like falling into an inexplicable dream. Without previous exposure to Western culture and education, immigrants survive by their own wit. Some might wonder: should the reality of the present negate the past? Those who are born and raised in the United States have their own ideas about immigrants. Immigrants have their own ideas about their new country and its people. One’s realty is the other’s fantasy. Fantasy and reality interspersed and fused together, and thus we exist in a realm of magical realism.
來到一個新的國家就像陷入了一個莫名其妙的夢境。 由於沒有接觸過西方文化和教育，移民靠自己的智慧生存。 有人可能會問：現在的現實是否該否定過去？ 在美國出生長大的人對於移民都有自己的看法。 移民對他們的新國家及其人民有他們的看法。 一個人的現實就是另一個人的幻想。 幻想與現實交織融合，置身於魔幻寫實的境界。
DragonBeard premiered on August 9, 2024 at Clarion Performing Arts Center in San Francisco Chinatown. It was followed by six sold out shows. On August 25, a full cast stage reading with slide show and music was performed at the Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Main Library.
《昧夜之交》於 2024 年 8 月 9 日在舊金山唐人街的華聲演藝術中心首演。隨後的六場演出全部售罄。 8 月 25 日，在舊金山主圖書館 Koret 禮堂舉行了一場配有幻燈片和音樂的全演員舞台朗誦會。
DragonBeard is financially supported by two grants from the California Arts Commission.
昧夜之交獲得舊金山藝術委員會的財政支持。
Many thanks to Zabrina Deng, a SONY Artisan of Imagery and WPPI Master Photographer, for being our photographer in documenting the entire production.
非常感謝 鄧力力, SONY影像工匠和 WPPI 攝影大師 作為我們的攝影師記錄了整個製作過程。
