When I grew up and reread the fairy tales, I realized that the fairy tales that fascinated me as a child seem so bizarre today. Many of the characters' motives and behaviors are so illogical that even the values and moral education purposes they embody seem very out of context today.
The fairy tale books we read in our childhood, especially the best-known version of Grimm's fairy tales, were selected, adapted and deleted by the authors before they became the fairy tales we are familiar with today. And those original fairy tales are even more bloody, horrific, cruel and don't hide from expressing desires than the adapted ones. Beautiful innocence and harsh reality intertwine in fairy tales and adaptations. Their relationship affects how people face and reflect on the world.
So this project uses the classic fairy tale Bluebeard as an example to create an open theatre space to let performance and conversations happening, including lights, sounds, images, paintings, and costumes. In the process, a forum theatre is carried out in the form of Theater of the Oppressed., renders Bluebeard and encourages the audience to participate in the performance, engage in active dialogue, thinking and reflection to explore the issues contained in the fairy tale.
Using Theatre of the oppressed to organise a performance workshop to recreate Bluebeard. This form aims to promote social and political change by engaging the audience in active dialogue and reflection. In this workshop, This form engages the audience in an active dialogue and reflection and provides the audience the freedom to explore the story's possibilities in an interesting way.Improvisation prompts quick reactions and almost subconscious choices. With participants of different genders playing roles unlike their own, it can also stimulate discussion and reflection on gender relations. All actors are in an uncontrollable story path that breaks the structure of the story, as every characters enjoys the status of protagonist .I created a safe and equal, unbiased space where all voices and experiences are welcome.
Costume design sketches
Stage photos
Paintings
Create a theatrical setting with paintings to create a fairytale atmosphere combined with a narrative.
Painting details
Exhibition Pictures
This project was my graduation project at Goldsmiths, University of London, and was part of the MA Design Expanded practice graduation exhibition Rule 6 No Rule Set at 1 Deptford Church Street SE8 4RX London
