Namaskar Oct 2015

Tang Shu Wing
a story of selfrealization,
the
discovery of your
own journey
very deep and can reach the subconscious of
anyone, even if it is not known to that person.
When the audience witnesses this, they too
may be moved by it. Grotowoski called this
‘poor theatre’; it adhered to the notion of
negation not objection, removing obstacles
and taking away rather than adding to reveal
something pure.
After journeying to India, I began to see a link
with Grotwoski’s style of theatre and yoga;
it’s all about the discovery of one’s self. Yoga
is not about expression but about selfdiscovery
and realization. Theatre is the
opposite, so I wanted to place more
significance on self-discovery.
WHAT MESSAGES DO YOU HOPE TO
COMMUNICATE?
I wanted to comment on the current state of
society, humans and the problems we
encounter. I also wanted to explore
creativity, using Jobs as a platform. For me,
Steve Jobs is not just concerned with
commercial issues, he was asking some very
serious questions like ‘how can I combine art
and technology?’ eventually revolutionizing
the industry. He also had to deal with huge
personal problems.
Similar to the characters in the play, he is
concerned with making things less
complicated and simpler.
Contemplation and self-realization are about
your own discovery, your personal journey.
By using contemporary problems people are
facing, I hope to get the audience more
involved in the process.Characters are placed
in the yoga studio to do asanas while talking
about some very serious issues creating a
surreal picture. It’s a metamorphosis of the
yoga teacher. In the end there is no answer,
it’s up to you. If you are focused enough you
may discover something inside yourself.
WHAT SORT OF CHALLENGES DID YOU
HAVE TO OVERCOME TO PRODUCE
THIS PLAY?
Generating publicity! People don’t
necessarily know the deeper meaning behind
the production before they see the show,
only the synopsis. It’s only during or after
that people may begin to experience their
own transcendental journey.
IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW DO YOU
THINK PEOPLE VIEW MEDITATION AND
CONTEMPLATION?
It depends. Some people can’t meditate
because they find it difficult to calm down or
to think of nothing. Their minds are so
agitated they have thoughts and images all the
time. For others, they might ask‘what is the
use of meditation?’ from a very pragmatic
standpoint, because it consumes time. When
I encounter such people, after a few
conversations I realize there is no use in
pursuing the topic any further and I let it go.
For my actors it’s imperative and a very
fundamental part of their training.
Meditation is a channel not only for
concentration but also as a means to get in
touch with the unknown, both in your mind
and body. Most of them after learning the
basics find it rewarding and enjoyable to do
in their own time. This fantastic experience
also allows them to enter in to the process of
creation and become more focused and
balanced in their movement and behavior.
I’ve even worked with actors who are
devoutly Christian, believing meditation
should be focused solely on God. For them,
they believe clearing the mind of thoughts can
be dangerous, essentially clearing the space
for devils to enter. This is also a very
interesting angle to look at meditation.
HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR YOGA
BACKGROUND GUIDED THIS
CREATION?
Quite a lot. For me, this production is not
just a play but also a manifestation of my
personal experience, or how my personal
experience withyoga is communicated in the
form of theatrical art. So you could almost
say the audience is experiencing their own
yoga lesson by watching the play! Pranayama
was also crucial as breathing is fundamental
for an actor.
Similar to the Bhagavad Gita, it’s about
dialogues and interactions between
characters. In the end, it’s not just about the
yoga teachings but also about the human
stories and common experience viewed in
this particular way, that we can talk about in
a theatrical setting. These issuescan be
difficult to talk about in daily life, although
the play is very down to earth.
For my actors, not all of them have
experience in yoga. Teaching them
challenging poses, asanas, whilst talking
about certain topics would correspond to the
theatrical aura can be a difficult and
interesting process.There is an intuition to
selecting what poses should be done, but I
feel I have chosen them appropriately.
‘Why Aren’t You Steve Jobs’ will run 12- 22
November 2015 at Black Box, Hong Kong
Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong. For more
information: http://tswtheatre.com/en/
portfolio-index/why-arent-you-steve-jobs/
Also creating a central idea from nothing,
only Steve Jobs. Then in turn developing that
in to greater themes. The process has been
challenging but ultimately very rewarding.
26 NAMASKAR