Two magical evenings!!!
On Saturday, March 24, 2018 and Sunday, March 25, 2018 we premiered our puppet opera at Kai Tak Gallery, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University. Thank you to everyone who attended and thank you to everyone who made this performance possible. Special Thank you, of course to Master Wong, as well as Mandy, Becky and Jia Jia.
photos by Givy Lee

Zhong Kui, mostly known as the ghost catcher, is still frustrated about the unfair treatment he once received due to his facial appearance. Assisted by the White Bone Spirit, a shape-shifting demoness, who ended up in hell when she resisted her abusers, Zhong Kui catches a ride on a drone and leaves the hell of ancient times. He is now among us as a computer specialist behind a screen, who catches bots and viruses. “Zhong Kui and the Reform of Hell” draws a connection between storytelling and handheld devices. With the physical presence of the puppeteers in bringing ancient characters to life, eteam reveals the mechanics of how stories and news media are created. Yet, once a viewer is drawn into the story, these mechanics seem to disappear. The suspension of disbelief hovers in a state of fluctuation and one can’t help but wonder who is human, who is ghostly, who is artificial, who is controlled, who is operating, who is spirited and who has personality: the operators, the puppets, the technological devices, or the systems that keep them in proximity?

Characters

Zhong Kui — Wong Fai

White Bone Spirit — Franziska Lamprecht

Plastic Surgeon — Hajoe Moderegger

Modern Friend on the Dark Net — Hunag Jia Jia

W. (the Narrator) — Chung Mei King

Servants of the King of Hell — Wong Wai, Chung Mei King Video-gamers — Theo, Oskar, Anton, Hazel, Jerome,

Sylvie, Daphne, Cyrus, Kazushi, Harry

Script

Wong Fai, Franziska Lamprecht, Hajoe Moderegger with assistance from

Wong Wai and Chung Mei King

Music Composition

Xiong Quan Sheng, Peng Tao Rong

Voice Over

Zhong Kui — Li Yong Shun

White Bone Spirit — Ji Yao Yao

W. (the Narrator) — Chung Mei King, Alice Beard

Recording

Luo Dan Dian

Drone Operator

Hajoe Moderegger

Props , Costumes, Stage Design

Wong Fai, eteam, Chong Yuk Lai

Puppet Making

Plastic Surgeon — Yeh Shih Hung, Lin Jr Ming

Video Animations

Hajoe Moderegger, Beeple Crap

Communication and Translations

Chung Mei King, Wong Wai

Lighting

Louis Lamprecht

Thanks

Peter Benz, Tom O’Dea, Kevin Law, Parry Ling, Leung Fei Tung, Cheng Wing Mui, Priscilla Chiu, Phoebe Fan, Melissa Lee