All The World's A Sea (2024)

1 August 2024 – 4 August 2024 @ Singtel Waterfront Theatre, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Synopsis

Seeking anchor in a world buffeted by unrest, All The World’s A Sea presents the journeys of the uprooted and displaced — where despair and oppression sit alongside hope and resistance.

A captured nose. A body in limbo. 
A transplanted tongue. 
Aberrant eyes. Ears lost in translation. 
Consciousness gone rogue.

Who am I? What am I?

Inspired by the Buddhist philosophy of Ayatana  (six senses), director Kuo Jian Hong builds upon her 2018 epic I came at last to the seas (commissioned for Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts) for a bold new reimagination. Bringing together an international team from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Nanjing and USA, the interdisciplinary epic fuses evocative storytelling with ambitious scenographic design. 

All The World’s A Sea is presented by The Theatre Practice, in collaboration with Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay, and features performers from Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Jiangsu Performing Arts Group (Kun Opera Theatre) and Sun Son Theatre.

CREATIVE TEAM

Concept/Director: Kuo Jian Hong
Story: Liu Xiaoyi, Kuo Jian Hong
Script: Liu Xiaoyi
Additional Text: Cast
Script Research Assistant: Ng Mun Poh
Movement Director: Okorn-Kuo Jing Hong
Set Designer: Szu-Feng Chen
Associate Set Designer: Lee Bee Bee
Lighting & Projection Designer: Genevieve Peck
Associate Projection Designer: Ian Lee
Sound Designer: Guo Ningru
Composer & Arranger: Joel Sim Shao Chong
Additional Music: Shao Jean Sim
Costume Designer: MAX.TAN
Hair Designer: Ashley Lim 
Make-Up Designer: Bobbie Ng from The Make Up Room
Props Designer: Chan Lee Lee
Script Translator: Zoea Tania
 

CAST

Nose
Ba Song - Lee Ming-Che 
Si Ying - Ang Xiao Ting
Prisoners of war - Vivian Chan, Chang Wei Loy, Ng Mun Poh
Relief troop - Hang Qian Chou, Clinton Zhang

The Black Ghost
Black Ghost -  Zhao Yu Tao
Black Ghost’s Bride - Ella Wee

Consciousness
Min Zai - Hang Qian Chou
Eleven - Clinton Zhang
Ego - Ng Mun Poh

Eye
Ah Yun - Vivian Chan
Da Zhu - Chang Wei Loy
Villagers - Ang Xiao Ting, Hang Qian Chou, Lee Ming-Che, Ng Mun Poh, Clinton Zhang

Tongue
Bi Lin - Ng Mun Poh
Ling - Ang Xiao Ting
Georgia - Vivian Chan
Wayne - Zhao Yu Tao
Host - Clinton Zhang
Contestants - Lee Ming-Che, Chang Wei Loy, Zhao Yu Tao

Body
Yao Guang - Clinton Zhang
Ah Zi - Lee Ming-Che
God of Death - Chang Wei Loy
Courier - Bobo Sing

Ear
Jasmine - Ang Xiao Ting
Jasmine 母亲 Mother - Vivian Chan
Jasmine 父亲 Father - Hang Qian Chou
 

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer: Michelle Tan
Production Manager: Lam Dan Fong (The Backstage Affair)
Technical Manager: Kailash
Stage Manager: Woon Siew Yin
Assistant Stage Managers & Ensemble, Bobo Sing, Ginnie Tan 
Stage Crew & Ensemble: Niklaus Chia, Zoea Tania, Ella Wee, Wong Yun Jie
Scenic Artist: Lee Hsiao Wan
Audio Mixer: Estella Lee
Projection Programmer & Operator: Ian Lee
Lighting Programmer: Tan Yi Kai
Surtitle Operator: Wong Tsz Yau
Wardrobe Mistress: Zhiying
Wardrobe Assistants: Nurynne Aliesya, Olivia Hatton, Teo Yi Ping
Hair Assistant: Michelle Wai
Make-Up Assistant: The Make Up Room
Technical Crew: Ed-Linddi Ong, Rizal Sarpani

(Source: The Theatre Practice Programme)


credits

Kuo Jian Hong
Conceptualizer, Director, Story
Liu Xiaoyi
Story, Playwright
Ng Mun Poh
Research Assistant, Cast
Okorn-Kuo Jing Hong
Movement Director
Szu-Feng Chen
Set Designer
Lee Bee Bee
Associate Set Designer
Genevieve Peck
Lighting Designer, Projection Designer
Ian Lee
Associate Projection Designer, Projection Programmer, Projection Operator

artefacts

All The World's A Sea (2024), Programme
Programme for All The World's A Sea (2024).
The Theatre Practice
Recorded: 1 August 2024