No Parking On Odd Days and The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole are two of late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun’s most famous monologues. Both works have been staged in English and Mandarin numerous times since they were written in the mid-1980s. In Dialects & Dialectics, Nelson Chia – the artistic director of Nine Years Theatre – works with actors Hang Qian Chou and Tay Kong Hui to explore the cultural sentiments and grassroots sensibilities of these plays by staging them in Chinese dialects. Come catch this double-bill showcase performed in Cantonese and Teochew. Chinese and English surtitles are provided.
The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole is centred on a man who has been tasked to oversee the funeral of his grandfather. It emerges that the grand coffin is too large to fit into the standard-sized grave that has been dug at the cemetery, so the man ends up fighting an uphill battle against government bureaucracy.
Playwright: Kuo Pao Kun
Vault Artist/Director: Nelson Chia
Production Coordinator: Mia Chee
Stage Manager/Sound Operator: Natalie Wong
Performers: Tay Kong Hui
Surtitlist: Jean Toh
Dialect Consultants: Elena Chia Choo Sian, Hung Chit-Wah, Lim Ngian Tiong, Ng Mun Poh
(Source: Nine Years Theatre Website)