https://www.onandon.org.hk/past-production/2010-the-young-hunger-artist-k
Story
k, the city’s most popular and youngest hunger performer, challenges the ultimate limit of fasting for 100 consecutive days!
Hunger for weight loss, hunger for healing, hunger for yoga, hunger for catwalks, hunger for cosplay, hunger for talk shows, hunger for protests, hunger for spiritual practice… k is the hottest topic in town!
The girl, while wandering through an old subway platform, suddenly heard a call from within her body. She sat down on the ground and became a hunger artist, using fasting as her performance. What she didn’t expect was that fasting would bring her fame, wealth, healing, exploitation, criticism, praise, therapy, and disdain. In her subconscious, she vaguely sensed the generational legacy of fasting artists from her father. However, in this era, when hunger is consumed and turned into entertainment, is true fasting art still possible?
The Young Hunger Artist. k draws its concept from A Hunger Artist, a work by Franz Kafka, reimagined by renowned local writer Tung Kai Cheung. Infused with local and youth elements, it uses absurdity and black humor to explore the meaning of being a modern individual, together with young actors and theater audiences. An eternal classic, reinterpreted for the present.
k，全城最紅、最年輕的飢餓表演者，挑戰連續一百天斷食的極限！
斷食瘦身、斷食療病、斷食瑜珈、斷食catwalk、斷食cosplay、斷食talk show、斷食抗爭、斷食修行……k是全城焦點熱話！
少女k在地鐵月台轉時的時候，突然聽到體內發出的呼喚，在地上坐下來，成為以斷食作為表演的飢餓藝術家。她沒有想到的是，她將要因為斷食而受到崇拜、吹捧、窺視、利用、打擊、憐憫、治療、鄙棄……她的潛意識裡，隱約浮現從父親身上得到創飢餓藝術家的遺傳，然而，在身處的世代，當飢餓被消費，當飢餓成為娛樂，真正的飢餓藝術還可能嗎？
《斷食少女：k》概念源自被喻為最能體現體現卡夫卡心態與困境的作品《飢餓藝術家》，由本地知名作家董啟章重新創作，注入本土及年青人元素，深入淺出，以荒誕、黑色幽默的手法，與年青演員及劇場觀眾一同尋找作為現代人的意義。永恆經典，再現當下。
Director’s Notes
Balancing Art and Digestive Health
Looking back, during every rehearsal period, my stomach seemed to lose interest in food. Whether dining in or ordering takeout, I would choose something simple like ham and eggs rice, just to complete the task of eating and get back to work—creating and rehearsing. As the performance days approached, my stomach stopped sending hunger signals, as if it knew I had to push forward and that stopping to refuel was secondary or unnecessary. Honestly, I knew myself well; the lack of appetite was due to mental stress, leading to abnormal physiological reactions. Eating poorly or not eating at all was harmful to me and worried those around me.
This time, as I prepare for rehearsals, I hope to move forward into a new state—no longer harming my stomach and instead feeling cheerful and healthy during rehearsals. Therefore, I deliberately find decent restaurants before each rehearsal and eat something I like or rarely eat to cheer myself up. My “eat well" plan has brought joy to my family, friends, and colleagues. The happiest person is my mother, who always worries I’ll starve; because I eat, she praises me for being good.
The play I’m rehearsing is about “fasting and hunger." Reflecting on it, it feels like I need to personally experience the essence of it to help the actors “get into character." Before officially instructing the actors to “sacrifice for art," I first practiced “method acting" by fasting myself. Initially, I wanted to eat more, but instead, I ended up not eating—once again neglecting my stomach, and this time even more severely.
When fasting began (only eating apples, drinking water, and juice), my mother thought I was dieting with my wife to stay fit, and the helper saved herself the trouble of asking me what to cook for dinner. Skipping one or two meals was manageable. When I fasted for several hours, I told my wife, “I feel great." She scolded me, saying rehearsing doesn’t require risking my life and that not eating could kill me. After several more hours, I was still fine, and my mother went from worrying to treating me as if I wasn’t there, asking as usual, “Are you coming home for dinner tonight?" After several more hours, my wife stopped scolding me and instead bought me apples and juice. She must have wondered whether she was helping or harming me. Friends thought I had suddenly become devout, seeking spiritual growth or redemption. Inspired by my actions, the actors couldn’t refuse and began fasting in relay fashion.
When I ate the limited food I could, I found water sweeter, fruits fresher, and juice smoother. Every food item in the supermarket seemed delicious. I slowed down, and though time passed quickly, there was no need to rush. I felt “open." I thought, since I’m open now, why cling to fasting? Continuing to fast—was it to be different? To gain attention? To challenge myself? To reach a certain state? Or was it art for art’s sake? Was fasting the cause or the effect? Hunger is ultimately a personal experience, and only the individual can truly feel it. I believe art is also ultimately completed by individuals, but in the end, is it only one person who can feel it? Of course not, I believe. But hunger—can only one person truly “feel" it?
Fasting and hunger are tools. If my goal is simply to be open, do I really need to cling to anything?
Being open is easier said than done. I know that after “resuming eating," I’ll return to my old ways and neglect my stomach again. Because I haven’t yet reached that state.
But there’s always tomorrow.
導演的話
搞好藝術，亦要搞好腸胃
回想過去，在每次排練演期間，我的腸胃也像對食物失去興趣。每次用膳，無論是堂食或外賣，我也點如火腿雙蛋飯般的東西，只想草草的把任務完成，食物送進口裡﹔之後，又可以回到工作當中，再創作再排練。越接近演出的日子，腸胃沒有向我發出飢餓的訊息，它就像知道我要向前衝，停下來補給是次要或不需要的事情。老實說，自己知自己事﹔無胃口是因為精神緊張，以致生理反應不正常。吃不下，吃得不好，這樣對自己無好處，更叫身邊的人替我擔心。
今次為前進進排練，我也希望前進，進入另一個境況，不再壞了腸胃，令自己排練時身心開朗。因此，我刻意在每次排練前，找家似樣的食店，吃自己喜歡或平時少吃的東西，為自己打打氣。我這「吃得下」的計劃，家人朋友同事，也為我開懷。最開心的是我阿媽，成日怕我餓壞﹔因為我吃，她讚我乖。
排練的劇目是有關「斷食和飢餓」，思前想後，像要親身體驗過中滋味，才可以幫演員「入戲」。在未正式吩咐演員們「為藝術而犠牲」，我先自行以「方法演技」式去排練，斷食去也。原本想多吃，反而變了不吃，又再跟腸胃過不去﹔而今次更絕。
斷食開始時 (只吃蘋果、清水及果汁)，阿媽以為我跟太太一同瘦身keep fit，家傭省了問我今餐食咩餸。不吃一餐半餐，還可以。當我斷食超過了若干小時，跟太太說﹕自我感覺良好。她責怪我排戲不用搵命搏，唔食嘢會死人。又過了若干小時，我仍無穿無爛，阿媽由擔心變成當我無到，一如以往的問﹕你今晚返唔返嚟食飯﹖再過了若干小時，太太不再責怪，反而為我買了蘋果及果汁，她的心應該在想，是幫我或是害我呢﹖朋友以為我突然虔誠想增長靈命，或是懇求贖罪。演員在我身體力行之下，不可推搪，以接力方式進行斷食。
當我把僅可以吃的吃下，更覺清水的甘甜，水果的新鮮，果汁的香滑﹔在超市看見的食物，每樣也變得味道好好。我放慢了腳步，時間流逝得快，但不一定要心急。人，似是Open了。我想，既然在這刻是Open了，又為何要執著斷不斷食呢﹖繼續斷食，是為了與眾不同﹖是為了別人關注﹖是為了挑戰自己？是為了達到某個境界﹖或是為了藝術而藝術﹖斷食是因還是果﹖飢餓，由此至終靠個人去完成，最後亦只有個人才可原汁原味的感受到。我認為，藝術由此至終亦是由個人去完成，但到了最後是否只得一個人才可感受得到﹖當然不是，我認為。而斷食，飢餓又真的只有個人才可「感受」得到﹖
斷食，飢餓，也是一種手段，當我為的只是open的時候，還真的要執著什麼嗎﹖
Open，談何容易。我知道，當「復食」後，我會走回舊路，又跟「腸胃」過不去。因為，我仍未去到那個境界。
不過，來日方長。
Production of On and On Theatre Workshop / 前進進戲劇工作坊 製作
International Arts Carnival 2010 國際綜藝合家歡 2010
30 – 31 July, 1 August 2010 / Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre 香港文化中心劇場
Playwright: Tung Kai Cheung / Director: Indy Lee 編劇﹕董啟章 / 導演﹕李俊亮
INDY LEE 李俊亮 