Tell me your story in this room / One-to-one (On-going)
Through poetic manipulation of languages, the intimate interaction between the performer and audience construct a novel and safe space, allowing us to fully recognise one as a unique individual.
This is a study to see what languages do to us. This is an investigation on how to be free from ourselves. This is an on-going trial to eliminate discrimination.
Cart Noodle Show / Hybrid of Game Show and Storytelling Night (2021)
"A fun interactive experience that deforms into disillusionment and dystopia; it packs a poignant punch." - Kim Pearce, British Theatre Director
A hybrid of game show and storytelling night, “Cart Noodle Show” looked at the history of migration from Mainland China to Hong Kong in the second half of 20th Century and from Hong Kong to England nowadays.
Eight original stories about the infamous Hong Kong street food, cart noodles, were written with short films made mimicking East Asian folklores. Presented in Feb 2021, online audiences interacted with the hosts through zoom as they soon realized their attempts to win the game were in vain.
This was an experiment most pertinent to its time: the peak of a pandemic, lockdown with sensitive geopolitics. It was a low budget independent production that bravely told stories of desperation and perseverance.
Fantastic Frustration - Cart Noodle Show (Review)
Nick Swyft, Mark Aspen Reviews - 28 Feb 2021
"I loved Cart Noodle show. A fun interactive experience that deforms into disillusionment and dystopia; it packs a poignant punch. The viewer becomes the subject of a gamified system that is designed to disenfranchise them. The political implications of the work are clear but sophisticated. One is left feeling both entertained and with a deep sadness about what has been lost. The exciting visual world ShumGhostJohn are able to conjure in their white walled flat is an impressive testament to their endless creativity."
- Kim Pearce, British Theatre Director
‘(ShumGhostJohn) are among a number of Hong Kong-born artists who have found success in the British arts scene in recent years... As a group that emphasises the physical and tangible in their work, and frequently invokes Hong Kong’s identity as a central theme, gaining their own sense of this new “texture” was critical.'
- Ethan Paul, South China Morning Post
"Since most audiences will involve themselves with participation enthusiastically, it was interesting to note how disillusionment quickly set in."
- Nick Swyft, Mark Aspen Reviews
"Cart Noodle Show by ShumGhostJohn is a witty, fun and exciting game show for trying times like this. In the midst of the humour and fun of the game, what they really care about is embedded within the show and their artistic endeavours. It all reveals itself as the show went on, leaving you thinking about how you feel, what you just participated in and what are some of the effects in the wider contexts."- Dance Artist Jane Chan, Lecturer at LCDS, The Place
25-27 Feb 2021
Presented at DARE Festival, a playable theatre festival
by Upstart Theatre and Shoreditch Town Hall
Concept, Direction and Performance: ShumGhostJohn
Sound and Music: Angela Wai Nok Hui
Prop and Set Design: Jeffrey Choy
Mentoring: Tom Mansfield, Dawn King
To know more about this performance, please do not hesitate to contact us through info@ghostandjohn.art
