“Laughter helps the bouffon to beautifully parody the bastards who put him on the blacklist. Laughter helps freedom.” – Philippe Gaulier
Our bouffon characters emerge from nowhere: the very wise Confucious, a retired soldier, an ill-humored Cantonese teacher, a small family and their neighbour, two friends, a mysterious woman and a child. They tell their stories in their own time, fussing over their own trivial lives and occasionally pondering their dreams. Their stories clash following the death of the child.
The event goes unnoticed, what follows is a series of questions, explanations, philosophising and general gossip. No one really knew who the child was, and do they really care? Life goes on in Hong Kong but something is looming.
Silent fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour: under the smoky sky of Hong Kong, the bouffons gather again.
They remain in limbo, full of loss, regret and confusion.
They laugh, they dance, they say ‘f*ck you’.
A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong is a finalist of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2021 and recipient of Newcastle Live Theatre Bursary.
Image credit: Jeffrey Choi
Creative Team
Papergang Theatre
Papergang Theatre is a theatre company with the aim of improving the representation of British East / South East Asian (BESEA) culture across the dramatic arts primarily in UK theatre. They produce work that is informed by the East Asian experience within Britain and the East Asian diaspora, inspired by the desire to see that perspective on stage.
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