Reconstructing the Actor and Props
A Solo Performance of “The Other Woman” and Preliminary Dialogue with Speculative Objects
演員與道具的重構
單人表演《女二》與推測物件的前期對話
創作夥伴：鄧九雲
Cooperate with Joanne Deng
計畫支持：台灣當代文化實驗場 CREATORS 計畫 2023
selected by CREATORS PLAN 2023
supported by Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-Lab)
Reconstruction of Actor and Prop:
Solo Performance “The Supporting Role” and Preliminary Dialogue with Speculative Objects
When developing a theatrical work from a script or story, we often encounter a persistent feeling: Is this really the “reality” limit of the story? If emotions in a performance originate from the actor’s body, and the meaning of objects in a scene comes from their narrative context, we boldly hypothesize—what if the story is born from the essence of both? How would actors interact with speculative, designed objects in ways that create “improvisational dramas” between the performer and the prop, unfolding new forms of viewing, acting, and design?
This project takes the Taipei Literary Award-winning script The Supporting Role as its foundation, exploring how speculative design can influence an actor’s theatrical reality within a stage framework. The development revolves around the tension between reality and fiction. It is further expanded upon through the “Exit Declaration” experimental series inspired by French actress Adèle Haenel’s politically charged public statement about stepping back from the film industry. This serves as a medium for The Supporting Role, using real-world issues to echo the fictional-real interplay within the script.
The designer and performer work in tandem, with “impossibility/unconventionality” as the core design concept, to explore the constraints of creating “what is possible” while the performer also embodies the original author. The research focuses on the condition of secondary characters and how props, often relegated to a supporting role, can take center stage under the spotlight. It examines how these objects stimulate and reinterpret the reality of a “different protagonist,” challenging traditional notions of performance and design.
每當我們從一個文本或故事發展出可供觀賞的戲劇作品時，總不免感到疑問——這是否就是該故事「現實」的極限？在表演中，若情緒的本質源自演員的身體，而情境中的物件意義則來自敘事情節，那我們是否可以假設，當故事降生在兩者的本質中，演員應該會如何與被設計過的推測性物件互動，創造演員與物件間的對手戲狀態，得以展開新的觀讀、表演、設計形式。
本計劃以台北文學獎年金得獎作品《女二》為文本基底，在劇場空間框架下，探索推測設計如何影響演員的戲劇現實，並以真實與虛構作為核心發展主軸。在此過程中，計劃藉由法國影后阿黛兒·艾奈爾（Adèle Haenel）因政治立場而宣布息影的公開信為靈感，發展出「退出宣言」系列實驗。此系列作為《女二》的延伸介質，嘗試透過真實議題回應文本創作中虛實交錯的語境。
設計師與表演者在計劃中並行合作，以「不可能/不尋常」作為設計的核心思考，探索表演者作為原著作者時，創造「何謂可能」的種種限制。創研的概念聚焦於「第二主角」的狀態，並探討輔助性「道具」在舞台聚光燈下，如何激發與詮釋一個全然不同的「主角」的真實狀態。
這項計劃試圖重新思考演員與道具的關係，並以推測設計的角度挑戰戲劇創作的可能性。
Reconstruction of Actor and Prop:
Solo Performance “The Supporting Role” and Preliminary Dialogue with Speculative Objects
When developing a theatrical work from a script or story, we often encounter a persistent feeling: Is this really the “reality” limit of the story? If emotions in a performance originate from the actor’s body, and the meaning of objects in a scene comes from their narrative context, we boldly hypothesize—what if the story is born from the essence of both? How would actors interact with speculative, designed objects in ways that create “improvisational dramas” between the performer and the prop, unfolding new forms of viewing, acting, and design?
This project takes the Taipei Literary Award-winning script The Supporting Role as its foundation, exploring how speculative design can influence an actor’s theatrical reality within a stage framework. The development revolves around the tension between reality and fiction. It is further expanded upon through the “Exit Declaration” experimental series inspired by French actress Adèle Haenel’s politically charged public statement about stepping back from the film industry. This serves as a medium for The Supporting Role, using real-world issues to echo the fictional-real interplay within the script.
The designer and performer work in tandem, with “impossibility/unconventionality” as the core design concept, to explore the constraints of creating “what is possible” while the performer also embodies the original author. The research focuses on the condition of secondary characters and how props, often relegated to a supporting role, can take center stage under the spotlight. It examines how these objects stimulate and reinterpret the reality of a “different protagonist,” challenging traditional notions of performance and design.
Below is the process and content of this creator’s project, for checking Speculative design props, please visit:What if/ Magic if
從文本中，以真實與虛構作為核心發展，預計邀請三位演員作為試驗、工作坊與最終成果發表作為本次計劃的創作成果。
發展期間，法國演員Adele Haenel政治性息影的公開信啟發我們以「退出宣言」角度切入，進行中期的宣言書寫，舉辦書寫工作坊最終蒐集到十四篇宣言，並拍攝錄像（十四支宣言影片）。其中由曾乙文對Adele這份“公開信”的意圖與核心並結合演員們的訪談來設計出幾件單人表演即興時的推測設計道具，以鄧九雲作為導演與文本規劃，呈現最初的兩次「演員與道具」的試驗（兩支錄像總長約三十分鐘）——分別為吳定謙的「退出他兒子」，與賴舒勤的「退出憂鬱症」。
後期開始，在台灣九月的文博會進行了一場單人讀劇，透過轉換各種表演元素——觀看、虛擬空間發言（Line群組）、舞台界線、多焦點凝視、Ai變臉等，進行「取消表演與主體」的各種嘗試。經獨劇的實驗過程後，在原計劃的第三場演員邀請中，以鄧九雲與書中的角色黃澄做為主角，呈現一場單人表演。 最後在十月底在排練吧完成三場【如果，我取消＿＿＿】open rehearsal 的演出（長度一小時）。演出內容回扣虛構與真實的主軸，以鄧九雲自身一次次的退出（退出表演、作者、我、女人）為整體結構，搭配小提琴家盧思蒨（客座藝術家）現場即興式的對談，試驗在音樂範疇如何進行「退出」。而設計師曾乙文則在現場進行從零開始的設計，是本計畫最後階段給《女二》主角黃澄的物件，在演出尾聲以簡報（lecture performance）的方式講述給觀眾。
其中特別直得探討的是，用Ai生成了一張黃澄的臉，換置在鄧九雲的宣言錄像中，等於製造出一個視覺實體的「黃澄」。這部分體現了觀眾自身對於「真實與虛構」的思維落差。有人以為黃澄只是另一個演員扮演的，有人覺得奇怪卻因視覺近乎「真實」而無法思考科技介入的可能性。陪伴員杜思慧老師總結道：「小說《女二》是作家鄧九雲真實地一個字一個字打出來的虛構小說，但在這計畫中一路走來，真實與虛構最後落下句點在人類世要面臨的更大挑戰，即為分辨人類存在與AI創造品的真偽。」
以下是這次創作者計畫的過程與內容，推測設計道具作品的獨立介紹請到： What if/ Magic if
First Creative Phase
If I Quit Being His Son: Ting-Chien Wu
Text/Director: Joanne Deng
Designer: Yiwen Tseng
From the initial experience of narrative and objects, it is observed that speculative design objects are introduced into the actors’ performance space. These objects serve as points of tension in the unfolding scenarios, as actors portray both their real and fictional selves. Unlike traditional props that primarily support plot development and serve as narrative details, speculative design objects, through unconventional functionalities, open up possibilities for alternative storylines, thereby influencing the actors’ original script. These objects attempt to interact with actors in a manner akin to a dialogue partner, forming a dynamic relationship of push and pull.
Unlike previous speculative designs that used objects to bring out fictional narratives, this initial experiment reduces the designer’s control over the narrative text and incorporates multiple choices into the objects. Although some functions are preset, they assist actors in expressing their inner states when choosing to use a particular function. Simultaneously, the designer, when setting these functions, also considers how the audience interprets the psychological chain reactions when an actor chooses to “quit” a certain identity. The use of these objects may even piece together a portrayal of the actor’s character that is both real and fictional.
第一次的創研
如果，我退出他兒子：吳定謙
文本/導演：鄧九雲
設計師：曾乙文
從第一次的敘事與物件的經驗來看，推測設計物件被引入演員的表演現場，並在演員演出真實的自己與虛構的自己過程中，作為情境展開的矛盾點。與傳統道具不同的是，傳統道具主要輔助劇情發展，作為細節的敘事支撐；而在推測設計的邏輯下，道具通過非常規的設計功能，開啟更多故事選擇的可能性，進而影響演員原本的劇本設計。這些物件嘗試以對手戲的方式與演員互動，形成一種進退與拉扯的動態關係。
與以往以物件帶出虛構敘事的推測設計不同，此次計劃的首次實驗減弱了設計師對敘事文本的控制，並在物件上設置多重選擇。儘管某些功能是預設的，但它們恰好能幫助演員在選擇使用某一功能時，表現其內心狀態。同時，設計師在功能設置時，也考慮了觀眾如何解讀演員選擇「退出」某身份時的心理連鎖反應。這些物件的使用甚至可能拼湊出演員既真實又虛構的性格面貌。
Second Creative Phase
If I Quit Depression: ShuChin Lai
Text/Director: Joanne Deng
Designer: Yiwen Tseng
In the second performance, all series of products (props) were assembled into a speculative device, allowing the actor to maintain control in the “real” plot and perform freely in the “fictional” state. In the initial design, some objects were interconnected to enhance the dramatic possibilities of the narrative. However, in the second performance, these objects functioned more as alternative counterparts, creating a balance with the actor.
This experiment focuses on using the “goldfish” as a symbol of the actor’s usual depressive emotional state. The actor once stated, “When she exits depression, although it troubles her, losing it also makes her uneasy.” The goldfish symbolizes both depression and beautiful things. The feeder becomes an emotion collector, where the actor’s emotional fluctuations affect the goldfish’s survival and reactions. The amount of feeding, influenced by the actor’s mood swings, can lead to water quality deterioration, symbolizing psychological instability.
Throughout the process, whether the actor chooses to “exit depression” depends entirely on her decisions. Whether releasing the goldfish or letting it die (e.g., overfeeding or starvation) serves as a profound reflection on “exiting” and “remaining.” This experiment does not focus on the outcome but presents the process between “exiting” and “remaining,” exploring whether the actor can truly adapt to the daily life and social interactions of a “healthy” psyche after losing depression.
This performance centers on the core issue of exiting depression, exploring the actor’s struggle between emotions and identity, prompting questions and reflections. When the actor views depression as a companion, self-identity, and a source of creativity, how will her real world be redefined once these emotions vanish? This is a profound interpretation exploring inner conflicts and external behaviors.
If I Quit Depression: ShuChin Lai
Text/Director: Joanne Deng
Designer: Yiwen Tseng
In the second performance, all series of products (props) were assembled into a speculative device, allowing the actor to maintain control in the “real” plot and perform freely in the “fictional” state. In the initial design, some objects were interconnected to enhance the dramatic possibilities of the narrative. However, in the second performance, these objects functioned more as alternative counterparts, creating a balance with the actor.
This experiment focuses on using the “goldfish” as a symbol of the actor’s usual depressive emotional state. The actor once stated, “When she exits depression, although it troubles her, losing it also makes her uneasy.” The goldfish symbolizes both depression and beautiful things. The feeder becomes an emotion collector, where the actor’s emotional fluctuations affect the goldfish’s survival and reactions. The amount of feeding, influenced by the actor’s mood swings, can lead to water quality deterioration, symbolizing psychological instability.
Throughout the process, whether the actor chooses to “exit depression” depends entirely on her decisions. Whether releasing the goldfish or letting it die (e.g., overfeeding or starvation) serves as a profound reflection on “exiting” and “remaining.” This experiment does not focus on the outcome but presents the process between “exiting” and “remaining,” exploring whether the actor can truly adapt to the daily life and social interactions of a “healthy” psyche after losing depression.
This performance centers on the core issue of exiting depression, exploring the actor’s struggle between emotions and identity, prompting questions and reflections. When the actor views depression as a companion, self-identity, and a source of creativity, how will her real world be redefined once these emotions vanish? This is a profound interpretation exploring inner conflicts and external behaviors.
第二次的創研
如果，我退出憂鬱症：賴舒勤
文本/導演：鄧九雲
設計師：曾乙文
在第二次的演出中，所有系列性產品（道具）被集結成一個推測性裝置，讓演員在「真實」的劇情中保有主控性，並在「虛構」的狀態下自由表演。原本在第一次的設計中，一些物件之間存在聯通關係，增加敘事線的戲劇化可能性，但在第二次的演員演出中，物件更多地作為另類對手戲的角色，與演員形成制衡。
此次實驗聚焦於以「金魚」象徵演員她平時憂鬱症的情緒狀態。演員曾表示：「當她退出憂鬱症時，雖然憂鬱症帶來困擾，但失去它也讓她感到不安。」金魚既是憂鬱症的象徵，也是美好事物的化身。餵食器成為情緒採集器，透過演員的情緒起伏影響金魚的生存與反應。演員的情緒波動直接影響餵食的量，過量可能導致水質惡化，進而象徵心理狀態的不穩定。
整個過程中，演員是否選擇「退出憂鬱症」完全取決於她的決策，無論是放生金魚還是任由其死亡（例如餵食過量或餓死），都是對「退出」與「留下」的深刻反思。這次試驗並不聚焦於結果，而是呈現「退出」與「留下」之間的過程，探討演員在失去憂鬱症後，是否能真正適應「健康」心理的日常與交際。
這次表演以退出憂鬱症為核心議題，探索演員在情緒與身份間的拉扯，為其帶來提問與反思。當演員將憂鬱症視為陪伴、自我認同與創作來源，一旦這些情緒化為烏有，她的真實世界又將如何被重新定義？這是一場探討內心矛盾與外在行為的深刻演繹。
Third Creative Phase
If I Quit ______: Huang Cheng, Joanne Deng
Designer: Yiwen Tseng
After extensive observation of Huang Cheng and engaging with the text, whether as a whole or in fragments, it became possible to discern traces of her personality within the narrative. Similarly, after spending significant time with Joanne Deng, her meticulous character development became apparent. This mutual interaction gave rise to a unique phenomenon: Huang Cheng is not Joanne Deng, and Joanne Deng is not Huang Cheng, yet there exists a subtle connection between them.
In Huang Cheng’s experimental design process, we deliberately blurred the boundaries between reality and fiction, overlaying Joanne Deng’s experiences as an author onto her characters, culminating in a staged performance. Thus, whether the third actor is truly Huang Cheng or Joanne Deng is a question left for the audience to interpret.
Huang Cheng’s story in The Second Woman always begins with her relationship with her elder sister, Huang Qian. Their inseparable bond often mirrored that of a mother and daughter. Huang Cheng unconsciously imitated her sister’s habits. To explore this dynamic, I initially designed objects incorporating memory-responsive materials, such as coffee cups. When Huang Cheng used a cup previously handled by her sister, its shape would reflect the sister’s emotional state, allowing Huang Cheng to “feel” her sister’s experiences.
However, Huang Cheng is more than a mere imitator. She immerses herself in the worldviews and memories of others, reflecting her own emotions through their lens. Over time, she mastered the ability to quickly enter and exit these experiences, ultimately internalizing and compartmentalizing her emotions. This characteristic reminded me of Joanne Deng’s concept of “drawers”—a metaphor for organizing and distancing oneself from emotions. For Huang Cheng, imitation became a way to accumulate material for future performances, but it also led her to gradually lose her sense of self. She left her lover, entrusted her child to her sister, and ultimately fulfilled the role of “becoming someone else,” rejecting the opportunity to truly become herself.
Drawing on Huang Cheng’s ability to switch between emotional states, I designed an object distinct from the “props” in the first two experiments—an AI Personality Development Machine. This device features passive and active functionalities. The passive mode tracks Huang Cheng’s daily interactions, recording others’ tone, attitude, and habits. The active mode allows her to input her own perspective and preferences, such as her sister’s dislike of acidic coffee, love for jazz, and decisiveness in any situation.
By aggregating this data, the AI generates an independent personality, integrating knowledge from philosophy and psychology to form a cohesive worldview. Huang Cheng can converse with and act alongside this AI, using it to explore roles or reflect on her inner self. The AI becomes a hybrid representation of her life, embodying both fiction and reality.
The essence of speculative design lies not in the object’s form but in its ability to merge concepts with narratives to offer new perspectives. In this project, the AI serves as the central medium, encouraging the audience to reconsider how an actor interacts with design and character, exploring the boundaries between reality and fiction. This experiment is not just a design exercise but the beginning of a multi-layered narrative exploration.
第三次創研過程
如果，我退出＿＿：黃澄 鄧九雲
設計師：曾乙文
觀察了黃澄很多次，從閱讀文本開始，不論是全篇或片段式，都能從情節之中捕捉到黃澄的性格特徵。同樣地，與鄧九雲多次相處後，也能感受到九雲在人物塑造中的用心。這樣的雙向互動使得一個獨特的現象產生：黃澄並不是九雲，九雲也不是黃澄，但她們之間卻存在著一種微妙的連結。
在黃澄的設計實驗中，我們刻意模糊真實與虛構的界線，將鄧九雲作為作者的經驗與角色進行重疊，完成了一場階段性的演出。因此，究竟這第三位演員是黃澄還是鄧九雲，這個答案被留給觀眾自行解讀。
談到《女二》中黃澄的故事，總是從她與姐姐黃茜的關係開始。她們從小形影不離，姐妹關係更像母女，黃澄不自覺地模仿姐姐的習慣。我最初設計了一些與記憶材質相關的物件，比如咖啡杯，讓黃澄在使用姐姐用過的杯子時，能透過杯子的形態感受到姐姐當下的情緒狀態。
但黃澄不僅僅是模仿，她還習慣深入不同角色的世界觀與記憶中，並以此反射自身的情感狀態。她學會快速進出這些經驗，最終將情緒與記憶收納到內心深處，形成一種內化的習慣。這特質讓我聯想到九雲曾提到的“抽屜”概念——收納卻也疏離。對黃澄來說，模仿他人是為了在未來表演中有所積累，但這樣的習慣也讓她逐漸失去了自我。她離開了愛人，將孩子交給姐姐，最終成全了“成為別人的自己”，婉拒了成為自己的機會。
從黃澄對情感經驗的切換能力出發，我設計了一個不同於前兩次“道具”的物件——AI性格養成機。這個裝置分為主動與被動兩種功能。被動餵養能追蹤黃澄每日的社交互動，記錄他人的語氣、態度與習慣；主動餵養則允許她輸入個人視角下的記憶與偏好，比如姐姐不喜歡喝酸咖啡、喜歡爵士樂，是一個在任何情況下都知道自己要什麼的人。
AI透過數據收集，生成一個獨立的性格，並進一步與哲學、心理學的知識體系進行整合，形成一個完整的世界觀。黃澄可以與AI對話、對戲，模仿角色或探索內心，而AI則成為她生活的混合體現。
推測設計的重點不在於物件的形態，而是透過議題與概念結合，展現出全新的敘事視角。本次計畫以AI作為核心媒介，讓觀者重新審視演員如何透過設計與角色互動，並探討真實與虛構的邊界。這不僅是一場設計的實驗，更是一次多重敘事的開端。
最終，由第三位演員鄧九雲與黃澄之間的對話，作為第三位演員的發表呈現，如果想要影片連結，歡迎聯繫。
Finally, the presentation of the third actor features a dialogue between Joanne Deng and Huang Cheng. If you would like the video link, please feel free to contact us.
Finally, the presentation of the third actor features a dialogue between Joanne Deng and Huang Cheng. If you would like the video link, please feel free to contact us.
以下是計畫中，關於設計的講座(工作室開放日/文博會活動)與工作坊花絮--讀劇與文本工作坊部分待更新
Here are some highlights from the design-related lectures(Open Studio) and workshops in the project--The sections on play readings and text workshops updates soon
Cooperate with Joanne Deng
Interviewed by CLABO
Selected by CREATORS PLAN 2023
Project support by Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-Lab)