一場意外的劇場療癒之旅

上個星期天，我走進了國家戲劇院，觀看綠光劇團改編自美國劇作家Tracy Letts經典作品《August: Osage County》的舞台劇《八月在我家》。說實話，出發前我心裡是忐忑的。上一次看綠光的作品《人間條件8》，即使被評為輕鬆愉快，我卻感受到了沉重。這一次，面對180分鐘的劇長與陌生的家族創傷主題，我更是猶豫不決，甚至擔心會感到沉悶。

但當幕布升起的那一刻，我的所有疑慮都煙消雲散了。

舞台設計的神奇魔力

兩層樓的家族剖面

那個兩層樓的住家剖面舞台設計，就像是一個巨大的袖珍盒。每一個房間的切割，每一盞燈光的亮滅，都精確得令人屏息。我坐在四樓看台，視覺效果更是如臨其境，彷彿真的走進了這個家族的私密空間。

時空切割的絲滑流暢

最令我臣服的，是導演與技術團隊如何在這個剖面舞台上，流暢地呈現共時與先後、聚焦與轉移的複雜時空變化。從頭到尾，觀眾的視線清晰地跟隨著每個房間的故事演進，一目了然。我無法想像，這樣的舞台調度要多麼絲滑與熟練，才能維持如此完美的觀看體驗。

綠光劇團的群戲傳奇

多層次的角色群像

這部戲的演員配置多到嚇人——從二人對手戲，擴展到三人、四人、五人，再到圓桌場景中聚集的所有人物。每一個角色都有自己的故事、自己的秘密、自己的傷痛。

我已經在《人間條件8》中看出綠光對群戲的掌握，但在《八月在我家》裡，這個特點被發揮到了極致。綠光的群戲，真是讚。不僅是演員的協調配合，更是整個舞台系統如何讓每一個人物都能被看見、被聽見。

看不見的人物造成的漣漪

劇情看似簡單——這是一對老夫妻的家，新來了原民看護。但後來老父失蹤，確認自殺身亡，引發了一系列連鎖反應。三個女兒分別陸續回到家中，每一個都帶著自己的問題、自己的創傷、自己的枷鎖。

有趣的是，那位早早離去、再也不出現在舞台上的父親（由吳念真飾演），竟然掀起了翻天覆地的波濤，成為了整部戲的核心引爆點。

王琄：我在舞台上看見的母親

一場複雜的情感碰撞

整部劇對我來說就是鬧哄哄的——群戲不斷，激動不斷，衝突層疊。但最深刻的碰撞，來自於王琄飾演的母親。

當她歇斯底里地在舞台上咆哮時，我以為看到的是——我媽。

即便我與王琄角色的經歷截然不同，但似乎她的每一個衝突點，我都能連結到身邊發生過的人與事。那些尖酸刻薄的言語、那些咄咄逼人的態度、那些震天的咆哮，都讓我感到無比熟悉。

厭惡與同情的雙重奏

說實話，我當下好討厭王琄。我極度厭惡她的行為方式，因為她像極了我媽，讓我的耳朵不時被轟炸到失聰的地步。

但同時，我又好同情她。我又覺得我好愛她。

因為她也讓我想起了我的媽媽——那些身體的疾病、那些疼痛、那些心痛、那些藥物成癮、那些無法控制的情緒發洩。當我看著她在舞台上的每一次失控，我都覺得我似乎可以理解背後的原因。

深層的同理與領悟

我媽也知道這一切。她只是逐漸失去了控制，或者說，不想再控制下去了。她只是想發洩那些無處可發洩的情緒。

坐在劇院裡，看著王琄的表演，我意識到，我當下的激動、我當下的同感、我的所有複雜情緒，幾乎都可以被我理解和同理。因為台上的王琄，就像我的母親。

從舞台走出，回到生活

對原作的期待

說實話，走出劇院時，我依然說不清楚自己的所有感受。但我想我知道一些事情了。

如果還有時間，我會需要把Tracy Letts的原作拿回來看，去理解英文版本中那些細膩的家族動態。我會需要再回來看一次綠光的這個製作，去捕捉那些第一次遺漏的細節。

最重要的功課

但更重要的是，我更需要好好地、好好地、認真地繼續和照護著我的母親。

劇場給了我鏡子，讓我在舞台的家族創傷中看見了自己、看見了家人、看見了那些複雜而深沉的愛。這也許就是藝術最珍貴的禮物。

English version below

An Unexpected Journey of Theatre Healing

Last Sunday, I walked into the National Theatre and witnessed Greenlight Theatre’s adaptation of Tracy Letts’ classic American play “August: Osage County,” titled “August in My Home” in Chinese. To be honest, I was anxious before going. When I watched Greenlight’s previous work “The Human Condition 8,” even though it was described as light and relaxing, I felt something heavier. This time, facing 180 minutes of runtime and an unfamiliar story about family trauma, I was even more hesitant, worried it might feel tedious.

But the moment the curtain rose, all my doubts vanished.

The Magic of Stage Design

A Two-Story Family Cross-Section

That two-story house cross-section stage design was like a giant dollhouse box. Every room division, every light cue, every spatial transition was executed with breathtaking precision. Sitting in the fourth-floor balcony, the visual effect felt immersive, as if I had truly entered this family’s intimate space.

Seamless Time and Space Transitions

What moved me most was how the director and technical team managed complex simultaneous and sequential scenes, focusing and shifting perspectives within this architectural stage. Throughout the entire performance, the audience’s gaze clearly followed each room’s narrative progression. I cannot imagine how much skill and refinement it took to maintain such a flawless viewing experience.

Greenlight Theatre’s Ensemble Mastery

Multi-Layered Character Ensemble

This play featured an impressive number of characters—expanding from duets to trios, quartets, quintets, and finally the entire cast gathered around a dinner table. Each character carries their own story, secrets, and wounds.

I already recognized Greenlight’s prowess with ensemble work in “The Human Condition 8,” but in “August in My Home,” this strength reaches its absolute peak. Greenlight’s ensemble work is truly remarkable. It’s not just about actor coordination, but how the entire staging system ensures every character is seen and heard.

The Ripple Effect of an Absent Presence

The plot seems simple on the surface—an elderly couple’s home, a new indigenous caregiver arrives. Then the father goes missing, confirmed dead by suicide, triggering a cascade of reactions. Three daughters return home one after another, each carrying their own problems, traumas, and burdens.

Interestingly, that father who leaves early and never reappears on stage (played by Wu Nian-zhen) becomes the explosive center of the entire play, the catalyst for overwhelming emotional turbulence.

Wang Qiuang: The Mother I Saw on Stage

A Complex Emotional Collision

For me, the entire play was chaotic—ensemble scenes relentless, emotions heightened, conflicts cascading. But the deepest collision came from Wang Qiuang’s portrayal of the mother.

When she became hysterical and howling on stage, I thought I was watching—my mother.

Although my experience differs completely from her character’s, every point of conflict she displayed connects to people and events in my own life. Her caustic remarks, her aggressive attitude, her earth-shaking screams—all felt painfully familiar.

A Dual Song of Hatred and Sympathy

Honestly, I hated Wang Qiuang in that moment. I despised her behavioral patterns intensely because she was so much like my mother, bombarding my ears to deafness.

Yet simultaneously, I sympathized with her deeply. I felt I loved her.

Because she also reminded me of my mother—the physical illness, the pain, the heartbreak, the medication addiction, the uncontrollable emotional outbursts. Watching every moment of her loss of control on stage, I felt I could understand the reasons behind it.

Deeper Empathy and Realization

My mother understands all this too. She simply gradually lost the ability to control it, or perhaps didn’t want to control it anymore. She just wanted to vent emotions that had nowhere else to go.

Sitting in that theater, watching Wang Qiuang’s performance, I realized that my emotional turmoil, my resonance, all my complex feelings could be understood and empathized with. Because the woman on stage was like my mother.

From Stage to Life

Anticipation for the Original Text

Walking out of the theater, I still couldn’t articulate all my feelings. But I think I know some things now.

If I have time, I need to read Tracy Letts’ original text to understand the nuanced family dynamics in the English version. I need to return and watch Greenlight’s production again, to catch details I missed the first time.

The Most Important Lesson

But more importantly, I need to continue caring for and accompanying my mother, genuinely and thoughtfully.

The theater gave me a mirror, letting me see myself, my family, and the complex and profound love in this family’s trauma. Perhaps this is art’s most precious gift.