This summer, Bonni Chan, co-artistic director of Theatre du Pif, worked with 11 Tuen Mun housewives—aged 60 on average—to bring "11 Voyagresses" to the stage. With no professional acting background and only a loosely structured script, these women stepped into the spotlight to share something far deeper than performance. The production is not merely a play, but a living tapestry of real lives—each scene revealing personal struggles, lingering emotions, and a collective journey toward healing and relief.
The connection between Bonni and these women stretches back two decades. It all began with a thought-provoking question: "What led you to settle in Tuen Mun?" This inquiry sparked a journey into the past, revealing the stories of these women's ancestors who emigrated to Hong Kong and lived their lives in Tuen Mun. Such exploration blossomed into the work "Gateways," a narrative rich in the historical significance of Hong Kong, which addresses themes of heritage and identity.
Now, 20 years later, their paths converge once more—this time with Bonni shifting her artistic focus to their lives as they are today. "I care more about their present," she explains. "What are they going through? What do they worry about, fear, long to express, or still struggle to let go?"
At the time, Bonni had just returned from Scotland, where she had been working closely with local communities to rehearse. That experience revealed to her the transformative power of community theatre—not only in how it touched audiences, but in how it profoundly impacted the lives and choices of those who performed. "I wanted to try that in Hong Kong," she recalls. It was during a community event hosted by Yan Oi Tong in Tuen Mun that she first encountered these women who would, years later, become her collaborators in a deeply personal and powerful theatrical journey.
The play "11 Voyagresses" ultimately presents 11 vignettes, each reflecting a distinct and nuanced challenge faced by women. Bonni notes that throughout her conversations and the process of gathering material, she amassed enough content "to create 10 hours of theater." However, what matters most to her is the need to digest and understand the deeper meanings behind what these women are sharing.
The manner of presentation is also crucial. Bonni aspires for this work to be more than just an object of artistic appreciation; she wants each actress to be able to articulate her confusions and emotional knots on stage, in front of strangers, allowing for a sense of resonance and understanding. This, she believes, can lead to genuine relief, enabling them to face similar challenges with renewed energy and strength.
The question "What's the value of housewives learning to act?" has been a recurring challenge for Bonni from 20 years ago to the present. She emphasizes that the value of this work lies not just in "putting on a show," but also in the rehearsal process, which reveals that life holds other possibilities and choices. This endeavor is not about addressing grand themes or fundamental changes, but rather about "small, personal transformations."
(Reporter: Kelly Yang; Cameraman: Sammi; Translation, Proofreading: Anson, Ian)
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