Yuan Theatre x Theatrespace “The State & Denki”

In modern times, Min-hui, a documentary filmmaker from Taiwan, returns to Tainan on the eve of the theater’s demolition. Her grandfather, Chen Sheng, founded the Electric Girl Theater but also ended his life there. With mixed emotions of love and resentment for her hometown, Min-hui engages in dialogue with the old projectionist of the theater. The once-dreamlike memories of a hundred years come to life amidst the ruins of the theater, unexpectedly unraveling the mysteries of Min-hui’s hidden heritage.

Fast forward to the year 2220 in future Hong Kong, Xiao-rou encounters a memory-impaired man who has traveled through time. This man speaks Cantonese, a language she hasn’t heard in a long time, but he is considered a “system bug” and is being attacked by a series of elimination programs. Amidst the battle, voices emerge that are completely different from this world, revealing an unknown past filled with Hong Kong films and Cantonese dialogue. Xiao-rou begins to question what is real, who is fictional, and where her roots truly lie.

Though Min-hui and Xiao-rou come from different temporal backgrounds, both harbor secrets about their identities. Their fateful encounter in the theater seems to guide them towards an eternal quest for the truth of their origins, peeling away the layers to reveal their “root stories.”

The past of Taiwan and the future of Hong Kong intersect here, leading them to no longer be voiceless!