Q&A: EDINBURGH 2024: in-version ensemble on VANISHING

BWW caught up with Cerulean Chen Long about bringing Vanishing to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

How did you first get involved in the world of theatre?

I was captivated by the theatrical potential of different spaces and architecture in my high school. Collaborating with friends, we transformed these spaces and began creating our own works. The thrill of reimagining spaces and the joy of storytelling are what truly drew me into the world of theatre.

Can you tell us a bit about your show, Vanishing?

“Help! I’m in a void!”

Vanishing starts with a voice on the phone, a voice connecting two diners, two migrant women in Los Angeles and Hong Kong, two different realities.

Through a chaotic and heartfelt journey with this unlikely female duo, Vanishing weaves the loaded past with poems and humour, searching for an answer to the fundamental question of our connection and existence – “How can I reach you?”

What makes the show a “multimedia” experience?

When the audience enters, the first thing they’ll notice are the “blocks” – a vibrant array of visual installations made from cubes. These cubes represent items like diner booths, pancakes and pineapple buns, blurring the line between reality and a constructed narrative. 

As the show unfolds, projections become a key element – cinematic footage that reveals the characters’ inner worlds, creating a magical, fluid crossover of mind spaces. Sound is another critical medium. The telephone serves the role of “stage manager.” Its ringtone evolves into music and becomes part of the narrative, bridging two times and spaces.

When words fail, the connection between objects, spaces, and characters comes to life through multimedia.

What was the creative process like for Vanishing?

It all began with a two-page script written under the prompt “an impossible play”—a phrase that still amuses us whenever we hit a creative block. Sharing the sentiment that talking to another person can often feel like yelling into a void, we crafted an “impossible” scenario: “A” and “B” are characters from completely different times and spaces, yet they’re trapped in a liminal reality.

Through countless workshops and revisions, the experimentality and forms of Vanishing evolved, but we remained committed to conveying the themes that matter most to us: connection across time and cultures, diaspora, home and memory, universal female experiences and the nature of storytelling. The devising process has been a journey of allowing our similarities and differences to collide, resulting in stories that are boundary-crossing, truthful and inspiring.

What is it like bringing Vanishing to the Edinburgh Fringe?

Producing a show abroad has been challenging yet rewarding. As an independent company, managing logistics and finances was tough, but we were fortunate to receive both financial and creative support. 

Building on these challenges, marketing Vanishing for the Edinburgh Fringe presented us a unique challenge – its cross-cultural elements and experimental form make it hard to fit into a single category. Even so, this diversity allows us to connect with the broad international audience that the Fringe attracts. While it takes extra effort to reach those who resonate with the show’s themes, that effort makes the experience even more fulfilling.

Can you tell us about in-version ensemble and its impact on Vanishing?

As an international, female-led group, we are emerging artists striving to find our voices and create meaningful contexts for them. Our diverse cultural, linguistic and artistic backgrounds shape our lives and fuel our quest for authentic communication. Despite our differences, we were united by a shared intention to devise stories that uncover the universal truths and bonds within our personal experiences. Driven by this, we created a show that not only incorporates multiple languages but also transcends them. Working together on Vanishing has been a journey of understanding each other, both as artists and as individuals.

What do you hope audiences take away from Vanishing?

We hope Vanishing offers our audiences an immersive, emotionally resonant experience that sparks personal memories, particularly through the objects and food in our “diner.” The play also aims to reflect and inspire thoughts on migration within the context of female experiences. On a deeper level, we want Vanishing to challenge audiences to rethink storytelling – who writes it, who voices it, and who chooses to live in the moment instead of documenting it. Are we all part of a story?

Ultimately, we invite the audience to join a communal experiment, reflecting on the power and diverse ways of connection through live theatre and beyond.

How would you describe Vanishing in one word?

Tasty.

 

Vanishing runs 12-17 August 18:45 at Greenside @ George Street - Fern Studio at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Vanishing Team:

Staging, Script, and Design by Cerulean Chen Long, Jane Jian Su, Xiner Lan, Jessica Reed, Ruby Yiqi Wang, Lucy Jiayun Zhang, Chloe Yutong Zhu

Photo Credit: Ruby Wang

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