剧评：The Essential Playlist
关于艺术本质：观"The Essential Playlist"
文：梁海彬
当“非必要工作者”与“必要工作者”进行碰撞时，两者之间会产生什么样的交流，会有什么互相借鉴的可能性？剧中，某个内容创作组（content creator）为了寻找新题材，刺激点击率，想出了“The Essential Playlist”的概念，决定将必要服务业者们的故事录制成短片，并且希望以娱乐大众的方式呈现故事，供观众消费。他们找来了一位送餐员，一位护士，以搞笑的方式呈现他们的工作状况，结果视频引起了社会舆论与讨伐，也引起他们对创意创作的反思和探索。
观看“The Essential Playlist”，我是感动的。这几年来，尽管社交媒体发达，我们都有机会了解必要服务业者们的心酸喜悦，然而我们鲜少在舞台上看到他们的故事。其次，这群年轻艺术工作者躬身质问艺术的本质，对自身身份进行反思，很是难得。
剧情发展，护士和送餐员不满内容创作组对他们的不尊重，干脆自己拍摄影片，或是对着镜头述说自己的工作，或是拿起录影机呈现自己的工作实况。而内容创作者们也齐齐站出来，反思自己作为创作者，其作品究竟对必要服务业者们起了什么实际作用？忽然护士和送餐员齐齐喊“cut！”，原来这最后的呈现，都是那位护士和送餐员指导出来的视屏作品。观众醒悟，戏也完结。故事的结局显得有些唐突，然而剧中的主角（护士与送餐员）在剧末终于拥有了说话权，有了在镜头前、大众面前，发声的机会。
或许对2BCo而言，呈现故事最好的方法，便是让当事人直接参与艺术作品？然而2BCo并没有邀请护士和送餐员参与演出。他们进行田野调查，访问了一些必要服务业者们，也挖掘自己当服务业者的经历；然后自行编写、指导、演出。也许剧组明白，剧场有其专业知识，要把故事完整地在舞台呈现，必须由有经验的剧场人处理成戏？如果真让必要服务业者上台，这部戏的结局会很不一样，观众的感受必然也会很不一样。
艺术工作者应该如何衡量其中的轻重，如何在呈现弱势群体的故事时，确保自己并不是在剥削他们、利用他们、贩卖他们的故事？艺术工作者的作品，又如何为弱势群体说话，如何让弱势群体得到实质的帮助？2BCo 并没有给观众任何答案，反而在自问自省中，留下了每一个艺术工作者都应该自问的根本问题，即所谓的“existential question”（生存本质的问题）。或许“The Essential Playlist”的戏肉，恰恰是在观众视线以外，是剧组与必要服务业者们进行的所有采访和讨论呢。那样的过程，想想，已经是一部有趣的戏了。
演员们的情感自然流露，应该都对这个课题下了心思，观众都能充份感受得到。当剧中的内容创作组在舞台上呈现他们制作的搞笑视屏片段时，现场观众笑声不断，倒是很享受这样的呈现，并没有如剧情里的网民那般哗然。也许，这也是剧组希望观众反思的问题。观众当然期望被娱乐，但听了他人的故事，走出剧场以后，观众本身会怎么做出改变？
“什么是艺术”、“艺术如何为弱势群体赋权”，这是两个很大的命题，2BCo却勇敢挑战，在茫然中坦然面对自己的困惑，很令人鼓舞。我开始期待，他们可以继续抱着这样的疑问，不断地摸黑前行，找到属于他们自己的方式。
关于演出：2022年1月12日，8PM，滨海艺术中心剧院剧院工作室，M1艺穗节，The Second Breakfast Company 呈现
On the Essence of Art: Reviewing The Essential Playlist
Translation by Melissa Lim
In June 2020, a newspaper survey revealed that the majority of Singaporeans viewed artists as being “non-essential” during the period of the pandemic. This served as the starting point of The Second Breakfast Company’s (2BCo) creation, The Essential Playlist (presented by the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival). Remarkably, they did not put up a defence for artists. Instead, in the play, they presented an unflinching view of the private perspectives of some creators that would have been kept discreet from the public’s eye.
What sort of interaction would transpire when “essential workers” meet “non-essential workers”? Is there a possibility of them learning from each other’s experiences? The play revolves around a group of content creators who are in search of new material to boost their social media engagement rates. They conceptualise the idea of “The Essential Playlist”, where they would shoot short videos of essential workers, and present them in an entertaining manner that would appeal to audience. They manage to rope in a food delivery rider and a nurse, and begin filming content—presented as comedy and gags—about their working conditions. Their videos end up eliciting a furore on social media, and in turn, compels them to think more deeply about what they had created.
In recent years, with the rapid growth and popularity of social media, we have had the opportunity to take a closer look into the life experiences of essential workers. Yet we have hardly seen theatrical productions about their stories, and as such, I was undeniably moved to watch The Essential Playlist. Moreover, it is rare indeed to witness a young group of arts workers being self-reflexive as they ponder about their roles as creators as well as the essence of art.
As the narrative unfolds, the nurse and food delivery rider are unhappy with how the content creators treat them and decide to shoot their own videos instead—selfies of them talking about their work as well as videos presenting the truth behind their working conditions. In the final scene, the content creators reappear on stage and share their reflections about what they had created and whether these have had any real benefits for the essential workers. Suddenly, the nurse and food delivery rider shout “CUT!” in unison, and we discover that this final presentation is actually a video directed by the both of them. The play ends as the audience comes to this realisation, and while this seems somewhat abrupt, it is clear that ultimately, it is the nurse and food delivery rider who regains their right to speak and present their truth directly to the audience.
What would have been the best way to present this story? Perhaps 2BCo felt that it would be rooted in research; they had conducted fieldwork and interviewed a number of essential workers, and drew from their own experiences as service personnel to write, direct and perform in this piece. Yet, it was notable that no nurse or food delivery rider was invited to be actively involved in its creation. Could it be that the collective decided experienced theatre-makers are best placed to stage the final work professionally? If instead, it featured essential workers on stage, the play would have been very different, as would have been the audience’s experience.
How do artists manage this fine balance when presenting work about marginalised communities? How do they ensure that they are not exploiting the latter, capitalising on and profiting from the stories of the oppressed? How should art works engage with marginalised communities, such that the works can actually serve some real benefit to them? 2BCo does not provide a clear answer for the audience. Instead, in their self-reflection, they leave us with a fundamental question (or an “existential question”) that all artists should pose to themselves. Perhaps the real crux of The Essential Playlist is beyond what is presented before the audience, and actually resides in the creative process, in all the interviews and conversations that 2BCo engaged in with essential workers. That in itself makes for an intriguing piece of theatre.
It is evident from the spirited performances of the actors that they have all given much thought to the subject matter. Their dedication and passion are palpable for the audience. When the content creators present their hilarious skits on stage, peals of laughter ring though the audience, who were very much enjoying what they saw—unlike the netizens in the play who raised an uproar about the content. Perhaps 2BCo had intended for the audience to become aware of this disparity. Naturally, the audience seeks to be entertained. But after listening to the stories of these essential workers, as they leave the theatre, what kind of change would audience members commit themselves to?
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