讓「戲劇」擁有「遊戲」的自由 —— 兼及對香港戲劇教育發展的思考 Celebrating Playfulness in Theatre - and Reflections on the Development of Theatre Education in Hong Kong

Abstract

孔子說:「游於藝」,這「游」的概念,論者甚至以為是中國古典 美學的本質特點。怎樣引導學生在學問中感受到「游(遊)」的樂 趣,從而更喜歡學習,更主動學習,正是教師的重要任務。

遊戲既不是儒家的禁忌,荷蘭學者胡伊青加(Johan Huizinga)更 以為遊戲比文化更古老。孩子喜歡從遊戲中學習,中國人過去藉戲 曲潛移默化地建立集體道德觀和價值體系,在在都證明「戲」的教 化功能。

遊戲讓人稍離現實生活而進入另一世界,因而得到休息,感受精神 自由的愉悅。這自由不只是屬於參與者與觀賞者,也屬於遊戲本 身。戲劇之為藝術,其特點就是一種「審美遊戲」。而其審美價值 之能實現,是因表演者與觀賞者同時認真參與,按一定的藝術規律 和樣式,把文本加工成「同在」。其中關鍵,就是那種不確定的 「偶緣性」—— 即隨著遊戲或戲劇「境遇」的改變,會發生一些 超乎預設的東西,由此產生獨特的驚奇、趣味與價值。這種超乎預 設的東西,正是遊戲或戲劇不可缺少的部分。戲劇、劇作者和觀賞 者,因此是「互為主體」(inter-subjectivity)的。

現在,戲劇正被積極引入教育制度,一連串的教學指引、教師培訓 以至評核要求,很容易就會削弱戲劇的遊戲本質。怎樣讓教師與學生享有「遊戲」的餘裕,讓戲劇葆有其自由主體,是戲劇教育能否

真正落實的關鍵。 關鍵詞:戲劇、遊戲、自由、戲劇教育 

Confucius said ‘let us play with the arts.’ This notion of playfulness can well be construed as in the very nature of Chinese aesthetics. Furthermore, to make students enjoy learning through playing, to entice them to participate actively, is the primary responsibility of any teacher.

Playing has never been considered taboo in Confucianism; Dutch scholar Johan Huizinga has even suggested that the art of playing predates cultural activities. That children naturally learn from playing and that the Chinese have long used the classical theatre to develop collective ethical values are testimonies to the educational value of playfulness.

Playing allows one to momentarily escape from the present and to enter another realm of existence, thus allowing one to experience spiritual reprieve and joy of liberation. This liberation is not only intrinsic to the participant and audience, but also intrinsic to the nature of playing itself. Drama/Theatre being a form of arts, owes much to this playfulness in aesthetics. Through a regime of artistic dialogue, and a dash of spontaneity, the performers and the audience interact, breathing life into a script, giving it a presence – complete with life’s unpredictability, suspense and excitement. This unpredictability is integral to any game or any play. The relationship among plays, playwrights, and audience are therefore inter-subjective.

As drama/theatre is being integrated into the secondary school curriculum, would educational guidelines, assessment criteria and teacher’s training nip away the beauty of playfulness? The success of drama/theatre education, including all kinds of drama-in-education programmes, rests, therefore, on whether teachers and students are allowed enough room for celebrating this subjectivity of drama/theatre : liberty, thus playfulness.

Keywords: Drama/Theatre; Play; Liberty; Drama/Theatre Education