“Calming my heartbeat to enjoy the show” : the social-indexical meanings of in-yer-face theater recontextualized in China

Abstract

This article investigates the performability of in-yer-face theater that is recontextualized from the British to the Chinese context. We propose an interdisciplinary approach that uses sociolinguistic tools to empirically examine relevant issues for theater translation studies. By analyzing audience reactions from both online and offline platforms, we find that different audiences in China link this form of theater to context-specific indexical meanings. Our study reveals that Chinese audiences associate in-yer-face theater with the social persona of the wenyi qingnian – a stereotype of a pretentious youth with niche interests in the arts – and with socially transgressive ‘tastes’ referred to as zhong kouwei “heavy taste” and da chidu “overboard”. Because of the mixed attitudes among various stakeholders, the findings underscore the controversial nature of in-yer-face theater in China, as it is neither fully accepted nor fully rejected. By focusing on audience perception and interpretation, our study enriches the broader understanding of theater translation. We hope this study could provide a foundation for navigating the complex field of indexicality and performability for in-yer-face theater in China. 本文探讨了直面戏剧从英国到中国的再语境化过程中所面临的可表演性问题,并提出了一种跨学科的研究方法,将社会语言学工具引入戏剧翻译研究,以对相关问题展开实证分析。通过对线上与线下平台观众反应的考察,我们发现,“直面戏剧”在不同的中国观众群体中呈现出多样化的指向性含义。本研究表明,中国观众通常将直面戏剧与“文艺青年”这一特定的社会形象联系在一起。“文艺青年”往往被视作为对小众艺术抱有兴趣但略显自命不凡的年轻人群体。此外,直面戏剧还与“重口味”及“大尺度”等突破社会规范的评价密切相关。由于观众群体在态度上存在分歧,直面戏剧在中国的语境中表现出争议性 – – 既未被完全接纳,也未遭到彻底拒绝。通过聚焦于观众对这一戏剧形式的感知与解读,本研究深化了对戏剧翻译的理解。我们希望本研究能够为探讨中国语境下直面戏剧的指向性含义与可表演性问题提供参考范例。