19850412 联合早报

12/4/1985 | 联合早报 | pg41

谈《寻日者》——兼悼宗辉（草鞋）

林明珠

两年前在图书馆传阅着《寻日者》这首叙事诗时，无论如何不曾想过有一天会将这个故事由平面的纸张上搬到立体的舞台去，更万料不到公演的第一天竟是作者宗辉的忌日。

认识这位高高瘦瘦很有才气的男孩子是在大学第一年的时候，后来我们一群志同道合的同学也曾积极的为一些理想努力过，这段期间对宗辉较有认识，几次和他交谈，阅读他的文学创作，总觉得这个人有一些傲气，有一个不为人知的世界。再后来是紧锣密鼓的备考期，记得还在考场向他说过好运，以为从此各奔前程，也较难有相聚的机会了。

结果的确是各奔前程。只是他的前程是不为我们所知的。最初听到他的死讯时感觉很特别，还以为那是一个很大的玩笑，及至亲眼看见他躺在那上尖下方的黑棺木中，才第一次打从心里感受到生命肃静的一面：一个充满创意的生命，突然静止了。那种深沉无助，无可奈何的感觉，至今还是十分深刻的。没有人真正了解他的死因，虽然传说纷纭。

然后一年就过去了。

当剧团的艺术顾问蔡曙鹏博士带来这首创作诗剧，并推荐我们用以参加方氏总会所主办的《四月集锦》时，我才惊觉时光的流逝。一年就快过去，而在他的忌日公演他的作品，我想，应该是一个有意义的纪念吧！

实际上，当年读着这篇叙事诗时，我们都在猜想诗中那位修长瘦削的青年艾萨正是他自己的写照。

这位爱斯基摩青年为了寻找一位永远不落山的真神，抱着一股执著和坚定的信念，开始向南走；他攀过高山，经过大沙漠，见过大海，冲上一座爆发中的火山，终于死在很慈祥很温暖的阳光下，只留下一句遗言：都是同样一个神。

我不知道宗辉所追寻的真神是什么，也许是对生命的解答，也许是一种永恒，也许是快乐，智慧，或者真理，然而那份执著的追寻我是理解的，有什么人不曾对生命发出最大的疑问？又有几个人不曾努力的去寻找答案？

方法很多，途径也很多，结果当然也不同。

艾萨的是死在三十五岁。

我当然更不会知道宗辉在构思艾萨德结局时是否已经肯定了这个结局，谁也无法知道了。

比较能肯定的是《寻日者》是一个关于信念的故事。我们的处理是将整个故事浸在一种低沉的、悲哀的气氛里，因为末场主角带着满身的疤痕离开了这个世界，虽则他最终明白了自己所追寻的是什么，也能够很平静的离去。

由于故事的主调是低沉悲哀的，舞台的主要颜色构成是白和黑二色。但这一来画面不免流于单调，所以舞台设计钟谷瑶也加入了一些活动的布景，一方面能更好的表现出故事发生的背景和地点，一方面也弥补了舞台色彩单调的缺陷。演员的服饰方面基本上是采用了古希腊人的服装为蓝图，同时也依据故事发展的需要而加入阿拉伯式的宽大长袍。灯光设计方面自然也是以低沉的色调为主。

与宗辉另外几个舞台创作比较起来，《寻日者》的篇幅应该是比较短的一个。然而一个演出的价值不在于其长短，而在于其内容。

寻日者和宗辉都不复在了。且不论这样的一种结局是应该加以否定或是值得肯定。也不论这样的一个故事是不是过于浪漫而流于神话，我们，你和我，或许是昨日，是十年前，甚或是这一刻，难道就不曾有过冲上前去将蒙在黑色的神秘里头的生命抓出来仔细看的冲动？

寻日者已经死了，而寻日者的精神呢？

19850412 The Straits Times

12/4/1985 | The Straits Times | pg02

Tribute to Seeeee

A CLAN association will pay tribute to an ill-fated local talent in a performance entitled April Assembly this weekend. The evening of drama, music and dance organised by the Nanyang Fang Shee Association will feature a poem by See Chong Hui, better known as cartoonist Seeeee. The talented undergraduate died a year ago at 23.



12/4/1985 | The Straits Times | pg11 (Bilingual)

Tribute to late artist
clan association remembers cartoonist Seeeee by highlighting his poem in a variety show

By CHONG WING HONG

A CLAN association will pay tribute to an ill-fated Singapore artist by performing one of his poems.
The artist, See CHong Hui, died at 23. He is missed by those who loved his cartoons published under the name of Seeeee or Cao Xie (straw sandals) in Chinese newspapers.
See was a quiet honours undergraduate in the National University of Singapore. He was found dead in his aunt's bungalow in Apirl last year.
The Straits Times uded to publish his cartoons which satirised Singapore life.
But more and more of See's talent has been discovered posthumously. One of his plays, The Run-Track, won the top prize at a competition organized by the Ministry of Culture last year.
Now, he is also found to have been an able poet.
His poem, The Sun Searcher, will be featured in April Assembly, a variety show organized by the Nanyang Fang Shee Association this weekend.
"The item serves as a timely remembrance of the author as the first day of the performance falls on the first anniversary of his death," said Mr Fang Bai-cheng, who planned the show.
"I find the poem a reflection of the writer's disappointment in his search for truth in life."
Members of the Singapore I-Lien Dramatic Society, one of the seven cultural groups performing in April Assembly, will recite the poem dressed in stylish costumes.
The Fang Shee Association's young players will stage a half-an-hour play called The Old Woman and the Cat.
"Our play is barely two years old and we are engaging recruits from last year for the play," said actor and director, Chen Zhaojin.
"The play, adopted from a radio drama, is touching."
"It is about an old woman who mourns over the death of her pet cat but her grief is not understood by the people around her."
Mr Chen said that illusions, a new stage technique, would be employed to give special effects.
"It will be a bold, experiental attempt. I was encouraged after I saw the effects used by the Repertory Theatre in Hongkong," he said.
There will also be doses of comedy to balance the night's programme.
Mr Chen and Hua Liang, who appeared together in the Second Assembly last year, will be back in another round of rib-tickling Kyogen, a form of Japanese comedy.
There will also be xiang-sheng (a talk show) as well as music and dances.
THe participating troupes include the Oriental, Phoenix and Min Tsu Dance Groups and a Chinese orchestra from the Chin Kang Clan Association.
April Assembly will be on at Victoria Theatre on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm.
Tickets at $3 and $5 are available from the Central Box Office, Vanguard Book Room at Golden Mile Tower and Youth Book Company at Bras Basah Complex.


草鞋诗才照耀四月集锦

庄永康

本地一位才华崭露、英年早逝的艺术工作者，将在明后晚一个宗乡会演出节目上得到人们的景仰。
这位年轻人就是薛宗辉，他曾分别以“草鞋”和“Seeeee”的笔名，在中英文报章上发表妙趣横生的漫画。他利用轻挞式的讽刺、富有哲理的眼光，来看新加坡的生活面貌。
可是，这位国立大学准荣誉生，却在一九八四年四月十三日自寻短见，在黑色的星期五结束了才二十三年的一生。
然而，薛宗辉的才华却在死后不断被人发现。去年，他的剧本《跑道》赢得了文化部主办的创作比赛首奖。
而在这回的演出中，他们将会发现他从未显露过的诗才。
他的诗《寻日者》，将是南阳方氏总会第三度《四月集锦》晚会上所呈现的节目之一。
“这个节目将是我们对作者的纪念，因为演出首日是作者逝世一周年忌辰。”策划演出的方百成先生说。
“以一个读者的观点看来，《寻日者》反映了作者对追寻真理途上所感到的失望。”
诗中描写了一位爱斯基摩青年为了追寻自己理想的真神——永不落山、充满温暖与爱、没有仇恨的神——离开了自己的故乡。
他历尽千山万水，登上了一座火山，最终使自己明白了所要找的真神。但，这时，火山爆发了。
诗句将以造型朗诵年初，主演者为艺联剧团，是当晚七个表演单位之一。
……
《四月集锦》在星期六、日两晚八时在维多利亚剧院演出。三元和五元门票在售票中心、黄金前卫书局和百胜楼青年书局发售。