CH / EN
On July 4–5, 2025, the German Association for Asian Art – Ying Ming Theater will bring its original play Algorithmic Blank to light up the 9th Frankfurt Chinese Theater Festival! This year’s festival will be held at Haus Sindlingen Theater in Frankfurt, welcoming university troupes and independent theater groups from Germany, France, Belgium, and China, all presenting diverse and exciting works in Chinese.
Now, we are looking for you—brilliant and passionate—to join this artistic celebration.
Whether you’re a student, a professional, or a freelance artist, if you love theater, this is your stage!
Come rehearse, create, and bring joy and emotion to the stage with us.
Let’s illuminate this summer with the power of theater!
I. The Production
Plot Summary
Liu Yufei, a law firm intern, stumbles upon a hidden door to memory while sorting through the belongings of a deceased elderly man. A mysterious key tucked inside a dictionary leads her into a forgotten past. In an age of digitalization, where objects are scanned, deleted, or salvaged, a quiet act of “emotional archaeology” begins. At the same time, Zhang Li is leading a classroom debate about whether AI-generated depictions of the “perfect Asian family” obscure historical truths. Yet when her father’s diaries are flagged by an algorithm as “recommended for deletion,” she demands the destruction of all private manuscripts. Memories that span time and space unfold amidst the entanglement of technology and emotion, revealing the complex dilemmas of truth and forgetting in the digital age.
Algorithmic Blank explores, through multilayered narratives and intercultural, intergenerational perspectives, how technology in the algorithmic era permeates and reshapes human emotion, memory, and legacy. The play reflects on both the conveniences and crises brought by technology: while AI optimizes expression and memory storage, it may also dilute emotional uniqueness, familial intimacy, and the complexity of historical memory. Through the motif of “blank,” the script emphasizes the immeasurable, irreplaceable nature of human emotions—calling for preservation of emotional “glitches” and “traces” in the flood of technological advancement.
Characters
- Liu Yufei (23): Law graduate student, interning at a law firm.
- Liu Jianming (54): Yufei’s father, a middle-aged man with a turbulent career past.
- Zhang Li (56): Zhang Yanting’s daughter, a university professor living abroad.
- Zhang Yanting (89): Zhang Li’s father, a deceased Soviet-educated scholar. Though absent onstage, he’s a powerful undercurrent in the narrative.
- Emma (22): Third-year sociology student, a core member of a student group.
- Derek (24): A coder who brings his mechanical keyboard to group discussions; likes deconstructing theory through logic.
- Meiling (23): The only tech ethics representative in the Asian student union; skilled at unpacking complex issues.
- Sophia (25): Dual-degree graduate student in tech philosophy and sociology, prompted by her smartwatch every five minutes to “record inspiration.”
- Ryan (23): Hoodie-wearing e-sports ace, exudes calm with 3,000 hours of gaming experience.
II. Recruitment
Assistant Director (1 position)
- Assist with rehearsal coordination and on-site execution
- Strong communication and organizational skills required; theater experience preferred
Actors (8 positions)
- Open to all ages and genders; no professional experience required
- Must be available for rehearsals and performances from June to early July (schedule to be coordinated)
Technical Crew (2 positions)
- In charge of digital visuals/sound and other tech elements
- Experience with Python, multimedia processing, or generative AI tools is a plus
III. Application Info
This is a non-paid, public benefit performance. Round-trip travel (Hamburg–Frankfurt) and two nights’ accommodation will be reimbursed for July 4–5.
Schedule
- Late May: One-day workshop
- June onward: 4–5 rehearsals (tentative)
- Location: Hamburg
To Apply:
Email: yingming.theater@gmail.com
Subject: Algorithmic blank + Position Applied For + Your Name
Attachments: One-page résumé + relevant skills or experience
Application Deadline: May 15, 2025
IV. Partners
Production: German Association for Asian Art – Ying Ming Theater
Co-production: Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Hamburg
Sponsorship: Confucius Institute Frankfurt, Confucius Institute Hamburg (pending)
Supporters are welcome! Logos of sponsors will appear in all publicity materials. Donation receipts for tax deduction are available upon request.
About Us
The German Association for Asian Art – Ying Ming Theater is dedicated to fostering Sino-German cultural exchange through stage arts. Its body of work spans theater productions, sound art, and film, including Folding Cities, Hello, Strangers, Plärren, Love Letters, The Last Laughs, Thunderstorm 2.0, South, and The Train to Spring. In 2020, the company’s project The Sound Topography of Göttingen was featured in the first New York International Virtual Performance Festival, exploring cultural, historical, and aesthetic exchange through soundscapes. Since 2020, the association has hosted public talks and workshops on contemporary Asian theater, facilitating global collaborations among scholars and artists. In 2022, it organized the 1st International Symposium on Contemporary Asian Theater (ISCAT) and the Forum of Young Asian Artists in Europe. In 2024, it curated CAPAS – Contemporary Asian Performing Arts and Performance Art Season, themed “Art and Technology,” presenting cutting-edge Asian stage performances to German audiences.
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