First, there were the two of them: she, Zhang Mingyi; he, Geng Mengyao.
Geng Mengyao and I had already worked together on three productions: from the character of the Marquis in Molière’s Absolutely Precious, to the leading role in Lagarce’s Music Hall, and the eldest son in It's Only the End of the World.
A few days after the premiere of It's Only the End of the World, Mengyao introduced me to Zhang Mingyi, who had just seen our new production. They had performed together before and had known each other well for years. The three of us arranged to have dinner and spent the entire evening talking about theatre. Sitting across from them, I felt like a curious spectator in the front row, imagining the stories that might unfold through them.
In the past, a play would lead me to actors I loved. This time, I was looking for a story through the actors.
That was how 66.5° N first began to take shape.
The story of 66.5° N unfolds over a single night, from dusk until dawn. For them, this night marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new life. Whether it will bring light or darkness, they have no idea. But whatever happens, they must go on.
That night, they stand at the edge, like the imaginary circle at 66.5° north, the boundary between the Arctic and the northern temperate zone. One step further along this line, and you reach the North Pole. There, the sun never shines directly overhead, and there are days of endless light and nights of endless darkness.
I imagine everything in 66.5° N to be real.
To do this, I watch them, I listen to them, recording the expressions on their faces as they speak, their voices, their small gestures and micro-expressions;
I imagine what they are like in their own lives: the sides of themselves they rarely reveal, their truest selves;
I collect, wherever I go, stories, paintings, music, songs… anything that inspires me. In the rehearsal room, in cafés, at home, on the road;
I try to capture the impressions and traces that remain in my memory;
Little by little, 66.5° N begins to find its own path…
Sifan Shao
November 2018