Sixi Education
The Long Day's Journey to Hell Night
Drama Script Reading Workshop
Event Date
September 06, Saturday, 2025
Guest
Sun Chi
(Nanjing University of Media and Communications and member of the Jiangsu Dramatists Association)
Chen Yujie
(MA in Drama at Nanjing University)
Event Review
On September 6th, guided by two instructors, Sixi Museum hosted an immersive dramatic reading workshop. Sun Chi, a teacher at Nanjing University of Media and Communications and member of the Jiangsu Dramatists Association, and Chen Yujie, a master’s graduate in Drama from Nanjing University.
Participants selected six core roles based on their emotional states: a miserly father, a mother trapped in the past, a cynical elder brother, a younger brother afflicted with a chronic illness, a maid of the duke whom the younger brother adores, and the mother’s personal servant. With this, they gently unfolded an inevitable family tragedy.
Later, the two instructors led participants to move and switch between three exhibition halls. In front of Qian Qian’s work, everyone stared at the fiery flames and swirling petals in the artwork. It recalled the eerie infernal fires from the Hell Screen – a painting the younger brother makes for the duke in the play.
In Christian Quinn Newell’s work, the figures gave off an arc glow. They witnessed two unspoken truths: the mother refused to admit her drug dependence, and the younger brother’s illness grew worse – a secret that could no longer be hidden. At the same time, the miserly father and seemingly dissolute elder brother gradually showed their true selves. One was driven by selfishness, the other weighed down by anguish.
Bathed in dim lighting, the seemingly harmonious family finally fell apart. Just like the figures in Qian Qian’s works, they were cast out of paradise and plunged into the boundless darkness of hell.
In the closing session, all participants shared their genuine experiences – both as their roles and as themselves. They especially mentioned that the art museum’s unique setting created a strong connection between the exhibited artworks and the drama’s story. This environment let them set free their imagination to explore each character’s subtle experiences.
We hope that through dramatic reading, participants can catch a glimpse of their own true souls – hidden deep inside – while acting out the fates of others.