Theater that goes flat out

With members of the audience lying down, AI and probing questions take leading role, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

Take off your shoes and socks, lie down on a rollaway bed, and be pushed into a dark chamber by someone in a black suit and white gloves. Don't worry. You're not yet dead. It's only an immersive theater production titled Lying Flat 2.0.

Over 70 minutes, director Wang Chong takes the audience on a journey to a distant place called the Lying-flat Planet. Those familiar with Chinese social media might have heard the term "lying flat", denoting a mindset of desiring and doing the minimum, avoiding social pressures or going with the flow.

From Oct 18-21, Lying Flat 2.0 was performed three times daily with a maximum of 22 audience members at the 11th Wuzhen Theatre Festival.