Hidden Tunes 弦外之影 Program

Writer's note

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創傷不止於事件，更在制度的再加害
「這種事情怎麼可能發生在這麼有名的大學呢？」
這句話，我在校園、醫院、甚至家裡都聽過，最近一次，是在《弦外之影》的觀眾席上。

我的答案是：會。作為墨爾本某所大學的學生，一所總強調「安全校園，為你著想」的學校——我曾以為這不僅是口號，而是一份保護學生的承諾；現實卻是，我在各種程序中被要求沉默、被要求「配合」，甚至被迫在一紙「保密」的壓力下選擇噤聲，而加害者卻毫髮無傷。創傷並未隨事件結束，而是一層又一層地延伸為制度性的再傷害。

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這份前言不是索求同情，而是一段見證。感謝 Small Ripples Theatre 允許我能以藝術的方式，把個人經歷化為「縮影」。

《弦外之影》不是虛構的，而是許多人正在穿越的真實。小芊的旅途在舞台上畫下休止符，而現實中的小芊們，或許仍在水裡掙扎，無法呼吸。

當你觀看《弦外之影》，我邀請你：相信、聆聽、並且思考：我們的校園與社群，是否真的「安全」？現行的政策，是保護倖存者，還是把倖存者「處理」掉？

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願每一個音符，成為縫線，縫出更安全的校園與社會；
願每一次鼓掌，都是對更安全環境的承諾。
 

Trauma does not end with the incident—it deepens through institutional betrayal.
“How could something like this happen at such a prestigious university?”
I have heard this question many times. The most recent time was in the audience of Hidden Tunes.

My answer is: it can. As a student at a university in Victoria that proclaims, “A safe campus, it’s not your fault and you’re not alone, we’re here to help you,” I once believed those words were a promise of protection. In reality, I was asked to remain silent, to “cooperate,” even pressed under the weight of a so-called confidentiality that demanded my silence—while the perpetrator walked away untouched. The trauma did not end with the incident; it extended into layers upon layers of institutional harm.

This foreword is a testimony. I am grateful to Small Ripples Theatre for allowing me to transform my lived experience into a “snapshot” on stage. Hidden Tunes is not fiction—it is a mirror of truths many are still enduring. Xiaoqian’s journey comes to a pause on stage; yet in the world beyond, countless Xiaoqians are still struggling beneath the water, gasping for breath.

As you watch Hidden Tunes, I invite you to believe, to listen, and to reflect: do our universities and communities truly prioritise the safety of survivors? Do current policies protect survivors, or do they attempt to “manage” survivors instead?

May every note become a piece of a puzzle, put together to create a safer campus and society
May every round of applause be a promise—to create an environment where safety is more than a slogan.

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B.R.

Co-writer & Co-lyricist

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