Edinburgh Fringe 2026, Ivy Studio, Greenside
Writer: Leah Philbin
Director: Belle Bao
Concept / Producer: Xingyun Zhao
Associate Producer: Qi Wang
Movement Dramaturg & Director: Adi Gortler & Sean Lin
Associate Producer : Qi Wang
Set / Props Designer & Maker: Estrlla Guo
Costume Designer: Moon Yumu Lin
Sound Designer: Velia Nicola
About the play
Inspired by the strange world of Netherlandish proverbs, The Inverted Realm is a visually driven psychological drama where illusion distorts reality and nothing is quite as it seems. As lost souls move through a world of absurdity, faith, self-deception and inner conflict, the play explores how people become trapped in patterns of thought they cannot see. Surreal, intimate and unsettling, this is a theatrical journey through human folly towards the possibility of hope.
受荷兰谚语所描绘的奇异世界启发，《颠倒的世界》是一部以视觉为核心的心理剧。在这里，幻觉扭曲现实，一切都不像表面所呈现的那样。当迷失的灵魂穿行于荒诞、信仰、自我欺骗与内心冲突交织的世界中，作品探索人们如何被困在那些自己甚至无法察觉的思维模式之中。
超现实、亲密而又令人不安，这是一场关于人类愚行的戏剧性探索，也是一段在混乱与自我困境中寻找希望可能性的旅程。
More Info on Instagram : @theinvertedrealm
Design
The irregular frame reflects the distorted world of The Inverted Realm, where familiar structures are turned out of alignment. Its fractured mirror breaks and displaces reality, reflecting the Traveller’s increasingly distorted perception. Beginning as a screen, the frame connects to his familiar reality of everyday life and communication. As he enters the Inverted Realm, it transforms into a mirror, marking his gradual realisation and changing perception of the world around him. As the Traveller begins to see beyond his established ways of thinking, the frame shifts from a boundary containing the Inverted Realm into a threshold through which he can leave it. The design therefore reflects the journey from confusion and distorted perception towards a possibility of hope.
不规则的框架呈现了《颠倒之境》中一个失去原有秩序、逐渐发生错位的世界。破碎的镜面将现实切割、错置，象征着旅人逐渐扭曲的认知。
装置最初以手机屏幕的一面呈现，对应旅人熟悉的日常生活与现实世界；随着他进入“颠倒之境”，框架转变为镜面，象征他逐渐产生的意识与对周围世界认知的改变。
当旅人开始看见原有思维之外的事物，框架也从困住他的“边界”转变为可以穿越的“门槛”，最终成为他离开颠倒之境的出口。整个设计因此对应了他从困惑与扭曲的认知，逐渐走向觉察与希望的过程。
Process
Production Photos