No Exit 2.0
“L’enfer c’est les autres. (Hell is other people)”
Three souls, strangers in life, find themselves together in Hell. Bored and curious about their fates, they begin to share their stories. As their tales unfold, they discover their destinies are intertwined in ways they never imagined. Trapped in a room with no exit, they face an eternal existence together—except for one…
Who among them deserves a second chance at life?
As a member of the Hell Jury, you hold the divine power to make that decision.
Written by: Liwei Liu, Xin Wei
Directed by: Wanyi Xie, Liwei Liu
Lighting Design: Vince G.
Set Design: Marisa Wei
Photos By: Victoria Zou
Cast: Bell Sun, Yang Jiao, Liwei Liu
Monologue: Shiyu Liu
Staff: Wendy Li, Tete Wang
Characters
Ergou
Dead body collector at Mount Hua
Emma
Pioneer in Cancer Research
Brittany
Housewife
Message to Audience
Upon entering Hell, you will take your place in the Jury's seats. An invisible wall separates you from the three souls — you can see them, but they are unaware of your presence. Please remain silent as you observe. And now, let the story begin.
Act 1
Hell Siri announces the duties of the Jury
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hell and to your role as the Hell Jury. Your task today is to choose one soul to be given a chance of rebirth. You will have two voting opportunities: the first vote counts as one point, and the second vote counts as two points. The souls cannot see you nor are they aware of your presence. Please exercise your voting rights with caution, as your decisions will determine their futures.”
Three souls meet in Hell, trapped in the same room
Bored, they start talking about what caused their deaths
Ergou: Frightened by the scene of a girl being raped by two men on street, he fled in panic and accidentally fell off a an open manhole
Emma: Gastric cancer
Brittany: Jumped down from Brooklyn Bridge by suicide
As their conversation unfolds, they become curious about what actions in their lives condemned them to Hell
Ergou: As a body collector at Mount Hua, he sometimes deliberately pushed tourists off the mountain to make more money.
Emma: As a pioneer in cancer treatment, she raised the prices of cancer drugs, resulting in a large number of poor people dying because they couldn't afford the medication.
Brittany: She killed her husband.
The intertwined destinies between Ergou and Emma come to surface
Emma's decision to raise the price of cancer drugs caused the death of Ergou's mother, who also had gastric cancer.
Act 2
Hell Siri announces the chance of rebirth
“Knock, knock. Dear ladies and gentlemen, hello. I am your warm and considerate assistant, Hell Siri. Congratulations! After careful consideration, one of you three will have the chance to return to the human world. I look forward to meeting you again.”
Surprised and eager to come back to life, the three souls start fighting for the only chance by justifying themselves to the imaginary “God in charge”
Ergou: Take care of siblings who are still kids and poor
Emma: Continue her pursuit of cancer treatment
Brittany: Start a new life with a normal family which is normal and filled with warmth
The intertwined destinies between Brittany and Ergou is unveiled
Ergou falsely accused Brittany of infidelity and supported her husband in committing domestic violence against her, which indirectly led Brittany to develop a desire to kill her husband.
1st Round Voting
Time stops in the room
The Jury vote by placing a sticker on the soul they each have chosen
Act 3
The souls are confused about the stickers that suddenly appear on them
Emma: Siri, are there others watching us?
Siri: Knock, knock. Yes, they are the invisible Hell Jury, and they will vote to decide which of you will get the precious chance to return to the human world.
Emma: Isn't it only God who can decide?
Siri: Where is God? Every person you meet can determine your future.
Emma: So, they've been here watching us all along?
Siri: I'm happy to be of service. Have a pleasant day.
Hell Siri informs that the Jury are voting to decide their chance of rebirth
Flustered, the souls start to defend their own crimes
Ergou: He was desperately in need of a big amount of money for his mother’s cancer treatment.
Emma: She raised the drug price because it is the only way to maintain sufficient funding for the cancer research.
Brittany: She had long suffered from her husband's cruel domestic violence, and in her unbearable pain, she killed him.
The souls also begin to recount the good deeds they had done in their lives
Meanwhile, the story between Emma and Brittany is finally revealed
While Emma was engrossed in her cancer research, Brittany took care of her son, who ultimately died due to Emma’s negligence.
2nd Round Voting
Time stops in the room
The Jury vote by placing a sticker on the soul they each have chosen
Hell Siri announces the chosen soul for rebirth
“Knock Knock. The result is already in my hand. [Emma/Brittany/Ergou], congratulations on your precious rebirth opportunity. Please cherish it and use it well. We are looking forward to having you back.”
The reborn is back to Hell in the same room again
Upon leaving Hell, jurors who cast both votes for the same soul will receive a special message from that soul.
I say
No Exit 2.0 builds upon the story setting from SartreNo Exit by Sartre, incorporating the experiences of Chinese people in New York to explore the concept of "Hell is other people." We aim to provoke thought on what it means to be "other" and what defines Hell.
The three souls in our story are bound together by their past actions, each playing a role in the others' downfalls, which forms the first layer of Hell. Their lives were marked by bonds that brought both connection and suffering, creating the second layer of Hell. Even in death, their fates are dictated by the whims of the Jury, representing the third layer of Hell. These layers illustrate how inescapable connections and external judgments can become cages of suffering.
We pondered many endings but concluded that no matter who is chosen to return to life, their unresolved obsessions would bring them back to Hell. The "other" in the fourth layer of Hell is no other but their own inner demons.
However, there is hope. If Ergou had let go of the futile hope of saving his mother, if Emma had balanced her research with her personal life, if Brittany had stood up to her husband’s abuse legally — perhaps their fates would have been different. Living connected with others, yet not being ensnared by them, might be the key.
But hold on — what's the fun in life with absolute rationality? Sin, pain, and struggle are intrinsic to the human experience, much like Sisyphus's eternal punishment. If we can’t escape it, we be with it. Hell or Heaven, it's all just part of the experience. If there is no exit, you probably are not in an enclosed space.
Voyage of Discovery
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