Chinese Theatre Archives Archives

From Lawyer to Lyricist/Librettist: An Artist Profile of Jill Ohayon

by Morgan Skolnik | Feb 7, 2025 | China, Directing, Musical Theatre, United States of America, Worldwide | 0

Jill Ohayon grew up believing there were only two respectable career paths: doctor or lawyer. And...

Trauma In Translation: Stratford’s Milestone Salesman In China

by Barbara Gabriel | Oct 19, 2024 | Canada, China, Review, Theatre and Politics | 0

“My head feels like a bridge that all of Beijing has been walking over.” The stage is...

Contemporary Transnationalism Theatre in China: Theatre Review of “Apple Tree” directed by Feng Lu

by Xunnan Li | Aug 30, 2024 | China, Review, Theatre and Politics | 0

In 2024, National Theatre of China in Beijing showcased an experimental avant-garde theatre work “Apple Tree” to talk about the tension in the contemporary marriage between a young Chinese couple. Their tension in the marriage was reflected when the wife is suffering from the unexpected miscarriage.The play is such a transnational one. The director Feng was educated in France when he was young, with established exposure to the French film and theatre. In this play and his previous productions, there are huge amount of Roland’s style of using montage and space changing.

Adapting Lu Xun for the Contemporary Stage: A Production by China’s Central Academy of Drama at the Edinburgh Fringe Arts Festival: “ZhuJian (Forging the Swords)”

by Xunnan Li | Aug 28, 2024 | China, Chinese Theatre Abroad, Edinburgh 2024, Review | 0

Adapted from Lu Xun’s novel, the play takes the same name, “Zhu Jian” (Forging the Swords), and has become one of the most popular productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024. The work was brought to Edinburgh by a group of student actors from the Central Academy of Drama in China. Director Fengrui Yang is currently pursuing his doctoral training at the Academy. The play is notable for its re-examination of the theme of vengeance, a central idea in Lu Xun’s novel. Lu Xun is one of the most influential authors in modern China featured with his social criticism writing style in the 1920s.

Intercultural Chinese Dance Artist in the UK: Interview with Joanna Hangyu Zhou

by Xunnan Li | Aug 28, 2024 | China, Chinese Theatre Abroad, Edinburgh 2024, Interview | 0

UK-China Performing Arts (UKCPA), one of the UK’s most prominent Chinese performing arts organizations, plays a crucial role in bridging Chinese and British performing arts cultures. Joanna Hangyu Zhou, the founder of UKCPA and a former national-level dancer with a permanent position at China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, has emerged as a leading international dance artist in the UK. Following her graduation with a master’s degree from the University of Roehampton in 2016, where she specialized in dance studies, Joanna embarked on a journey of exploring innovations in intercultural Chinese and British performing arts through artistic practice and education.