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Guest
Actors from China to Perform in The Wilderness
Northampton, Mass.— Six visiting
faculty members from Shenyang Normal University in China
will perform a two-night production of The Wilderness in
English on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m., and Friday, Sept.
17, at 7 p.m., both in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre. The
play has been adapted by visiting director and writer Wang
Yansong.
Scene from Cao Yu's The Wilderness. |
The play tells the
story of falsely imprisoned Qiu Hu, who escapes and runs
back to his family home bent on revenge and murder, only
to find the object of his hatred, the destroyer of his family,
Jiao Yanwang, is dead. But Jiao Yanwang’s blind wife and
innocent son, Jiao Daxing, are very much alive. And Qiu Huâ’s
former love is now married to his betrayer's son.
Revenge and passion still tear
at the very fabric of Qui Huâ’s soul, but what must he do now?
The English adaptation of The
Wilderness is directed by Ellen W. Kaplan, professor
of theater. Wang Yansong directed the premiere of his own
play The
Golden Lotus at Smith in 2008. A reception with Wang
Yansong, the Chinese faculty, the director, cast and crew
will follow the Thursday performance. All are welcome. Admission
is free.
The Wilderness is the third
play in the famous trilogy by Cao Yu (1910-1996), who is
recognized as the most influential Chinese playwright of
the 20th century. His style is described as a combination
of expressionism and realism and he is sometimes compared
to Eugene O’Neill in the way he externalizes a person’s subconscious inner conflicts
on stage. The Wilderness has been adapted for theater, film, TV and, in 2009,
opera, as the Taipei Li-yuan Chinese Opera Theater staged the play at the Shanghai
Majestic Theatre.
For more information visit or Smith performing arts on . |
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