Director: Huo Ying
Institution: The Central Academy of Drama, China
Venue: Experimental Theatre
Time: 19:30-20:30, May 18, 2014
Event: The 1st World Theatre Education Convention with 3rd Asian Theatre Schools Festival
Director’s Notes
It is a great creation and learning experience for me to create this Beijing opera Farewell My Concubine jointly with bachelor students majoring in Beijing Opera when I am studying for my doctorate. Chinese traditional opera is extensive and profound, and Farewell My Concubine is one of the most classic works. Thus, particular attention should be given to the sense of propriety when adapting it for modern performance. Instead of merely trying to be maverick, we made every effort to develop the imaginary theatrical method on the basis of absorbing opera’s aesthetic spirit, and adopt a modern way of operatic expression to bring contemporary young audience closer to this ancient art.
This story covers the episodes of “Overall Ambush”, “Besieged on All Sides”, “Battle at Gaixia”, “Suicide at Wujiang River” and so on which are settings of the opera. These popular scenarios are reproduced based on our own interpretation, with the hope of showing a relatively full picture of Farewell My Concubine, rather than being limited to the opera highlight “Suicide of Yu Ji” performed in the past. We expect that audience can not only comprehend the scene of fights and battles, but perceive the tenacity and strength of love embodied in them.
Synopsis
In 202 BC, with the tyrannical Qin Dynasty overthrown, confrontation between kingdoms of Chu and Han arose to seek hegemony. Following a stalemated battle at Honggou, they made an armistice. Later, Liu Bang who then was the king of Han assembled feudal princes and set an overall ambush at Gaixia to besiege Xiang Yu, then the king of Chu, when Chu army returned exhausted. At the time when Chu army was scarce and ran out of supplies, Liu accepted the advice of Zhang Liang (his counselor) to sing folk songs of Chu at Han camp day and night to paralyze his enemy’s fighting will. Despite of matchless power, Xiang failed to save the critical situation with loss of favorable geographical and human conditions. Yu Ji, a favored concubine of Xiang tried her best to comfort her husband. In order to motivate Xiang for a last stand, she committed suicide in front of Xiang! With grief and indignation, Xiang fighted desperately, and ended his life at riverside of Wujiang River…
Running Time: 50 minutes