Director: Stella Zhang

Institution: Shanghai Theatre Academy, China

Venue: Proscenium Stage Theatre, CAD Changping Campus

Time: 19:30, May 19, 2024

Event: The 7th Asian Theatre Schools Festival

Director's Notes

This is a millennium-long quest, a collision of different traditional cultures.

Through the form of instrumental theatre, we explore diverse emotional experiences of life. Life is ever-changing, but the emotions embedded in music are eternal. With six different compositions, I lead people to explore various emotions within their hearts. Percussion, zither, classical dance, Peking opera, and multidisciplinary elements converge to create a unique audiovisual feast. Whether feeling or listening, perhaps each piece of music has a unique connection to you.

Synopsis

Using history as a guide and the ancient zither as inspiration, the musician journeys through six lifetimes, experiencing six distinct emotions, in search of a state where heaven and humanity are unified in creation. Six distinct zither compositions, each representing a different dynasty, embody six varied emotional experiences. With the zither as the focal point, complemented by percussion, Peking opera performances, dance, and various elements, a realm of cyclic reincarnation spanning six lifetimes is created. Reverence for heaven, the joy of victory, solace from kindred spirits, the sorrow of homesickness, the pain of parting, and the tragedy of homeland are portrayed. Hearts follow the melody afar, emotions arise with the sound of the zither. With the protagonist's footsteps, scenes change, leading the audience through time and space to feel different musical emotions. Sorrow, joy, happiness, anger, reverence, and love—people from different times and spaces recount their own stories.