This is the second project featuring the troupe's 「iron triangle,」 director Dai Jun-fang, actress Yang Han-ru, and installation artist Shi Gongzhonghao. It was nominated at the 2005 New Idea Drama Exposition. The script is adapted from four acts of the late Ming playwright, Yuan Yu-ling's Xilouji. T...Read more
This is the second project featuring the troupe's 「iron triangle,」 director Dai Jun-fang, actress Yang Han-ru, and installation artist Shi Gongzhonghao. It was nominated at the 2005 New Idea Drama Exposition. The script is adapted from four acts of the late Ming playwright, Yuan Yu-ling's Xilouji. They are Meeting at the West House, Opening the Letter, Waiting in the boat, and Dream Misled. A talented scholar, Yu Shu-ye, composed a piece of music called Chujiangqing. Mu Su-hui, a famous courtesan, admired the music and, accordingly, the composer. They fell in love at first sight in the West Hall. Another music fan, Zhao Bo-jiang, once insulted by Yu Shu-ye, managed to obstruct their romance. Su-hui sent a letter to Shu-ye, requesting a meeting before he left. When the letter was finally delivered, there was only a strand of hair and a blank sheet. The two lovers were doomed never to be reunited.
For the stage design, Shi Gongzhonghao used a truck and tent to replace table and chairs, turning the space into ahall, a studio, and a ship's cabin. The major actors/actresses, Yang Han-ru, Chen Mei-lan, and Li Yi-xiu, still performed according to traditional choreography. The director displayed both ancient and modern techniques on the same stage. Even the prop men participated observed and helped with the performance. This is again an attempt to explore how the space and vocabulary of modern theater can be lodged into traditional theatrical choreography. The ludicrous dream scene when a person played against a puppet effectively conveyed the protagonist's powerless anxiety over love.
Category | Xiqu(Traditional Opera) |
Type | Kunqu Opera |
Chinese Title | 情書 |
Group | 1/2 Q Theatre |
Creative staff | 1/2 Q Theatre |
Subtitle | Mandarin Chinese |
Premiere | 2005-05-26 |
Venue | National Theater & Concert Hall-Experimental Theater,Taipei |
Duration | 90min |
Image Source | |
Other Works | Willow Dreams of Plum Romance of the Red Chamber |