Enter the Dragon: Chinese Theatre in the 21st Century
Rana Mitter travels to Beijing to explore the recent flourishing of theatre in China and its reinvention as an art form of youthful, urban 'cool'.
Rana Mitter travels to Beijing to explore the recent flourishing of theatre in China.
Through interviews with leading Chinese playwrights, directors and producers, he examines Chinese theatre's re-invention as an art-form of youthful, urban cool.
Drama has been a hugely important force in Chinese culture for centuries, but spoken word drama as western audiences understand it, only took root in the early 20th century. Released from the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution, the latest generation of theatre practitioners in China has breathed new life into Chinese theatre, led by the charismatic director and playwright Meng Jinghui (director of the cult hit Rhinoceros In Love, written by his wife, Liao Yimei - and broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 3 later this evening).
Rana attempts to define this specifically Chinese version of experimental theatre - dubbed by academic Rossella Ferrari as 'pop avant-garde'.
Featuring interviews with Meng Jingui, Wang Chong, Liao Yimei, Rossella Ferrari and Claire Conceison.
Readings by David Acton, Monty d'Inverno, Roslyn Hill and Jason Wong.
Produced by Emma Harding.
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- Sun 19 Oct 2014 18:45大象传媒 Radio 3
- Thu 6 Aug 2015 21:45大象传媒 Radio 3
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