Escaping From the Temple

Date: Aug 18-19 - 7:30 pm

Venue: 1862 Theater, Shanghai

Escaping From the Temple was derived from two famous plays from Chinese Kunqu Operas: Longing For the Mundane and Going Down the Mountain.

Zhao Liang presents the Kunqu Opera singing and dance performances simultaneously on the stage, featuring both the natural beauty of the former and the avantgarde dynamics of the latter. Such approach to incorporate "drama within drama" is very challenging. The role of the young nun is played by two people, among whom Dong Fei has been trained under the lineage of the great Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. She will play the role of Empty and sing Kunqu alive on the stage. On a beautiful spring day, a young nun met a young monk and they fell in love with each other. Eventually, both of them left their temples and went down the mountain together. The ending is the climax of the story. However, is it an illusion of the young nun or a projection of the audiences for a "happy ending"?