The "Shakespeare of the Orient" met the Bard of England in a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dreaming under the Southern Bough" at a theater in Shanghai last week.
The show combined the 17th-century masterpieces of Shakespeare and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) playwright Tang Xianzu, who both died 400 years ago this year.
"Shakespeare and his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu are the greatest playwrights of their respective theaters," said Li Ruru, professor of Chinese Theater Studies at the University of Leeds. "Their plays make us weep, laugh and imagine. They also touch our hearts and souls."
Last week's performance at the New Space Theater of the Shanghai Theater Academy was the result of a two-year collaboration between students and staff from the University of International Business and Economics in China and the University of Leeds in Britain. In a twist, the Chinese side interpreted Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and their English counterparts tackled Tang's play "Nan Ke Ji," drawing on the theme of dreaming in both dramas.
After Shanghai, the show moved on to Beijing for performances tonight and tomorrow night. It will end its run in the city of Fuzhou in Jiangxi Province, Tang's birthplace, on September 25.
The Chinese cast rendered the idea of a dream in the choices, confusions and hopes of contemporary youth pursuing true love and identity. The British side interpreted the social critique of Tang's play through the contemporary story of British soldier.
The show played to rave reviews earlier in Leeds and Edinburgh.
"The coincidence that Tang and Shakespeare died in the same year blessed the idea of doing something interesting," said Professor Li, who teaches at the School of Languages, Culture and Societies in Leeds.
With dreams as a major theme in both works, a thread existed for cross-cultural collaboration.
Students who were not theater majors yet were interested in it were selected for the project as a way to promote the great works of drama among ordinary young people. The Chinese team is comprised of students majoring in English, law and business. Eight of the 10 students from the British team have never had any exposure to China or Chinese culture.
"That makes the project much more interesting and significant, rather than just a usual student stagecraft," said Li.
Most Chinese are familiar with Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The task was to make the play relevant to contemporary society, according to Li Jun, who teaches English drama at the University of International Business and Economics in China.
