Theater Above celebrates 6th anniversary
Theater Above celebrated its sixth anniversary on Sunday with a performance of the play "Shakespeare's R&J," a refreshing contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy by Joe Calarco.
It also unveiled its 2022 season lineup. One of the highlights is the new version of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land," which tells the story of two theater groups that are mistakenly booked into the same theater for rehearsal. One is performing a serious contemporary drama "Secret Love" whilst the other is performing the farce "In Peach Blossom Land."
Regarded as one of the most famous plays in the modern Chinese-language theater, the original production premiered in 1986. Stan Lai, director of the play and founder of Theater Above, named the latest version "15/10000."
According to Lai, he has directed 14 versions of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" and the upcoming production will be the 15th version.
He added that the play has a huge fan base, and he heard it has been staged for non-commercial performances by theater enthusiasts, students and fans more than 10,000 times over the years.
The latest version will be staged in February. The cast, props, and stage design will all be given a new look. Famous painters Bei Jiaxiang and Qiu Ting have been invited to create backdrops for the play.
Stan Lai, founder of Theater Above, and his wife Ding Nai-chu, who is also the theater's CEO, celebrate Theater Above's sixth anniversary in Shanghai.
In March, "I Take Your Hand in Mine..." – based on the love letters of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov and his famous actress wife Olga Knipper – will be presented at Theater Above. Directed by Lai and written by Carol Rocamora, the play will star Huang Shengyi and Zhao Xiaosu.
Adhering to Lai's love of using comedy to deal with serious issues, the modern fable "Ménage à 13" starring Xie Na and Wen Zhang will also be staged at Theater Above next year, along with children's plays "Blue Horse" and "The Whale Library."
In 2022, an arts center named after Lai will be established in his hometown, Huichang County in Jiangxi Province. The play "The Village," depicting bittersweet stories of people living in Taiwan's military dependents' villages, is planned to be the opening performance of the arts center. A special version of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" will become the new center's residency performance.
