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Venue: Zellerbach Hall A
Price: $32/$46/$68
Founded in 1952, the Beijing People's Art Theatre enjoys a distinguished worldwide reputation, with more than 12,500 performances of 250 plays over half a century. The troupe is the first Chinese drama company to tour internationally, and makes its Cal Performances debut with an undisputed masterpiece of world theater—Lao She's The Teahouse. With dozens of vividly created characters spanning three generations, the company's signature production is set in a traditional teahouse and follows the lives of its owner and his customers through three stages in modern Chinese history. Since its premiere, The Teahouse has received more than 500 performances before more than 500,000 entranced spectators. With English supertitles.
PATRON INFORMATION
Education and Community Events:
Lecture: "Lao She's The Teahouse and Modern China" by Peter Li, Rutgers University
Thu, Nov 3, 7:00 pm, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Fl.
As Lao She himself said, "A big teahouse is like a miniature society." If so, then his "Teahouse" can be read as a metaphor for China in the 20th century. The play spans 50 years of modern Chinese history, witnessing the disintegration of the Qing empire and the beginning of the struggle to build a modern nation-state. Through portrayal of xiao renwu—ordinary characters—from all walks of life, Lao She presents a vivid and poignant portrait of a country locked in a life-and-death struggle for survival. Free and open to the public.
Conversation with Pu Cunxin, China's AIDS Ambassador
Sat, Nov 5, 2:00 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
An accomplished stage, television, and film actor, Pu Cunxin is a household name in China. One of the nation's foremost AIDS activists, The Ministry of Health appointed him as a spokesperson to raise public awareness of the AIDS epidemic in 2000. He has created a fund to help children from impoverished AIDS families continue their education and, in recent years, has donated a signifi cant portion of the proceeds from his film and television projects to AIDS research in China. Free. Pre-registration is required. RSVP to: eventpu@gmail.com or call 415-820-9630.
Artists links:
Official Beijing People's Art Theatre site
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calperfs.berkeley.edu