Eight Wonderful Productions Light Up WTEA International Theatre Festival 2023

From October 23 to 25, eight magnificent plays were showcased during WTEA International Theatre Festival 2023 at the Changping Campus, the Central Academy of Drama in China, including BUTTERFLY LOVERS by the Central Academy of Drama from China, AIA by Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University from Georgia, KING LEAR by Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music from Japan, ONCE UPON A TIME by Department of Theatre of Chung-Ang University from Republic of Korea, ROMEO AND JULIET by Oklahoma City University School of Theatre from the USA, THE THREE-PENNY OPERA by Ernst Busch University of Dramatic Arts from Germany, THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (THE ATHENS SCENE) by Athens Conservatoire Drama School from Greece, and THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) from Russia. Students and educators from different countries gathered for a spark of ideas and experienced the soul-stirring impact of drama over three days. The shows were then staged in Guilin from October 27-29, as part of the Guilin Festival 2023, interacting with the beautiful landscape in the picturesque city.

Among them, two shows won the ‘Best Stage Performance Award’, according to the Awards Rules for WTEA International Theatre Festival, and eight students won the ‘WTEA Acting Award’, with another eight students winning the ‘Outstanding Acting Award’. 

       The winners are as follows:

       Winners of the ‘Best Stage Performance Award’:

       1. BUTTERFLY LOVERS by the Central Academy of Drama, China

       2. ONCE UPON A TIME by Department of Theatre, Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea

       Winners of the acting awards:

       1. AIA by Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University, Georgia

       WTEA Acting Award: Mari Engureli

       Outstanding Acting Award: Nino Nozadze

       2. KING LEAR by Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Japan

       WTEA Acting Award: Motono Kai

       Outstanding Acting Award: Shioiri Kein 

       3. ONCE UPON A TIME by Department of Theatre, Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea

       WTEA Acting Award: Kang Jang-Kun

       Outstanding Acting Award: An Young-Bin

       4. THE THREE-PENNY OPERA by Ernst Busch University of Dramatic Arts, Germany

       WTEA Acting Award: Antonia Wiedemann

       Outstanding Acting Award: Nele Rößler

       5. THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), Russia

       WTEA Acting Award: Evgenia Leonova

       Outstanding Acting Award: Semion Shestakov

       6. BUTTERFLY LOVERS by The Central Academy of Drama, China

       WTEA Acting Award: Liang Songqing  

       Outstanding Acting Award: Wang Yige  

       7. ROMEO AND JULIET by Oklahoma City University School of Theatre, the USA

       WTEA Acting Award: Lauren Harrison

       Outstanding Acting Award: Jordan Smith

       8. THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (THE ATHENS SCENE) by Athens Conservatoire Drama School, Greece

       WTEA Acting Award: Solon Petrakopoulos

       Outstanding Acting Award: Penny Sakelariadi, Kondylia Konstandelaki, Danae Georgoula, Nadia Baimpa

The awarding ceremony was held on the evening of October 27 at Guangxi Provincial Art Museum as part of the Opening Ceremony of Guilin Festival 2023.     

Winners of ‘Outstanding Acting Award’

Winners of ‘WTEA Acting Award’

Winners of ‘Best Stage Performance Award’

The eight performances, all derived from their native cultures, featured distinctive stories, styles, main ideas, and techniques of expression, constituting a diverting and multi-cultural feast for the audience to enjoy.

I. BUTTERFLY LOVERS by the Central Academy of Drama, China

On the afternoon of October 23, the Central Academy of Drama from China presented Butterfly Lovers at the Proscenium Stage Theatre of the Theatre Centre, the Changping Campus. Scripted by Chen Xiaoling, a professor at the Department of Dramatic Literature, and directed by Li Shan at the Department of Directing, with stage design by Liu Xinglin, a professor at the Department of Stage Design, the play depicted the poignant love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai and their transformation into butterflies following their tragic demise. It evoked courage in the audience to break free from their ‘cocoons’, face genuine emotions in life with a true heart, and pursue the beauty of freedom and dreams. The ending, where Zhu Yingtai sheds her oppressive red bridal gown, returning to her purest and original self, signified the finding of inner fulfilment. The stark contrast in colours prompted the audience to reflect and question their own identities and life choices.

  

In the post-show talk, the creators gladly answered questions from the audience. They highlighted the changes they had made upon traditional versions, the team's respect for Chinese cultural heritage, and the connection of Butterfly Lovers with modern life. In-depth discussions on script conception, stage design, body movement design, costume design, makeup, and sound design ensued.

On October 30, the CAD brought Butterfly Lovers to the stage at Guilin Grand Theatre, to tell the story of pure love and present Chinese aesthetics to the audience in Guilin. The director said in an interview that Butterfly Lovers was full of imagination, that every action of the dancers spoke loudly of the inner emotions of the characters, “this form of stage expression is distinctive and only makes sense when people see with their own eyes.” The excellent performances by the actors, the beautiful stage design, and the moving music have captured the heart of the audience. This age-old poignant love story once again tugs at the heartstrings of modern audiences in 2023.

 

 

II. AIA by Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University, Georgia

On October 24, Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University from Georgia delivered an impactful experimental physical theatre performance titled AIA at the Thrust Stage Theatre of the CAD’s Changping Campus. The play, rooted in archaic myths and Georgian folk ballads, utilized the renowned ‘physical theatre’ approach from contemporary Western theatre theory. It offered audience a feast of classic mystery drama centred on soul liberation and the questioning of fate.

  

'Aia' was the capital of Colchis, which is present-day western Georgia and was ruled by Aeëtes, the son of God Helios according to Greek mythology. Aeëtes's daughter was Medea, whose life is reminiscent of the performance.

The play carried a strong sense of national heritage and was a Georgian reinterpretation of classic theatrical works. The dramatization and innovation in AIA were rich and diverse. It envisioned Medea as a young sorceress before the tragic events with Jason. Despite her foresight into the future, she gradually glimpses horrifying, dark scenarios, making these the focal point of the entire play. The drama delved into Medea's inner conflicts, current perceptions, and the balance with destiny, along with philosophical contemplations on energy transformation. Moreover, the incorporation of sophisticated modern music and traditional Georgian polyphonic variations broke away from traditional theatrical act divisions, constituting clearer and more unpredictable plot stages. This allowed the audience to immerse themselves in the ancient melodies while understanding the overall idea of the play.

Director Tamta Tavdishvili discussed their core practice for AIA in the post-show talk, focusing on the representation of physical theatre and the exploration of human energy and balance. This was strikingly portrayed in AIA: the actors, through their exceptional body control, intermingling movements between different characters, rich gestures, and facial expressions, brought the story into a ‘silent’ yet overwhelmingly powerful mysterious world.

The show was presented again in the ‘Cave Theatre’ at Seven Star Park, Guilin on October 28. The directors shared that the pictures of the cave had become one of their sources of inspiration for the play. In the Guilin version, they didn’t use any stage setting but merely relied on the rocks inside the cave, trying to use as less artificial elements as possible, so that the audience would focus more on the actors and sense their vibe. People having watched the play in Guilin were all impressed by the actors’ mastery of dancing skills and the perfect control over their bodies.

 

 

III. KING LEAR by Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Japan

       On the evening of October 23, Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music from Japan, presented Shakespeare's classic King Lear at the Proscenium Stage Theatre of the CAD's Changping Campus.

A notable feature of this performance was the incorporation of traditional Japanese Taiko drums. The stage was adorned with 13 sets of these drums and other percussion instruments, set at various heights. The play commenced with the actor playing King Lear walking from the audience to the stage, striking the Taiko drum, marking the official start of the performance. The Taiko drums, as accompanying instruments, were moved from backstage to the forefront, especially during the iconic scene of the storm in the wilderness, where the sounds of rain and thunder were vividly represented by the varying lengths of drum beats. This method of presentation not only provided a more impactful audio-visual experience but also enabled a more direct representation of sound. Both the actors and the choir participated in drumming, conveying their characters' inner emotions through their rhythms during dialogues.

This adaptation of King Lear omitted the scenes of warfare between nations, focusing instead on issues of ‘elder care’ and ‘inheritance’ within the Lear and Gloucester families. This approach mirrors the issues of population aging and declining birth rates in modern Japanese society. Shakespeare's tragic script inherently contains comedic elements, such as Lear's folly, Edgar's feigned madness, and Gloucester's leap. The director brought these elements to the forefront with comedic techniques: King Lear transformed into a Taiko drum master, Goneril wearing a kimono, and the youngest daughter Cordelia becoming a schoolgirl in JK uniform. The kingdom's internal conflicts and grudges seemed to turn into a family farce about household trivialities. This method brought the audience closer to the tragedy, allowing the main idea to better sink in and prompting post-performance reflections on real-life issues.

"All tragedies can become comedies with sensible adaptations," said the play's director, Miura Go.

 

The team from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music specially rehearsed a new version for Guilin Festival. Planet Lear, which was staged on October 27 at Yu Hill Park, tells a story that takes place on a planet where only women exist. With a gender swap, the director meant to find out whether the tragedy of ‘King Lear’ would still occur in a women-only world, or whether it occurred exactly because of the presence of women. Planet Lear is a perfect example of taking full advantage of the outdoor theatre at Yu Hill Park, integrating the rock hill, the stream and the bridge into the play, and catching the eye of the audience from the first second.

 

 

Due to the time conflict of the show with that of WTEA awarding ceremony that was held as a session of the Opening Ceremony of Guilin Festival, a special awarding ceremony was arranged for the Japanese team. Mr. Chen Lei, the Assistant to President of the CAD, presented the prizes to the winners of ‘WTEA Acting Award’ and ‘Outstanding Acting Award’. In the post-show talk, the audience expressed their love for the show and their admiration for the actors’ professionality.

Mr. Chen Lei and the winner of ‘WTEA Acting Award’, Motono Kai

Mr. Chen Lei and the winner of ‘Outstanding Acting Award’, Shioiri Kein

IV. ONCE UPON A TIME by Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea

On October 24, the Department of Theatre, Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea, brought to the audience their original ‘carpet play’, Once Upon A Time at the Proscenium Stage Theatre of the CAD’s Changping Campus. The play narrates the tragic tale of a man called Kim Hyun and his love and eventual separation from a tiger woman.

The production showcased both traditional Eastern aesthetics in costumes and melodies, and contemporary pop culture elements in song and dance. A collaborative approach based on carpet play was adopted, ensuring that the actors became the focal point of expression. Both actors and crew members worked together to shape and rehearse the production from its initial stages. The actors, through character-specific design and dynamic body movements, personified fearsome tigers, beautiful flora, diverse animals, and even the sounds of wind and dripping water in a cave.

 

In the post-show talk, director Baek Nam-Young, and student directors Shim Ha-Yeon and Choi Jung-Won, shared the creative process behind the play. They noted that the Department of Theatre at Chung-Ang University introduces ‘carpet play’ in the freshman year, and the cast included juniors and seniors who had undergone this training, co-creating with the director. This process was likened to ‘playing a game’, where providing actors with creative ideas was more important than directing. Lee Ha-Min, who played the Captain of the Tiger Hunters, said that the special aspect of this play was that each actor found meaning in their role. Kang Jang-Kun, playing ‘Burly’, revealed that he added humour with funny actions to this theatrical work to amuse the audience.

Park Min-Ji, portraying ‘Hurly’, shared that the play, from script development to stage presentation, took only a month, but the enthusiasm during the rehearsal largely progressed the production. Ko Kwon-Soo and Han Phi-Lip, playing Jun and Head of the Village respectively, highlighted the significance of their first overseas festival experience in affirming their commitment to ‘carpet play and the valuable recognition it received through WTEA.

On the evening of October 29, the play was performed once again in the ‘Cave Theatre’ at Seven Star Park. The team rearranged the mise en scene and the route for warm-up interaction. They even managed to design a plot where an actor ‘robbed’ a spectator at the front row of a bag, from which they took out a bell as a key prop to start the show. Besides, some dialogues were revised and the font of the subtitle was adjusted so that the audience would be fully engaged and focus more on the actors.

 

The creative team exploited what was inside the cave for their show. One example was a rugged rock at the background of the stage turned into a natural stage set—it was used as the shelter at some point, and steps at another. According to eh director, they choose the cave for the beautiful surrounding, but most importantly because it fitted the story perfectly. The performance was well received by the audience in Guilin.

 

V. ROMEO AND JULIET by Oklahoma City University, the USA

   On October 24, students from Oklahoma City University, the USA staged Shakespeare‘s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet at the Thrust Stage Theatre of the Changping Campus of the CAD.

   Instead of traditional costumes, the performers from Oklahoma City University opted for simple yet thoughtfully designed modern attire. For instance, the actor playing Benvolio wore a T-shirt with the slogan "I like older women," signifying Benvolio's role as a peacemaker in the play. The stage set and props were streamlined for easy and quick movement, comprising 12 cubes, some swords, and a piece of white cloths. These cubes were cleverly rearranged to represent beds, windows, and other objects, and the pieces of white cloths were transformed to signify different items such as bedsheets. This minimalist stage design allowed the audience to focus more directly on the actors' expressive movements and rich emotions.

 

   In the post-show talk, the actors shared their approach to portraying their characters, emphasizing less gender conformity but more on the feelings each role evoked. They often captured an image of the character first, then delved into the character's personality traits from this visual impression. They explained that both male and female characters inherently possess traits of the opposite gender, and their exploration started from this perspective and then progressively analyze the characters.    

This touching love story was brought on stage for the second time at Guilin Grand Theatre on October 28. This time, they changed the storyline for the new audience and new. The main idea was efficiently conveyed to and resonated with the audience, and the characteristics of the hero and heroine, who were in puberty, became even more recognizable. It was a challenge for the team to switch from a thrust stage in Beijing to a proscenium stage in Guilin. But it also enabled the director and the actors to reimagine their presentation, mise en scene, and the way to help the audience see their consistent expression through an invisible ‘fourth wall’.

 

 

VI. THE THREE-PENNY OPERA by Ernst Busch University of Dramatic Arts, Germany

On the evening of October 24, at the Proscenium Stage Theatre of the Changping Campus of the Central Academy of Drama, the Ernst Busch University of Dramatic Arts, Germany presented Bertolt Brecht's The Three-penny Opera. This play was initially made to be played at schools as a ‘classroom play’, with students at the age of 14 to 17 years old as its targeted audience. It was intended to bring theatre to a new generation of audience and recruit young people with uneducated backgrounds. During its tour in China, The Three-penny Opera transitioned from an audience-centred performance to a more conventional stage setup, making novel adaptations while still maintaining the essence of 'opening of the fourth wall'. It was well received by the audience.

The production team set up a Chinese-style paravent at centre stage for quick costume changes and role switches, drawing the audience’s attention more to the messages conveyed by the actors' performance. Additionally, the robust and spirited acting style, accompanied by the outstanding musical accompaniment of German musician Prof. Thomas Jurgen Beyer, lent the play a strong sense of philosophical depth, theatricality, and musicality.

 

In the post-show talk, many audience members posed inquiries about the switch between multiple roles. Antonia Wiedemann, who played Mrs. Peachum and Lucy, mentioned the initial difficulty in getting into characters, but using specific props, like a bottle and glass for Mrs. Peachum, facilitated the process. Adriano Henseler, portraying Mr. Peachum and Tiger Brown, suggested starting with recognizable physical movements of the character, using Brecht's detailed descriptions in The Three-penny Opera as a blueprint. When asked about the difference between classroom and large stage performances, Til Raskopf, who played Maceath, noted the biggest change was the invisibility of the audience's faces in the dark,  which limited direct interaction and thus necessitated an adjustment in performance style. Nele Robler, portraying Polly Peachum, agreed, adding that moving from a confined classroom to a proscenium stage required learning new staging and choreography, which posed significant challenges.

On October 27, the team performed the Guilin version of The Three-Penny Opera against the famous Elephant Trunk Hill, against a white hollowed-out pavilion, by the Li River. It had been raining in the area so ceaselessly that the team couldn’t help worrying about the possibility of cancelling the show. But the naughty God decided to stop the rain in time in the evening, and moreover, ‘arranged’ a cruising yacht to whistle when passing by, which became the perfect timing to start the song Pirate Jenny. Both the audience and the team themselves marveled at the beauty of this happy coincidence. In the post-show talk, the director and the actors shared their excitement about performing on an outdoor stage, and, of course, the troubles. They also compared the mise en scene of their play and the audience’s reaction in the two cities. 

 

 

VII. THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (The Athens Scene) by Athens Conservatoire, Greece

On October 25, Athens Conservatoire Drama School from Greece presented The Tragedy of Man (The Athens Scene) adapted from the play by Hungarian national poet Imre Madách at the Proscenium Stage Theatre of the CAD's Changping Campus. The performance focused on the fifth scene of the play, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous Athenian democracy era and the Battle of Salamis between Greece and Persia, depicting the tragic fall of a hero and exploring the meaning of human existence. This rendition features cross-linguistic contexts and existentialist perspective, blended with contemporary Greek concerns and reflections.

  

In the play, which was imbued with ancient Greek tragedy elements, Adam and Eve, fooled by Lucifer, eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge and are banished from Heaven. When Adam is faced with the question, "What is the meaning of life," Lucifer shows him the future through a dream. In the Battle of Salamis, Adam demonstrates heroic duty and bravery but is proclaimed a traitor by agitators. He does not contest the majority's will and agrees to die for and by the city.

This was a performance with strong musical elements of traditional Greek and Hungarian music. The actors, transformed into a choir draped in white, sang anthems. The cello symbolized humanity and nature, like waves breaking people’s prayers, while the rhythm of drums portrayed people fleeing in panic, uncertain of their existence’s purpose. The appearance of the instigator with an electric guitar transformed the elegant classical music into wild, noisy rock, stirring unrest and fear among the characters, spreading like vines and leading the audience into darkness.

All male actors played Adam, and female actors Eve, as the team said, "There are no assigned roles; the actors have to be alert all the time as to who will proceed the plot." The actors frequently interacted with one another on stage, creating spiritual connections and resonance. They stood still, gazing at each other, pondering their observations, and finding the right approach, or moved dynamically with the drumbeats, jumping, dancing, and exuding an unmatched vitality. Through this primal madness, they expressed a resigned frustration towards tragedy that flowed between action and stillness, contemplating the significance of human life.

The ‘Hill Theatre’ at Yu Hill Park witnessed the second show of the play on October 29. The ‘Hill Theatre’, an open stage set against a typical karst hill, resembles the amphitheatre of Ancient Greece to some extend and thus is a perfect choice for the Greek team.

 

   In the Guilin version, they moved some actions to the stone bridge aside, making full use of the venue and constituting another vivid example of ‘the coexistence of nature and theatre’. Those who have watched both versions would notice in no time the spontaneity of the play—the lines and actions were done by different actors every time, based only on the 18 performers’ tacit understanding. Such randomness also produces pleasant surprise in each show.

 

VIII. THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, Russia

 On October 25, the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) staged The Cherry Orchard at the Thrust Stage Theatre at the CADs. The play recounts the story of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returns to Russia, to her estate, her cherry orchard, after spending five years abroad in Paris. However, the estate must be sold to pay off debts and Lyubov has no money to save it. A young wealthy merchant, Yermolai Lopakhin, whose ancestors were serfs on Lyubov's estate, filled with tender feelings for Lyubov, proposes a plan to save the property but with a condition that all the land must be divided and leased, the house torn down, and the cherry orchard cut down. His proposal, however, is met with Lyubov's scorn and ridicule. Lyubov's indifferent attitude towards him gradually makes him recognize the true nature of their relationship and his own desire to own the estate. "My father and grandfather were slaves here; they weren't even allowed in the kitchen," confesses Lopakhin. Ultimately, Lopakhin buys the cherry orchard himself, satisfying his yearning for social status but at the cost of his cherished feelings for Lyubov.

  

GITIS offered a contemporary interpretation of the play. The performance distilled the original dramatic situations into concise, direct physical actions that metaphorically represented core relationships and character traits. Each character's defining movements were precisely extracted, revealing the dominant traits of their personalities. Lyubov, by unleashing her energy around her, masked her underlying pain. A few minutes of her solo dance poignantly displayed her inner world. Lopakhin's portrayal was intensified, focusing not on his strength, resourcefulness, confidence, and efficiency as an emerging merchant, but on his inner confusion, transforming the character into the weak little boy whom Lyubov Ranevskaya once pitied. Lopakhin offered a glimpse into a common predicament of contemporary people: the painful cost of selling precious emotional memories for capital gains and social status, leading to their own alienated and unfortunate fate.

  Director Egor Kovalev wanted the audience to find our own relation to the story of The Cherry Orchard, “What does The Cherry Orchard mean to us today? How should we approach it? Should we hold onto it? Is it worth selling? Or has it already been sold, leaving us only with memories?”

The play was then staged again at ‘Water Theatre’ in the Elephant Trunk Hill Park on October 29. From a thrust stage theatre to an outdoor stage encompassed by unique landscape, the director soon rearranged their mise en scene to adapt to the new environment. Most noteworthy is, at the end of the play, when the characters were supposed to leave the cherry orchard ‘by train’, the performers took the bamboo raft by the bank instead and row away. This ingenious design amazed every member of the audience, who were full of praise for this peerless version of The Cherry Orchard.

 

 

Photos: Department of Publicity of the CAD, Guilin Festival 2023

Original Article (in Chinese): Department of Publicity of the CAD, WTEA Secretariat