28/5 (Sun) 3pm

Classic Arias and Performances of The Peony Pavilion That Inject Poetry onto the Theatre Stage

There is a saying that Kunqu is essentially storytelling through singing and dancing. Many of the excerpts from The Peony Pavilion are timeless classics which have left distinctive impressions on audiences. The most important factor for this is the genre's unique way of performing, which exquisitely renders the substance of the lyrics into vivid, well-rounded visual scenes that mesmerise the audience. In this talk, the speaker will take several classic excerpts from the play to illustrate how the texts are transformed into visual imagery with finesse.

4/6 (Sun) 3pm

Love Blessed by Mortals and the Gods Alike in The Peony Pavilion

Du Liniang lives for love and dies for love, creating a love story that is fantastical yet romantic at the same time. Love in a dream, love between human and ghost, love of the mundane world; from the beginning to the encounter, and eventually the perfect ending, the development of the story is made plausible with the help of certain characters, be it intentional or unintentional, thus adding a lot of interest to the narrative of this romantic love story. In this talk, the speaker will introduce these characters and discuss their importance in the development of the story.

11/6 (Sun) 3pm

Theatre Aesthetics as Shown in the Different Stagings of The Peony Pavilion

The Peony Pavilion enjoys timeless popularity on the stage of Chinese opera. Its staging comes in different formats, from a single excerpt, to multiple excerpts, or even a re-adaptation of the entire opera, each is imbued with its own unique charm. From performing on a simple carpeted stage to performing on a modern stage with sophisticated facilities like lighting and sound, the establishment of a director system, and abundant production resources, The Peony Pavilion is now presented in great variety. The stage aesthetics as conceived in different forms of the same play also have a great impact on the essence of its drama. In this talk, the speaker will use several stage versions of the play as examples to explore the influence of stage aesthetics.

Speaker : Cheung Lai-chun (Seasoned Kunqu researcher)

In Cantonese

AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Free admission. Limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

31/7（Mon）7pm

Theatre (Block I, Middle Zone), Jao Tsung-I Academy (800 Castle Peak Road, Mei Foo, Kowloon)

Speaker：Zhou Xuefeng

Demonstrators: Zhou Xuefeng, Wen Yi, Shu Liang

Ensemble: Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre Ensemble

Moderator: Professor Cheng Pei-kai

Registration : www.jtia.hk (Registration starts from 30 June onwards)

Enquiries: 2100 2828 (Jao Tsung-I Academy)

Co-ordinator: Jao Tsung-I Academy

In Putonghua

Free admission. Limited seats available by registration.