Three plays at the M1 Chinese Theatre Festival

Jul 9-19, LASALLE Flexible Performance Space

‘The show tells the tale of a young, inquisitive adventurer who journeys to find the answers to a series of big and wee questions. We chose to tell the story in the form of a musical – the emotional nature of music connects more immediately with audiences. We want to create works that are imaginative, stimulating, fun and magical for our young audiences. But good stories transcend ages, and a show for young audiences should also offer something for adults. We hope that this is such a story.’ 

Jul 9-12, LASALLE Creative Cube

‘This was a production we wanted to invite to the Festival last year, but we postponed it to this year so we’d have a longer lead time to acquire the appropriate license. The play tackles issues that might be deemed too sensitive. It’s about two Chinese brothers trying to bury their deceased father, only to realise he may have converted to Islam. But the play is about race and religion as much as it challenges our assumptions – and ignorance and intolerance – to many issues in our lives.’ 

Jul 16-26, LASALLE Creative Cube

‘This is the only play written by Kuo Pao Kun that has never been performed, since the initial production was banned in 1969. Rather than a faithful staging of the text, we chose to reinterpret the original script. It’s a dialogue between the past and the present. Almost all of the performers and the creative team were born after 1969. Struggle opens a window to look back at the class struggles that occurred over four decades ago, [which the play affirms] remain relevant today.’