Banned Chinese drama by Nobel-winning author remounted on University of Calgary stage

A play by a Nobel Prize winning author that was banned in China in the 1980s after only 13 performances is back onstage, only in Calgary.
The Canadian premiere of The Bus Stop, by Gao Xingjian, is being presented at the University of Calgary. It's a student initiated project, being directed by MFA Directing candidate Fangzheng (Nick) Wang.
The play tells the story of a group of citizens waiting for the 'bus to the city' to arrive, with all the promise that entails of better lives.
Written in the 1980s, the play premiered at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, where it was said to be a hit with patrons, until it was shut down by the Communist Party after 13 performances for being 'spiritual pollution'.
Now, more than 30 years later, The Bus Stop resonates as a cry for a return to normalcy after the stresses of the pandemic said Christine Brubaker, U of C's Drama Division lead.
“The Bus Stop becomes a metaphor for our collective longing of the last 21 months,” said Brubaker in a release. “And with crossing languages, histories, geography and cultures, this play celebrates the shared vulnerability and aspirations in a post-pandemic era.”
The play remains an influential text in Chinese absurdist drama. During the 1980s, Xingjian published a number of novels, plays and other writing considered critical of the Chinese government. He ultimately left the Communist Party after the Tiananmen Square massacre, and relocated to France, and has since become a French citizen. He won the 2000 Nobel Prize for literature.
It runs through Dec. 4 at the University Theatre at the U of C and features Mandarin subtitles.
Tickets are $22 (adults) / $17 (students/seniors) and are available online through scpa.ucalgary.ca/events or at the door.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario doctor alleged to have killed 4 people around same date in 2021: documents
Court documents allege an eastern Ontario doctor killed four people around the same date in 2021.

Freedom Convoy-affiliated group refusing to leave Ottawa church after eviction notice
Members of a Freedom Convoy-affiliated group remain at an Ottawa church one day after the owner of the historic property moved to evict them over unpaid rent.
Retailers sitting on 'mountains' of excess inventory in need of liquidation: expert
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
Michelle O'Bonsawin named as Canada's first Indigenous Supreme Court justice
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O'Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person chosen to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
Plane fails to descend as pilots reportedly fell asleep during flight
Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia on Monday, according to a report by commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald.
Transport minister says COVID-19 to blame for airport delays, flight cancellations
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told the House of Commons transport committee the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting labour shortages are to blame for the significant wait times at Canadian airports, and said the ArriveCAN app is here to stay.
Regular cleaning, disinfection may have curbed monkeypox spread in Utah home: CDC report
A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says routine cleaning and disinfection may have helped two monkeypox patients limit the amount of contamination in their home.
Woman travelling to Canada with 5 kilos of heroin arrested in Poland
A 81-year-old Danish woman traveling from Africa to Canada was arrested at Warsaw airport on suspicion of illegal possession of heroin worth over US$515,000, officials in Poland said Friday.
Calgary man convicted in multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme sentenced to 10 years
A Calgary man who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for what the judge called a deliberate and large-scale fraud.