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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.