Modern masterpieces

Also premiering next year, on Aug 29, will be Yu's stage adaptation of Chinese literary classic Dream of the Red Chamber. "I wanted to take a more modern approach, and place the characters in a context where their rebellion seems futile against destiny."

A prolific playwright and avid reader, Yu says he was inspired by such surrealistic literary masters as Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marques and even detective fiction writer Raymond Chandler. "People are already familiar with the storyline of Red Chamber, so I hope this adaptation will inspire fresh interest and a different perspective on it through my reworking."

To be presented over Nov 11-22 next year, Miss Julie and Death of a Salesman were chosen for their enduring relevance to modern China, Yu says. "We still find a lot of tension between men and women of contrasting social status, and we have invited a female director and playwright from Sweden, Hilda Hellwig, to work with us on the production of August Strindberg's literary classic."

During the 1980s, American playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) traveled to China and staged productions of his best-known plays, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.

"At that time, I was aware of the allegorical significance of Salesman, but it was only until decades later, when China had become such a commercialized society, that I could actually properly relate to the characters and the story," says Lyu Liang, a veteran actor with the SDAC, who will take the lead role of the aging salesman Willy in the new production. The play is scheduled to premiere on Aug 8.

The SDAC is Shanghai's only specialized stage play troupe, says Zhang. "Our primary goal is to create colorful and high-quality theater productions for the people. In 2019, the center created eight new plays, staged 45 productions and presented more than 630 shows watched by some 310,000 people in total."