Small stage makes big difference

A stream of edgy hits

Here are some of the plays that Li Yangduo has produced for her DrumTower West Theater.

The Pillowman (2014, revived in 2015 and 2016)

Playwright: Martin McDonagh

The 2004 winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for best new play is about a writer who depicts violence against children, and is suspected to be involved in one case. It became the breakout hit that pointed the way for the artistic aspirations of Li and her new house.

Before Breakfast (2014)

Playwright: Eugene O'Neill

This obscure one-act play, an early work by the American pioneer in the art of drama brought home its relevance to contemporary Chinese society, especially the notion of family as the societal core.

Thunderstorm (2014)

Playwright: Cao Yu

This perennial favorite in modern Chinese dramatic literature was given a new spin by Swedish director Mathias Lafolie, who approached the familiar tale as a discourse on morality and relationships.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane (2015, revived in 2016)

Playwright: Martin McDonagh

This black comedy, which won four Tony awards, portrays the acidic relationship between an ageing matriarch and her spinster daughter, something rare for the Chinese stage.

How I Learned to Drive (2015, revived in 2016)

Playwright: Paula Vogel

This 1998 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama is based on an avuncular character and his influence on the coming of age of a teenage girl. The moral grey area is typical of Li's offerings at her funky new theater.

The Censor (2016)

Playwright: Anthony Neilson

This story of a female filmmaker of pornographic art and a middle-aged bureaucrat is so titillating that it could well lead to ratings for theatrical productions.

Red Herring (planned for 2016)

Playwright: Jean-Jacques Varoujean

Directed by Mou Sen, an early practitioner in Chinese avant-garde theater, this is a French tale of a charity event gone awry, and illuminates a chasm between the haves and have-nots that defies political categorization.

'night, Mother (planned for 2016)

Playwright: Marsha Norman

A winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for drama, this extremely dark tale about a mother and her suicidal daughter is a serious look at the abyss of existential anxiety.

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (planned for 2016)

Playwright: Edward Elbee

The 2002 recipient of the Tony Award for best play touches on the taboo issue of bestiality in a well-respected middle-class family.