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The Kunju Opera Theatre of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group will perform A Dream Under the Southern Bough, a classical piece of Kunju Opera, at the Canal Grand Theatre of Yangzhou China.
The first part will be staged on July 26, followed by the second on July 27.
Stage photo for A Dream Under the Southern Bough performed by young performers. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
The bond between this classical piece of Kunju Opera, which is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage art form, and Yangzhou runs deep. The millennia-old locust tree tucked away in the city's Tuoling Alley is said to be the place where the protagonist Chun Yufen dozed off and slipped into his fantastical dreamscape.
Stage photo for A Dream Under the Southern Bough performed by young performers. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
A Dream Under the Southern Bough, which premiered in 2012, was a collaboration between the theatre and a Taiwanese creative team. It became the first Kunju production to adapt the full narrative into a two-part performance, filling a gap in Kunju repertoire.
Yet, the innovation doesn't stop at the performance structure. Costumes honor traditional operatic aesthetics while weaving in patterns inspired by Chinese celadon porcelain and landscape paintings.
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Stage photo for A Dream Under the Southern Bough performed by young performers. [Photo/WeChat account: yzs_lyj]
In 2024, the theatre launched a revival of the production, entrusting its roles to post-00s generations. This initiative not only ensures the inheritance of contemporary Kunju works but also exemplifies the innovative reinvention of traditional culture. Their fresh energy breathes youthful vitality into this traditional art form.
