Prof. Sarah Hamilton handing over student exchange agreement to Prof. Guo Yu, Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Salute to Shakespeare: interpretations of Shakespeare in Chinese opera and traditional Chinese puppetry.
This week the College was delighted to host a visit of staff and students from Shanghai Theatre Academy. It was marked by the formal signing of a new undergraduate student exchange between the Drama Department and Shanghai Theatre Academy, and a performance by students.
The students, who are studying degree courses in Chinese opera and puppetry, performed four extracts from three Shakespearean plays in Jingju and Kunqu (Chinese opera forms), rod puppetry and string marionettes.
The four extracts were as follows:
Macbeth in Kungqu Opera: this form has the longest history among existing Chinese opera forms.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Yue Opera: this melodic form is popular with younger generations and can be compared to Western musicals.
Taming of the Shrew performed by traditional Chinese rod puppets.
Taming of the Shrew performed by traditional Chinese string marionettes.
Cariad Astles, co-internationalisation officer in Drama comments, “The Drama department was delighted to welcome three members of staff and twenty-one students from Shanghai Theatre Academy this week. We also enjoyed listening to Professor Guo Yu, Vice President of STA, delivering a talk on intercultural approaches to theatre in China, using Chinese opera as a model”.
The Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) is a comprehensive university of performing arts. Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, STA is one of the best higher education art institutions in China.
Students from Exeter studying abroad for one year at Shanghai Theatre Academy will join STA’s bilingual (Chinese and English) MA program in Intercultural Communication Studies.
Date: 10 November 2015
