|
Daughter of the River
- a workshop production
performed at Waterman's Arts Centre, The Studio Theatre,
Westminster and The Bull, Barnet
An adaptation, by Daniel York,
of Hong Ying's autobiography, Daughter of the River.
**Read Chinese?**
Click here for a brief summary of the play written in Simplified Chinese >>
Told from the viewpoint of the youngest daughter of a family of coolie labourers in Chongqing, situated on the
bank of China's greatest river, The Yangtze, Hong Ying's book is a raw, visceral, and uncompromising work that
brilliantly marries the personal and the political, and whose use of vivid, stirring poetry make it perfect for
the kind of panoramic multimedia theatrical collage that is intended.
The original Chinese title is, in fact, "The Hungry Daughter" - a referral to the great famine that precedes
the birth of the book's narrator; a famine in which millions died but one that was kept secret until after Mao
Zedong's death.
At once savage social critique, tender love
story and achingly universal search for identity, this production was
a one-handed performance poetry piece that would use stylised forms, in
conjunction with the writer's power, to place the world of the play in
the audience's imagination.
Creative Team includes:
Director / Adapter - Daniel York
Click here
to see Daniel's biog in Sun is Shining cast list
Author - Hong Ying
Born in Sichuan province, China, now resident in London, Hong Ying has
written several collections of stories and novellas, and is an acclaimed
poet. Her first novel, Summer of Betrayal was translated into ten
languages. Daughter of the River is her 2nd novel.
Musicians - Sarah and Liz Liew
Sarah and Liz are session musicians (Chinese and western violins, keyboards/piano
and pipe organ) and have played with many well-known artists including Moby,
KLF, Barry Adamson, Sixpence None the Richer performing on MTV, Top of the
Pops, Later with Jools, World Service (International), and Arte (Europe)
amongst others. Their own band CHI2 is an improvised fusion of Chinese
and Western violins with electronica beats (more info
at www.chi2.co.uk).
Designer - Ming Wong
A graduate of the Slade School of Art, from whom he received a First Class
Honours MSA in Fine Arts, Ming's work has been seen, in the form of exhibitions
and installation projects, at the Waterman's Arts Centre, Glasgow Tramway
and the Royal Overseas League in both London and Edinburgh, and he is
currently the recipient of a First Base Award from the Association of
Cultural Achievement through Visual Arts. Also an experienced playwright,
Ming wrote the book for Chang & Eng-the Musical - the most commercially
successful original work ever to be produced in his native Singapore,
which has also toured to China. He also is the author of "Balls!"
- a play about Chinese football supporters.
Performer - Jennifer Lim
Work includes: Rogue Trader (starring Ewan Macgregor and Anna
Friel). She has also appeared in Barney Stoppard's short Happy
Maghee (Macgregor, again, and Jude Law) and has collaborated
extensively with young British-Chinese film-makers such as Rosa Fong (Red)
and Hong Khao (For 200 Apples). Jennifer has also been seen in the
BBC comedy series, League of Gentlemen.
<<Click hereto go back to main list of
Upcoming Productions
|