Sharing Designs in a Foreign Language

Students and faculty from University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) blog for the College Park Patch this summer from far-off Beijing. The group traveled to China to begin rehearsals of their bi-lingual, joint production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with students from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts (NACTA).

The project's goal is to communicate the message, "We're really just not that different," delivered uniquely through mixed casts of Chinese students speaking their lines in Chinese, and American students speaking their lines in English — to each other. Imagine a pair of lovers on stage, one Chinese and one American, gazing into each other's eyes and speaking their lines in their native languages. 

Overhead subtitles enable patrons to follow it all closely.  Under the direction of TDPS faculty Helen Huang and Mitchell Hebert, the performances will be presented in Beijing and College Park in October 2011.

Ni hao from Beijing.

In the last couple of days we experienced productions meetings in a way we never have before. Tuesday, we walked into a large conference room and were met by 20 to 30 Chinese students and faculty from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts (NACTA). After an introduction and photo in front of a custom banner honoring our collaborative project, the discussion began.

One of the most challenging elements of our meeting was the way communication traveled between parties.  It is really interesting to have a discussion with another individual while having someone else translate for you.  It really made us conscious of the way in which we presented our designs when going through an interpreter. 

Word choice and length of sentences were key elements when speaking about our work.  Drew was the first one to bite the bullet and show his scenic and lighting design. After scrambling to find a computer that worked in the conference room, one Chinese student was able to open the designs on their computer and we were able to project the images for the whole group.  After that, Laree presented her renderings to the group as well. A fruitful conversation between Yu Fan and Mitch followed the presentation.

Wednesday evening, we saw some of the most fascinating performances we could have ever imagined. In a tea house visited by such people as George Bush Sr., we watched what can only be described as Chinese vaudeville. A variety of actors presented everything from Beijing opera to juggling ceramic vases and face-mask quick change performance, in which the actors changed the masks on their face multiple times in seconds. Another outstanding act was done by two men who could mimic any sound imaginable.

We welcomed Thursday morning with a trip to the Temple of Heaven. It was one of the most fun mornings of our trip so far; upon entering the grounds of the temple, we all became kids again. Helen ran from vendor to vendor and group to group, enjoying everything they had to play with and share. Drew and Laree played hacky sack with a group of local Beijing men, using a ball with feathers coming out one side. We saw a group of retired Chinese people doing Jazzercise in the park and one of the most special things to be given to us so far — a choir who honored us with a rendition of "Jingle Bells."

That afternoon, madness ensued in the Chinese flea market. Laree was pushed and pulled in all directions with the phrase "Hey lady!" The market was five floors of booth after booth of vendors selling everything from jewelry to clothes, trinkets to watches, and even Calvin Klein jackets.  Laree hand painted mountains and trees in ink with one vendor selling his traditional paintings. Everyone left with lots of gifts, with Dan Conway being the most successful.

We ended the day with a production meeting in a private tea room. We were shown a traditional tea ceremony and recapped the last week's meetings before preparing to return home.  Helen continued to serve tea throughout the meeting, making sure everyone's cup was always full. 

Signing off from Beijing,

Drew and Laree