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From April 22 to June 1， a se- ries of plays from China were staged in Scotland， marking a breakthrough in cross-cultural theatrical exchange. Secrets by Lin Weiran， Thieves and Boy by Hao Jingfang， and Fox Attack by Xu Nuo， were each translated into English and adapted by a Scottish playwright before being performed at Glasgow， Edinburgh and Bathgate theaters. The plays proved tremendously popular with spectators， and some shows even sold out on Monday nights， prompting even more attention from Scottish theatrical circles.
The New Writing Project
The idea of a season of New Plays from China originated at the 2012 “New Writing Project” launched by Tian Qinxin， a theater director from the National Theater of China and one of China’s foremost avant-garde theater directors， in hopes of discovering talented young Chinese playwrights. After attending the Edinburgh Arts Festival in 2011， Tian became inspired with a deeper understanding of the importance of playwriting. Thus， she decided to launch a project aiming to foster young Chinese playwriting talent. Tian expected to see excellent work from young Chinese writers through learning from advanced foreign writing experience and methods. The initiative was warmly received and gained support from many renowned Chinese scholars， including Mo Yan， winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
In October 2012， after three rounds of screening by a board split between China and Scotland， a group of six exciting young writers was selected from over 150 applicants to develop new ideas. After workshops and residencies in Scotland for two weeks， three new plays were commissioned for the season after extensive development and rewrites. Co-sponsored by the National Theater of Scotland partnering with òran Mór Theater and the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh， the three plays were produced in Scotland as a season of New Plays from China.
A Glimpse of China
A good play is universal， capable of striking a chord in the hearts of spectators from any country. “I’ve been asking lots of questions about what it’s like to live in China right now，” reveals Davey Anderson， a renowned Scottish playwright and curator of the New Plays from China season.“These plays are the result – a few tiny peep holes into parts of China we don’t often get to see.”
Inspired by China’s reality， each of the plays dramatizes tension between public and private lives， the gap between rich and poor， and the dangers of lying to oneself and others. Audiences are presented a glimpse of the lives of several individuals whose stories represent a portrait of mod- ern Chinese society. Secrets is about love. An ex-lover shows up on the doorstep of a married woman. After he disappeared two years earlier， she built a new life without him. His reappearance threatens to shatter her new life， yet he pushes to rekindle their romance. She wants the reasons he left in the first place. The play was warmly received by Scottish spectators， and some critics remarked that human emotion knows no boundaries， and that the story felt as authentic to Scots as it would to Chinese people.
Thieves and Boy is a black comedy crime caper. Two construction workers go vigilante， attempting to right the wrongs of society by robbing a corrupt highranking government official. However， once they get inside his home， it turns out that the partners have different definitions of justice. Fox Attack features an unsettling story about a promising and obsessive young pianist who commits a terrible crime to save himself.
Anticipating various cultural and linguistic differences between the two lands hampering the audience’s understanding of the plays， the National Theater of Scotland invited top Scottish playwrights and directors to adapt them. By doing this， the three plays maintained their original flavor， while becoming easily understood by the local audience.
Cultural Exchange
Actually， the China Season was presented as part of an international “A Play， a Pie and a Pint” season at òran Mór in association with the National Theater of Scotland. Traditionally， the audience is given a free glass of beer and pie dur- ing the performance， but to honor the Chinese plays， Chinese dumplings were substituted for pie.
Davey Anderson explained his intentions with the event： “My passion is new writing. I wanted to take a group of Chinese writers through a collaborative process and produce plays that were unique to this creative exchange between Scotland and China.” He revealed that during the event， he and young Chinese playwrights shared ideas， interests， inspirations and working methods and negotiated the language barrier， as well as different sets of cultural reference points， artistic traditions， social backgrounds， political frameworks and so on.
Director Tian Qinxin deemed the co- operation between China and the National Theater of Scotland necessary and helpful. “We have much to learn from Scottish theatrical circles， especially the importance they attach to scripts and the systematic training of writing skills，” says Tian. “Our young playwrights have benefited a lot from the workshops and guidance from Scottish playwrights. Their potentials were enhanced， skills improved， and their work moved closer to the essence of theater.”
Tian believes that China has a surplus of good subjects for theatrical creation， but a shortage of exceptional writers and production teams. She hopes that artists from both China and Scotland will find more opportunities in the future to meet， work together， and produce excellent theater.
The New Writing Project
The idea of a season of New Plays from China originated at the 2012 “New Writing Project” launched by Tian Qinxin， a theater director from the National Theater of China and one of China’s foremost avant-garde theater directors， in hopes of discovering talented young Chinese playwrights. After attending the Edinburgh Arts Festival in 2011， Tian became inspired with a deeper understanding of the importance of playwriting. Thus， she decided to launch a project aiming to foster young Chinese playwriting talent. Tian expected to see excellent work from young Chinese writers through learning from advanced foreign writing experience and methods. The initiative was warmly received and gained support from many renowned Chinese scholars， including Mo Yan， winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature.
In October 2012， after three rounds of screening by a board split between China and Scotland， a group of six exciting young writers was selected from over 150 applicants to develop new ideas. After workshops and residencies in Scotland for two weeks， three new plays were commissioned for the season after extensive development and rewrites. Co-sponsored by the National Theater of Scotland partnering with òran Mór Theater and the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh， the three plays were produced in Scotland as a season of New Plays from China.
A Glimpse of China
A good play is universal， capable of striking a chord in the hearts of spectators from any country. “I’ve been asking lots of questions about what it’s like to live in China right now，” reveals Davey Anderson， a renowned Scottish playwright and curator of the New Plays from China season.“These plays are the result – a few tiny peep holes into parts of China we don’t often get to see.”
Inspired by China’s reality， each of the plays dramatizes tension between public and private lives， the gap between rich and poor， and the dangers of lying to oneself and others. Audiences are presented a glimpse of the lives of several individuals whose stories represent a portrait of mod- ern Chinese society. Secrets is about love. An ex-lover shows up on the doorstep of a married woman. After he disappeared two years earlier， she built a new life without him. His reappearance threatens to shatter her new life， yet he pushes to rekindle their romance. She wants the reasons he left in the first place. The play was warmly received by Scottish spectators， and some critics remarked that human emotion knows no boundaries， and that the story felt as authentic to Scots as it would to Chinese people.
Thieves and Boy is a black comedy crime caper. Two construction workers go vigilante， attempting to right the wrongs of society by robbing a corrupt highranking government official. However， once they get inside his home， it turns out that the partners have different definitions of justice. Fox Attack features an unsettling story about a promising and obsessive young pianist who commits a terrible crime to save himself.
Anticipating various cultural and linguistic differences between the two lands hampering the audience’s understanding of the plays， the National Theater of Scotland invited top Scottish playwrights and directors to adapt them. By doing this， the three plays maintained their original flavor， while becoming easily understood by the local audience.
Cultural Exchange
Actually， the China Season was presented as part of an international “A Play， a Pie and a Pint” season at òran Mór in association with the National Theater of Scotland. Traditionally， the audience is given a free glass of beer and pie dur- ing the performance， but to honor the Chinese plays， Chinese dumplings were substituted for pie.
Davey Anderson explained his intentions with the event： “My passion is new writing. I wanted to take a group of Chinese writers through a collaborative process and produce plays that were unique to this creative exchange between Scotland and China.” He revealed that during the event， he and young Chinese playwrights shared ideas， interests， inspirations and working methods and negotiated the language barrier， as well as different sets of cultural reference points， artistic traditions， social backgrounds， political frameworks and so on.
Director Tian Qinxin deemed the co- operation between China and the National Theater of Scotland necessary and helpful. “We have much to learn from Scottish theatrical circles， especially the importance they attach to scripts and the systematic training of writing skills，” says Tian. “Our young playwrights have benefited a lot from the workshops and guidance from Scottish playwrights. Their potentials were enhanced， skills improved， and their work moved closer to the essence of theater.”
Tian believes that China has a surplus of good subjects for theatrical creation， but a shortage of exceptional writers and production teams. She hopes that artists from both China and Scotland will find more opportunities in the future to meet， work together， and produce excellent theater.