Thunderstorm 2.0

Rebecca Crown Hall, Jerusalem Theatre

Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental (China)

Duration: 60 minutes (no intermission)

Thunderstorm 2.0 is a modern multimedia retelling of the classic Chinese play “Thunderstorm.” One of China’s greatest theatrical works of the twentieth century, the play tells the story of the painful decline of a wealthy family plagued by dark secrets. At the center of the plot is an impossible love triangle between a married couple and a maid who is pregnant with the husband’s child.

In Wang Chong’s version of the play, a large film crew films the actors, creating a movie that is edited and processed for the screen in real time. The multiple stories — the one unfolding on the stage and the one told in the film shown on the screen — create rich layers of text and subtext that build up an elusive, tension-filled drama. As Chong blurs the boundaries between the off-screen and on-screen worlds, he challenges our perception of reality, giving rise to questions about the camera’s ability to manipulate within a complicated and intimate array of powers.

The Beijing News ranked Thunderstorm 2.0, which premiered in 2012, as one of the ten best performances in China of the past 30 years, and named its director, Wang Chong, as the best experimental artist of 2012.

*The performance on June 5 will be followed by a discussion in English with the director

*Special thanks to the Chinese Embassy for its support

Original text:  CAO Yu

Adapted by: WANG Chong, YANG Fan, LIANG Anzheng

Produced by: WANG Qingyang (Originally Produced by: LI Yi)

Lead Actors: GONG Zhe, WANG Xiaohuan, YAN Nan

Directed by: WANG Chong

Video Director: YANG Fan, ZHANG Xiaodi

Stage Design: LI Yi

International Touring and Management: Ping Pong Productions

From the critics:

“Aspiring and ambitious, theater director Wang Chong is on a mission to overthrow the dated stage techniques that dominate Chinese theater today.” (Global Times)

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