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NYCPlaywrights January 25, 2025
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NYCPlaywrights
Jan 25, 2025, 5:02:11 PMJan 25
to NYCPlaywrights
Greetings NYCPlaywrights
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
ÑACHI
IATI Theater presents the LAB Production of ÑACHI, a visceral story of ancestral rites, indigenous folk, and police brutality seen through the eyes of a sheep in Wallmapu, the land of the Mapuche people. Tracked through the passing seasons, the sheep’s wonder at the beauty of nature turns to rage at the violence exerted by the Chilean State. Ultimately, we are left to wonder— Is the sickness of human society beyond cure?
Told by a team of Chilean artists, this story brings us to the southernmost regions of Latin America, where native heritage has outlived the threat of erasure.
Presented in Spanish with English supertitles. Open to the Fordham community.
Monday, March 3 · 6:30 - 7:30pm EST
Fordham University at Lincoln Center
113 West 60th Street New York, NY 10023
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nachi-presented-by-iati-theater-at-fordham-lc-kehoe-theater-630pm-tickets-1205705941929?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Ghostlight Ensemble in Chicago is seeking short scripts (under 30 minutes) for a staged reading series at Black Eagle Club. The only requirement is that the scripts are set at a bar. Selected plays will be presented in a series of staged readings during the spring of 2025 as part of our revamped series of live events at Black Eagle.
***
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston, IL is proud to announce the return of the Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright’s Festival. This festival will take place over two weekends (June 20th-22nd and June 27th-29th) at FJT’s home, the Noyes Cultural Center in Evanston. The first weekend will be for the playwrights to connect with each other and spend uninterrupted time developing their play. The second weekend will offer rehearsal time with a director and actors, culminating in a public staged reading. Playwrights will have the opportunity to participate in talkback sessions with the audience.
***
New Jersey Theater Alliance: Healing Voices - Caregivers are invited to submit all forms of creative writing, including prose, poetry, and theatrical pieces that reflect the theme of caregiving or the personal healing experience. Selected pieces are woven together by professional theatre artists into an evening of readings celebrating, exploring, and bearing witness to the caregiving experience.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** CHINESE OPERA ***
Chinese Opera is a performing art in China, amalgamating music, literature, drama and visual art. It represents the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture. New York Chinese Opera Society (NYCOS) founded in 2006. This non-profit organization has engaged a number of people interested in Chinese Opera and in Chinese culture in general.Its mission is to introduce and promote Chinese traditional opera, increasing its popularity in the U.S. Since its foundation, NYCOS has organized a variety of cultural events, including public performances, community activities and workshops, to bridge cultural differences and foster diversity. To fulfill this mission, the NYCOS Youth Troupe and the Calligraphy Program, as functions under the NYCOS, provide opportunities for greater engagement in traditional Chinese culture.
More...
https://nycos.org/about
***
People describe Peking Opera in many ways. Some say it is a comprehensive art form that combines many elements, including singing, speaking, acting, and fighting. Others say it is a stage performance with fancy costumes and masks. And others see it as a symbol of China and a cultural link between the East and the West.
Londoners now have the opportunity to experience it and define it for themselves. The China National Peking Opera Company, China's most elite organization in the performance of Peking Opera, has returned to the British capital for a third time, bringing with it two masterpieces: A River All Red and The Phoenix Returns Home. The operas, which opened on Saturday at Sadler's Wells Theatre, are being performed until Wednesday.
A River All Red is based on the true story of general Yue Fei from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Yue is one of the most famed generals in China's history and a legend of resolute loyalty to his country and allegiance to his people.
The Phoenix Returns Home tells the humorous story of a senior court minister who retires and returns to his hometown with his two daughters. The elder daughter, Xueyan, is a plain and ordinary woman while the younger Xue'e is beautiful and elegant. The opera tells tales of love and mistaken identity.
More...
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201710/23/WS5a0cee12a31061a738407130.html
***
My aversion to Cantonese opera persisted until I started to accept my queerness and my heritage as coexistent aspects of my identity rather than opposing forces. I started to question if the opera I saw at my grandmother’s concerts, which was largely hosted and attended by conservative Chinese seniors, reflected what all Cantonese operas were like. As I dove deeper into the past traditions of Cantonese opera, I discovered its rich history of genderbending and defying societal norms. I learned that similar to Greek and British theater, men frequently played women, not only by dressing in traditionally feminine costumes but also by embracing femininity in their acting style and singing higher-pitched parts. The opposite was true as well; in the Ming and Qing dynasties, where interactions between men and women were strictly limited, there were many all-female opera troupes alongside all-male ones, allowing women to embody the roles of male characters. The flamboyant costumes and elaborate makeup of professional opera troupes resembled the ones I saw at drag shows, and I sat in wonder watching performers maneuver their seven-foot-long sleeves while simultaneously practicing martial arts and acting.
More...
https://www.theindy.org/article/3297
Peking Opera: China's Greatest Gender-Fluid Spectacle | Century Masters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkmz0ztbKmg&t=579s
***
At the turn of the 20th century, xiaogeban had spread to Shanghai, but its actors were initially sneered at by elitist local crowds for their rural origins. This sparked the birth of Yue opera (越剧), a formalized version of xiaogeban that absorbed influences from other operatic traditions and used elaborate sets, costumes, and musical arrangements.
Around this time, the art form added another crucial element: women. Influenced by the feminists in Shanghai, the romantic stories and soft melodies performed by women attracted bigger crowds. Thus, Yue opera became a female-dominated medium. Today, male roles in Yue opera are often taken by female performers.
Making friends with Yue opera actresses and buying beautiful costumes for them became a fashion among the high-class women of Shanghai. Artists from around the country would come to craft scripts for this medium, the most well-known of which are The Butterfly Lovers (《梁祝》), The Story of the Western Wing (《西厢记》), and Peach Blossom Fan (《桃花扇》).
The Butterfly Lovers
It’s a legend of love and learning: The Butterfly Lovers, or Liang Zhu, is one of the most well-known Chinese folk legends. Having been passed down for almost 1,700 years, the story has spawned countless films, plays, operas, and even a concerto. The Yue opera based on this tale, composed in the 1930s, sets the story in Zhejiang. It is one of the best-known versions of the story, as it was made into a hit movie in 1953.
The story begins with Zhu Yingtai (祝英台), the daughter of a wealthy family, gaining entry to a famous academy—since the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), this has been identified as the Wansong Academy (万松书院) in southeastern Hangzhou.
To enter this exclusive domain of men, Zhu disguises herself as a boy, and meets another student, Liang Shanbo (梁山伯). The two become fast friends, and over the course of three years of study, Zhu secretly falls in love with Liang. However, Zhu is suddenly summoned home.
Months pass, and Liang pays a visit to Zhu’s home, where it is finally made clear that she is a woman; the two fall madly in love, pledging themselves to one another. But Zhu finds she is to be married off to a rich playboy: The news crushes Liang and his health begins to wane, eventually leading to his tragic death.
On Zhu’s wedding day, a strong wind stops her marriage procession as it passes the spot where Liang is buried. She steps out of the sedan to pay her respects. At that moment, the ground opens, and Zhu plunges herself into Liang’s grave. Two butterflies emerge and fly off in the wind, never again to be parted.
More...
https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2021/05/the-history-of-chinas-female-dominated-yue-opera/
***
Liu Hai Cuts Wood, a flower drum opera known by every household in Hunan, is also familiar to audiences nationwide. Still, few people know about the authentic version of the legend and its origin, Changde. Early in the Northern Song Dynasty(960 A.D-1127A.D.), the legend of Liu Hai cutting Firewood had already taken shape. The version we know today is believed to have originated in the middle of Qing Dynasty (1636AD-1912AD).
Long time ago, near the Tower Gourd Well (named for the tower gourd images in the well) in Wuling District of Changde, there lived a young man Liu Hai and his mother. Liu Hai was very diligent and dutiful to his mother. In the hills where he often cut firewood, a fox fairy Hu Xiuying admired him for his kindness and insisted to marry him. Liu Hai hesitated first, because he was afraid that his poor living could not secure a happy marriage for Hu Xiuying. However, he was moved by her love after all. The marriage was also approved by Liu Hai's mother. Unfortunately, when they bought wedding supplies in Ji’er Alley of the downtown, the tenth Bodhisattvas in the adjacent temple (eighteen Bodhisattvas in total) wanted to rob Hu’s pearl, with which he could become immortal. Without her pearl, Hu would immediately show herself as a fox. She told Liu Hai the truth and he forgave her. Thanks to the help of the God Axe and Hu’s sisters, Liu Hai defeated the Bodhisattvas with his axe and got the pearl back. They lived together happily ever after.
More...
http://www.enghunan.gov.cn/AboutHunan/HistoryCulture/CulturalHeritage/201507/t20150707_1792961.html
***
The “Hakka Tea-picking Opera” is a classical form of Hakka opera performance. It contains a variety of singing styles and music tunes that are both delicate and beautiful, and the unique traditional opera moves of its Chou (male clown roles) and Dan (female roles) are absolutely fascinating. Today, the Hakka Tea-picking Opera has evolved from a small play with Hakka song and dance into the “Grand Tea-picking Opera”, a rich grand play that shows the beauty of Hakka culture through a combination of Hakka language, literature, music, and traditional operas.
More...
https://www.studyintaiwan.org/university/program/4811
***
The Drunken Concubine - The play, also known as "Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers", originated from a local drama "Drunken Yang Concubine" during the Qianlong period, which was polished by Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. It's one of the classic representative plays of the clan of Mei, especially the four flat tones at the beginning are the most classic.
The play tells the story of Emperor Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei who arranged to have a banquet the day before to enjoy flowers and drink wine.
The next day, Yang Guifei came to the pavilion and prepared a banquet for the emperor, but the emperor's carriage took a long time to arrive. Suddenly news came that the emperor had gone to the palace of Jiang Fei, and Yang Guifei was distressed to death upon hearing that.
Yang Guifei was a narrow-minded, jealous woman who was most likely to react when faced with injustice. She was so jealous of the Emperor that she could not help but feel a lot of depressive emotions. As a result, it was difficult for her to overcome her emotions at the moment, and the wine increased her grief, so even three drinks could make her drunk. Her lust for love was completely out of control.
https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/4A8wSP0d0Se
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
ÑACHI
IATI Theater presents the LAB Production of ÑACHI, a visceral story of ancestral rites, indigenous folk, and police brutality seen through the eyes of a sheep in Wallmapu, the land of the Mapuche people. Tracked through the passing seasons, the sheep’s wonder at the beauty of nature turns to rage at the violence exerted by the Chilean State. Ultimately, we are left to wonder— Is the sickness of human society beyond cure?
Told by a team of Chilean artists, this story brings us to the southernmost regions of Latin America, where native heritage has outlived the threat of erasure.
Presented in Spanish with English supertitles. Open to the Fordham community.
Monday, March 3 · 6:30 - 7:30pm EST
Fordham University at Lincoln Center
113 West 60th Street New York, NY 10023
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nachi-presented-by-iati-theater-at-fordham-lc-kehoe-theater-630pm-tickets-1205705941929?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Ghostlight Ensemble in Chicago is seeking short scripts (under 30 minutes) for a staged reading series at Black Eagle Club. The only requirement is that the scripts are set at a bar. Selected plays will be presented in a series of staged readings during the spring of 2025 as part of our revamped series of live events at Black Eagle.
***
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston, IL is proud to announce the return of the Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright’s Festival. This festival will take place over two weekends (June 20th-22nd and June 27th-29th) at FJT’s home, the Noyes Cultural Center in Evanston. The first weekend will be for the playwrights to connect with each other and spend uninterrupted time developing their play. The second weekend will offer rehearsal time with a director and actors, culminating in a public staged reading. Playwrights will have the opportunity to participate in talkback sessions with the audience.
***
New Jersey Theater Alliance: Healing Voices - Caregivers are invited to submit all forms of creative writing, including prose, poetry, and theatrical pieces that reflect the theme of caregiving or the personal healing experience. Selected pieces are woven together by professional theatre artists into an evening of readings celebrating, exploring, and bearing witness to the caregiving experience.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** CHINESE OPERA ***
Chinese Opera is a performing art in China, amalgamating music, literature, drama and visual art. It represents the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture. New York Chinese Opera Society (NYCOS) founded in 2006. This non-profit organization has engaged a number of people interested in Chinese Opera and in Chinese culture in general.Its mission is to introduce and promote Chinese traditional opera, increasing its popularity in the U.S. Since its foundation, NYCOS has organized a variety of cultural events, including public performances, community activities and workshops, to bridge cultural differences and foster diversity. To fulfill this mission, the NYCOS Youth Troupe and the Calligraphy Program, as functions under the NYCOS, provide opportunities for greater engagement in traditional Chinese culture.
More...
https://nycos.org/about
***
People describe Peking Opera in many ways. Some say it is a comprehensive art form that combines many elements, including singing, speaking, acting, and fighting. Others say it is a stage performance with fancy costumes and masks. And others see it as a symbol of China and a cultural link between the East and the West.
Londoners now have the opportunity to experience it and define it for themselves. The China National Peking Opera Company, China's most elite organization in the performance of Peking Opera, has returned to the British capital for a third time, bringing with it two masterpieces: A River All Red and The Phoenix Returns Home. The operas, which opened on Saturday at Sadler's Wells Theatre, are being performed until Wednesday.
A River All Red is based on the true story of general Yue Fei from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Yue is one of the most famed generals in China's history and a legend of resolute loyalty to his country and allegiance to his people.
The Phoenix Returns Home tells the humorous story of a senior court minister who retires and returns to his hometown with his two daughters. The elder daughter, Xueyan, is a plain and ordinary woman while the younger Xue'e is beautiful and elegant. The opera tells tales of love and mistaken identity.
More...
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201710/23/WS5a0cee12a31061a738407130.html
***
My aversion to Cantonese opera persisted until I started to accept my queerness and my heritage as coexistent aspects of my identity rather than opposing forces. I started to question if the opera I saw at my grandmother’s concerts, which was largely hosted and attended by conservative Chinese seniors, reflected what all Cantonese operas were like. As I dove deeper into the past traditions of Cantonese opera, I discovered its rich history of genderbending and defying societal norms. I learned that similar to Greek and British theater, men frequently played women, not only by dressing in traditionally feminine costumes but also by embracing femininity in their acting style and singing higher-pitched parts. The opposite was true as well; in the Ming and Qing dynasties, where interactions between men and women were strictly limited, there were many all-female opera troupes alongside all-male ones, allowing women to embody the roles of male characters. The flamboyant costumes and elaborate makeup of professional opera troupes resembled the ones I saw at drag shows, and I sat in wonder watching performers maneuver their seven-foot-long sleeves while simultaneously practicing martial arts and acting.
More...
https://www.theindy.org/article/3297
Peking Opera: China's Greatest Gender-Fluid Spectacle | Century Masters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkmz0ztbKmg&t=579s
***
At the turn of the 20th century, xiaogeban had spread to Shanghai, but its actors were initially sneered at by elitist local crowds for their rural origins. This sparked the birth of Yue opera (越剧), a formalized version of xiaogeban that absorbed influences from other operatic traditions and used elaborate sets, costumes, and musical arrangements.
Around this time, the art form added another crucial element: women. Influenced by the feminists in Shanghai, the romantic stories and soft melodies performed by women attracted bigger crowds. Thus, Yue opera became a female-dominated medium. Today, male roles in Yue opera are often taken by female performers.
Making friends with Yue opera actresses and buying beautiful costumes for them became a fashion among the high-class women of Shanghai. Artists from around the country would come to craft scripts for this medium, the most well-known of which are The Butterfly Lovers (《梁祝》), The Story of the Western Wing (《西厢记》), and Peach Blossom Fan (《桃花扇》).
The Butterfly Lovers
It’s a legend of love and learning: The Butterfly Lovers, or Liang Zhu, is one of the most well-known Chinese folk legends. Having been passed down for almost 1,700 years, the story has spawned countless films, plays, operas, and even a concerto. The Yue opera based on this tale, composed in the 1930s, sets the story in Zhejiang. It is one of the best-known versions of the story, as it was made into a hit movie in 1953.
The story begins with Zhu Yingtai (祝英台), the daughter of a wealthy family, gaining entry to a famous academy—since the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), this has been identified as the Wansong Academy (万松书院) in southeastern Hangzhou.
To enter this exclusive domain of men, Zhu disguises herself as a boy, and meets another student, Liang Shanbo (梁山伯). The two become fast friends, and over the course of three years of study, Zhu secretly falls in love with Liang. However, Zhu is suddenly summoned home.
Months pass, and Liang pays a visit to Zhu’s home, where it is finally made clear that she is a woman; the two fall madly in love, pledging themselves to one another. But Zhu finds she is to be married off to a rich playboy: The news crushes Liang and his health begins to wane, eventually leading to his tragic death.
On Zhu’s wedding day, a strong wind stops her marriage procession as it passes the spot where Liang is buried. She steps out of the sedan to pay her respects. At that moment, the ground opens, and Zhu plunges herself into Liang’s grave. Two butterflies emerge and fly off in the wind, never again to be parted.
More...
https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2021/05/the-history-of-chinas-female-dominated-yue-opera/
***
Liu Hai Cuts Wood, a flower drum opera known by every household in Hunan, is also familiar to audiences nationwide. Still, few people know about the authentic version of the legend and its origin, Changde. Early in the Northern Song Dynasty(960 A.D-1127A.D.), the legend of Liu Hai cutting Firewood had already taken shape. The version we know today is believed to have originated in the middle of Qing Dynasty (1636AD-1912AD).
Long time ago, near the Tower Gourd Well (named for the tower gourd images in the well) in Wuling District of Changde, there lived a young man Liu Hai and his mother. Liu Hai was very diligent and dutiful to his mother. In the hills where he often cut firewood, a fox fairy Hu Xiuying admired him for his kindness and insisted to marry him. Liu Hai hesitated first, because he was afraid that his poor living could not secure a happy marriage for Hu Xiuying. However, he was moved by her love after all. The marriage was also approved by Liu Hai's mother. Unfortunately, when they bought wedding supplies in Ji’er Alley of the downtown, the tenth Bodhisattvas in the adjacent temple (eighteen Bodhisattvas in total) wanted to rob Hu’s pearl, with which he could become immortal. Without her pearl, Hu would immediately show herself as a fox. She told Liu Hai the truth and he forgave her. Thanks to the help of the God Axe and Hu’s sisters, Liu Hai defeated the Bodhisattvas with his axe and got the pearl back. They lived together happily ever after.
More...
http://www.enghunan.gov.cn/AboutHunan/HistoryCulture/CulturalHeritage/201507/t20150707_1792961.html
***
The “Hakka Tea-picking Opera” is a classical form of Hakka opera performance. It contains a variety of singing styles and music tunes that are both delicate and beautiful, and the unique traditional opera moves of its Chou (male clown roles) and Dan (female roles) are absolutely fascinating. Today, the Hakka Tea-picking Opera has evolved from a small play with Hakka song and dance into the “Grand Tea-picking Opera”, a rich grand play that shows the beauty of Hakka culture through a combination of Hakka language, literature, music, and traditional operas.
More...
https://www.studyintaiwan.org/university/program/4811
***
The Drunken Concubine - The play, also known as "Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers", originated from a local drama "Drunken Yang Concubine" during the Qianlong period, which was polished by Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. It's one of the classic representative plays of the clan of Mei, especially the four flat tones at the beginning are the most classic.
The play tells the story of Emperor Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei who arranged to have a banquet the day before to enjoy flowers and drink wine.
The next day, Yang Guifei came to the pavilion and prepared a banquet for the emperor, but the emperor's carriage took a long time to arrive. Suddenly news came that the emperor had gone to the palace of Jiang Fei, and Yang Guifei was distressed to death upon hearing that.
Yang Guifei was a narrow-minded, jealous woman who was most likely to react when faced with injustice. She was so jealous of the Emperor that she could not help but feel a lot of depressive emotions. As a result, it was difficult for her to overcome her emotions at the moment, and the wine increased her grief, so even three drinks could make her drunk. Her lust for love was completely out of control.
https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/4A8wSP0d0Se
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