Young playwright embarks on her 'latest odyssey'

The 80-minute play, though based on the stories of Nine Songs by Qu Yuan, sets the leading roles, the Goddess of the Xiang River and Priestess of Birth, against a background of the contemporary world. Scenes, such as an amusement park, a night club and a wedding ceremony, are portrayed. The two leading roles are personified as two beautiful, young women, who discuss their lives and struggles.

"The play creates an interesting laboratory experiment for exploring poems of Nine Songs and their influence on the contemporary world," comments Shao, who is also president of Beijing Young Dramatists Association.

In 2004, Yan came to Beijing from her hometown in Sichuan province to study literature at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, where she immersed herself in the world of traditional Chinese literature and Chinese operas, such as Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera. From 2013 to 2015, she furthered her studies at Peking University where she gained a Master of Fine Arts degree.

In 2017, Yan's play, Before the Fall, premiered in Shanghai and was performed by Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. It was her first play staged in theater, which was supported by a foundation for young Chinese scriptwriters.

The original play revolves around the romance between Luo Niang and Li Shanfu over the course of four seasons. The play, directed by Shen Kuang, featured four young Kunqu Opera actors and actresses from the troupe, and became a hit among young Kunqu Opera lovers.

"I usually sat among the audience during the performance to observe their reactions and absorb their feedback. They seemed to have enjoyed the beautiful movements and singing of the Kunqu Opera artists. Meanwhile, they were drawn to the story. It's an encouraging experience for young scriptwriters like me to take the audience closer to traditional Chinese operas," Yan says.