A legendary journey from Hangzhou's West Lake to New York
Reimagining a centuries-old Chinese folk tale through experimental theater, a Yale student brings The Legend of the White Snake to contemporary, multicultural audiences in the US through the medium of Mandarin.
He admits the production faced significant challenges, including a tight schedule and the need to adapt to different theater spaces in each city. The team rebuilt the stage setup for every venue, adjusting lighting, sound and choreography to fit new environments. Meanwhile, as a senior double majoring in computer science and art history, He juggled rehearsals and performances with her academic workload, including two graduation theses.
"Touring three cities required enormous communication and adaptability," she says, "but it also allowed the work to keep growing on different stages."
"The tour's success didn't belong to just a few individuals. It was the result of collaboration among more than 100 participants across multiple schools, disciplines and regions over the past few months."
Hailing from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, the Yale student has a long-standing interest in performance. She has been involved with Yale University's Vermillion Theater as an actor since her freshman year. This past summer, she made her TV drama debut in Rend Night, Regain Light, after which she received more systematic acting training in Beijing.
