Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Theatre

Dates: October 18-20, 2017

About

Warrior Lanling is a fable about “soul and mask”. This new story is developed based on the legend of the Warrior Lanling, a famous general of the Northern Qi Dynasty. The drama Warrior Lanling contains something new that is strongly symbolic, since it no longer tells a legend or historical event but a modernistic fantasy fable. The legend of the Warrior Lanling is something based on which traditional Chinese operas are created, and the traditional Chinese operas’ aesthetic characteristic that “stories are acted out in the form of singing and dancing” dates back to the Song of Warrior Lanling at War. The image of Warrior Lanling in a big mask also serves as an inspiration to Nuo opera masks and even contemporary opera masks. In addition,Warrior Lanling combines Chinese cultural tradition with the modern artistic style in stage performance, integrating traditional elements such as Nuo opera, ancient dance and stepping dance in this work.

Credits

Executive Presenter: ZHOU Yuyuan

Executive Producers: JING Xiaoyong, GE Dali, LUO Dajun, BAI Xuefeng

Playwright: LUO Huaizhen

Director: WANG Xiaoying

Set Designer: ZHANG Wu

Lighting Designer: XING Xin

Costume Designer: PENG Dinghuang

Make-up Designer: SHEN Miao

Props & Mask Designer: ZHANG Huaxiang

Music Designer: TIAN Zhenzi

Sound Designer: WANG Zichun

Movement Director: JIA Fei

Deputy Director: SHE Nannan

Stage Supervisor: WANG Zhiqiang

Technical Manager: XIE Ke

Production Coordinator: ZHANG Haoruo

Programme Coordinator: XIAO Han

Promotion Coordinators: SUN Lu, WANG Haochen

Log Keeper: WANG Jun

Stage Manager: WANG Dawei

Cast

Warrior Lanling: ZHANG Haoyue

Queen of Qi State: XIA Lixin

King of Qi State: LI Ren

Zheng’er: YU Fengxia

Right Prime Minister: WANG Nan

Left Chief Officer: ZOU Yizheng

YUCHI Lin: CHEN Cheng

Actor-bureaucrat: ZHANG Jinhe

Masked Dancers: HE Hongyu, TIAN Ge

Nuo Opera (Masking Opera): ZHANG Jinhe, LI Nan, HE Hongyu, TIAN Ge

Masked Former King: WANG Dawei

Actors: LI Nan, WANG Youya, WANG Dawei, WANG Guangbin, LIU Ziyu, LI Bei, WANG Jufeng, XIA Meng

Synopsis

In this version, Warrior Lanling is a weak-minded prince that hides his true nature in a feminine way after witnessing his father being murdered. In order to awake his true nature, The Queen of Qi gives him a mask shaped like a mythical creature belonging to the former king. After wearing the mask, Warrior Lanling looks virile. He is invincible on the battlefield, but meanwhile he is becoming a relentless terror. Finally, the Queen of Qi helps him to retract from the wrong path and be what he used to be by sacrificing herself.