Artists of China's five local operas, namely Peking , Shaanxi,
Sichuan, Shaoxing and Kunqu, will stage five experimental operas at
the House of World Cultures in Berlin, Germany, from March to
April.
The arrangement will be part of a month-long cultural exchange
event due to start on March 23 in Berlin.
Named "China: between past and future," the cultural event will
cover China's dramas, literature, movies and photography. It will
be the greatest cultural exchange between China and Germany in the
last 20 years.
Sponsors of the event include the Shanghai Drama Art Center, the
Shanghai Drama Institute and the House of World Cultures in
Berlin.
Dr. Bernd M. Scherer, Director of the House of World Cultures,
said, "Chinese operas are both extensive and profound. Some German
dramatists, including Bertolt Brecht, were influenced by the Peking
opera master, Mei Lanfang."
During the one-month event, Chinese artists are expected to
perform five newly-written operas, including those adapted from
Chinese classic A Dream of Red Mansions and the prestigious British
dramatist William Shakespeare's classic King Lear.
According to Yang Shaolin, general manager of the Shanghai Drama
Art Center, after making their debut in Berlin, the five new operas
will be staged back in Shanghai from May 16 to 21.
(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2006)
