Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company Presents 11th Annual Peking Opera Festival, 6/25
By: Kelsey Denette May. 24, 2011
Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company (Qi Shu Fang, President & Ding Mei Kui, Artistic Director), recipient of National Heritage Fellowship for the Arts, will present the 11th Annual Peking Opera Festival featuring Qi Shu Fang and the Company for one performances only on Saturday, June 25th @ 7:30PM at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU (566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South). This performance is part of the World Stage Series presented by the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU.
SYNOPSISThe Monkey and the Princess Iron Fan
This classic mythical story is adapted from one of China's four celebrated epic tales, The Journey to the West, written by Wu Chengen, during the Tang Dynasty (618?907). The Buddhist Monk and his disciples including the Monkey King travel to India to study Buddhism. Along the journey, they come across to the Flaming Mountain and are unable to pass. The Monkey King goes to Jade Cloud Summit to borrow a magical Iron Fan made of palm leaf from the Princess Iron Fan. The Fan is the only tool that can extinguish the flames. The Princess, however, refuses to lend the Monkey King the Fan because she bears an old grudge against him. A fierce battle ensues between the Princess and the Monkey King and their helpers. The Monkey King defeats the Princess and her husband, the great Ox King, and forces them to give up the magical Iron Fan.
Wuben, a young monk from Green Peach Temple, although sent by his pious parents to live in the monastery at a very young age, longs for the pleasures of lay life. One day, when he is alone at the temple, he escapes down the mountain. Such is his good fortune that on the road he meets a young nun, Sekong, who herself has just fled from the Immortal Peach nunnery. The two fall in love and decide to get married and live together for the rest of their lives. This play is well known for its liveliness and exaggerated humor. It is performed in the Kunqfu style (Originated from SuZhou Provence KunShan City) , which has been designed by UNESCO as one of the treasures of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. Stealing the Official Seal (updated)
Jiao Guangpu, the son of the famous Song Dynasty General Jiao Zan, became trapped in barbarian territory after a fierce battle. Because he lacked an official seal that would allow him to travel through the mountain pass and back to his home, he decided to bide his time, set up an inn near the barbarian-Chinese border, and wait for an opportunity to return to his homeland. At this time Yang Bajie of famous Yang family, received orders to disguise herself as a man and undertake a reconnaissance mission in barbarian territory. When she passes Jiao's inn, he notices that she has an official seal tied to her waist. Hoping that he might be able to steal the seal from her, Jiao entreats Yang to take her rest at his inn. As Jiao tries to steal Yang's seal, he discovers that she is actually a woman, After a flight, they reveal their true identities to each other and Jiao, now disguised as Yang's page, returns to China and his home. The King Bids Farewell to his Concubine
XiangYu, the King of Chu, fights with Liu Bang, the King of Han, for the control of China. Xiang is ambushed and trapped in the dead place. Desperate, he comes back to his camp to have a farewell drink with his beloved concubine, Yu. Yu sings an elegy for him and tries to soothe him by Sword Dancing, but meets a tragic end.
BIOGRAPHIESQi Shu Fang has been performing Peking Opera all of her life. In her youth, she studied with her sister-in-law, the renowned martial arts actress Zhang Meijuan. At sixteen, she created a stir in Beijing when she played the lead role in "Three Battles with Zhang Yue'e." The great actor and female impersonator Mei Lanfang praised her performance of this tremendously difficult piece. After this early success, Ms. Qi went on to study at the Shanghai Municipal Theater School and performed as a leading actress with Shanghai Youth Peking Opera Company and the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater. During this time, her performance in the "Yang Paifeng" was made into a movie and her role in the ‘modern Peking Opera' "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" made her a household name in China. Ms. Qi also has performed throughout Asia and Europe. She performed "Green Stone Mountain," "The Legend of the White Snake," and "Autumn River" in Vienna to great acclaim in 1987. She was hailed as "a white-clad empress" for her performance of the "Flaming Phoenix" in Hamburg, Germany. In Japan, She is also known as one of the country's most beloved Peking Opera Stars. Ms. Qi moved to New York City and established the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company in 1988. She was awarded the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor in traditional folk arts in the United States in 2001.In 2003, Ms. Qi made her Broadway debut in her company's historic performance of The Women Generals of the Yang Family at the New Victory Theatre. Ms. Qi is accomplished in all areas of Peking Opera performance; in particular she is known for her full and sweet soprano voice, and her remarkable powerful martial abilities. Jack Anderson of The New York Times wrote "she fills the stage with magic that is inexpressibly enchanting." James R. Oestreich of The New York Times has praised her as "a bright star, a truly great artist." Ms. Qi and her husband Ding Meikui currently lead the company across the country to promote Peking Opera and Chinese culture. Every year their professional performances are greeted with great enthusiasm by American audiences. In this regard, Ms. Qi has made a great contribution to cultural richness in America while at the same time building a bridge between East and West.Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company, established in 1988, is a non-profit arts organization. The Company mission is to promote Chinese and Chinese American culture by bringing Peking Opera -one of China's National Treasures- to a global audience. Through its performances the Company aims to foster a deeper cultural understanding between East and West.The professionalism and the high level of artistic attainment of the Company have been met with enthusiasm by audiences throughout the United States and the world, including at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, Madison Square Garden in New York City, and in Krakow, Poland. The Company activities have also been generously supported by New York State Arts Council.
Highlights of the Company's twenty-year history include: performances in 1997 in Connecticut, Texas and Ohio; a twelve-city tour of Florida in 1999. In 2000, the Company participated in the International Confrontation Festival in Krakow, Poland. In 2001, the Company organized the first annual Peking Opera Festival, an event that was greeted with approval by both audience members and critics from The New York Times. In 2002, the Company was one of thirty groups invited to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. During this ten-day event, the Company reached an audience of over one hundred thousand people, the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company was recognized as the "Audiences' Favorite". The Company made history by staging a critically acclaimed complete performance of The Women Generals of the Yang Family at the New Victory Theatre on Broadway in 2003. Finally, in conjunction with the Arts Power Group, the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company performs, lectures, and holds workshops in schools and universities throughout the country. NYU SKIRBALL CENTER
The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.
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