Controversial Play THE BUS STOP Premieres At Theater HAN 4/1

Theatre HAN will present the New York Premiere of THE BUS STOP, the ground-breaking 1983 comedy by Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian. Condemned as "spiritual pollution" by Chinese Communist Party officials and banned from production, the controversial play, which recalls Beckett's Waiting for Godot, earned Gao a reputation as an avant-garde writer to watch. Interpreted as an analogy for ineffective Communist government, the play was described by one eminent member of the party as "the most pernicious piece of writing since the foundation of the People's Republic." Translated by Shiao-Ling Yu and directed by Samantha Shechtman, previews begin March 26 at Sanford Meisner Theater. Opening night is slated for April 1.

In THE BUS STOP, the thoughts and behaviors of eight characters-representing a cross-section of society-are rendered as they wait and watch buses pass without stopping. Characters include an old man on his way to a chess game, a girl on her way to a blind date, and a bureaucrat who has been involved in dirty dealings.

The cast includes Joe Albert Lima, Ray Chao, Hank H. Kim, Adam Bedri, Betsy Sanders, Alice Oh, Gabe Belyeu and Jamie Grayson with set by Samantha Shechtman, lighting by Al Roundtree, sound by Gabe Belyeu+Samantha Shechtman and stage management by Debra Stunich.

Writer of prose, translator, dramatist, director, critic and artist from eastern China, Gao Xingjian grew up during the aftermath of the Japanese invasion. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) he was sent to a re-education camp and felt it necessary to burn a suitcase full of manuscripts. Not until 1979 could he publish his work and travel abroad. From 1980-87 he published short stories, essays and dramas in literary magazines in China and also four books. His experimental and pioneering plays, which often mix avant-garde elements inspired by Brecht, Artaud and Beckett with techniques of traditional Chinese theater include: Signal Alarm (1982), The Bus Stop (1983), Wild Man (1985), Between Life and Death (1991), Dialogue and Rebuttal (1992), Nocturnal Wanderer (1993), and Weekend Quartet (1995). Since 1986, none of his work has been performed in China. In 1988 he moved to Paris as a political refugee, where he still lives today. After the massacre on the Square of Heavenly Peace in 1989, he officially left the Chinese Communist Party. His novels include Soul Mountain, One Man's Bible and The Sonambulist. His awards include the 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 1992; Prix Communauté française de Belgique 1994, and Prix du Nouvel An chinois 1997. He has translated plays by both Beckett and Ionesco into Chinese. Gao Xingjian also paints in ink and has had some thirty international exhibitions. Widely considered one of the most important Chinese dramatists of the second half of the 20th century, Gao made his American debut 1997 when Yangtze Repertory presented Between Life and Death at Theater for The New City, directed by Gao himself.

THE BUS STOP is the inaugural production from Theatre HAN, under the artistic direction of Alice Oh. It is the primary mission of Theatre HAN to be the bridge that connects diverse cultures on the stage. In Korean, "HAN" means "one", "wide and all-encompassing", and "sorrow." Theatre HAN sees theatre as a place where strangers can meet and commiserate. Theatre HAN will present rarely seen foreign plays and re-examine Western classics from a multi-cultural perspective. For more information visit www.theatrehan.com.

THE BUS STOP runs March 26 - April 19, Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 7pm, and matinees on Sat. & Sun. at 3pm. Sanford Meisner Theatre is located at 164 Eleventh Avenue (between 22nd & 23rd Streets). Tickets are $15, available at 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com.