Yu-Liang

I was the Assistant Director for the newly developed opera produced by the National Symphony Orchestra, called “La Peintre, Yu-Lin”.

“Pan Yu-Liang (1985-1977) was a legendary Chinese painter. At a young age, she was sold to a brothel and then became a wealthy official’s concubine. Her paintings of nude models violated cultural norms in the feudal society and generated much controversy in Shanghai in the early Republic years. She was forced to move to Paris to pursue her passion and successfully established herself as a “warrior of beauty.”"

- taken from the NSO website

Conductor: Yip Wing-Sie
Stage director: Juliette Deschamps
Composer: Nan-Chang Chien
Playwright: An-Chi Wang
Author: Shin Nan

July 08, 2010 – 19:30 National Theater, Taipei (World Premier)
July 09, 2010 – 19:30 National Theater, Taipei
July 10, 2010 – 19:30 National Theater, Taipei
July 11, 2010 -  14:30 National Theater, Taipei

Date: October 12, 2009
Time: 13:10~14:50
Location: Music department at Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

Please refer to Department of Cultural Affairs and Taipei Culture Portal to further explore the culture scene in Taiwan!

This class was a fun and highly interactive course.  We explored the world of theater and social issues.  We also explored the meaning of ensemble work and played “games” that relate to body, voice and movement work.  Students wrote their own monologues, rehearsed and performed the monologue as a final project that touch upon social issues that affect all of our lives.  The final performance was in the form of a monologue, a dance or a song.

One of my students wrote this on the Course Evaluation:

Please List the reasons why you think this class would be important for others to take?

-First, the teacher is the best one

-It helps you develop your skills in writing, speaking and performance

-It makes you know who really exist behind that skin and not to hide that person inside of you

-It helps you know how to act, speak out in so many different ways according to the situation

I miss my students and I look forward to teaching again soon!

I have always wanted to use theatre as a means to build a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures. Creating an onstage production can give audiences exposure to cultures that may not be familiar. Theatre has that power! I am very proud to bring a part of my culture onto the stage here at Brandeis University.

In The Orphan of Zhao, individuals struggle for justice in the face of oppression and the misuse of power. This theme recurs throughout history. Recall the lone college student who stopped a battalion of tanks in their tracks by simply standing in front of them during the 1989 massacre of Tiananmen Square. Each character that tries to save the Orphan embodies the spirit of that student.

I hope that this play forces us to reflect on the importance of human rights and what each of us deems worth fighting for. I decided to depict the violence on stage in a realistic and graphic way. Beauty coexists with violence and pain—a reality that I feel is important to confront.

I decided to make Cheng Ying, traditionally a male character, a woman in this production because I wanted to explore the strengths of motherhood. Cheng Ying’s sacrifice and burden is extraordinary. The Orphan of Zhao carries on Cheng Ying’s journey, fulfills his family’s legacy and moves on to become a great leader.

It is a humbling and wonderful experience to have a playwright and designers take my vision and create their own interpretations of it. I love that process and I think that’s what makes it theatre. My goal of building a bridge between eastern and western cultures certainly were embodied in this process with a truly talented, multi-cultural team.

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Links for review and more information about the production:

Brandies Theater Company

The Brandeis Hoot

Boston
March 31, 2008 4:30pm
Laurie Theater, Spingold Theater Center
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA 02451

New York City
April 7, 2008 1:00pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm
Producers Club Theatre
358 W 44th Street
New York, NY 10036

RSVP to showcase@brandeis.edu

Naya Chang plays the violin for A Christmas Carol at Berkshire Theatre Festival on the set designed and built by Carl Sprague.

Gail M. Burns of GailSez.com wrote about Naya:

“ Chang, who also plays the silent role of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, is a beautiful and talented young woman whose presence and musical ability really moves this production from the realm of the predictable to the higher reaches of artistry.”

Naya Chang as Forgiveness From Heaven with Jay Lee as Blessing From Heaven in Lisa Loomer’s The Waiting Room, directed by Janet Marrison at Brandeis Theater Company. Forgiveness From Heaven is a wealthy eighteenth century Chinese woman with bound feet. She enjoys her husband’s attention as Blessing From Heaven takes much pride in Forgiveness From Heaven’s small feet.

Her husband Blessing From Heaven dismissed her because her toes fell off due to gangrene which was caused by the practice of foot-binding. She stays at the hospital by herself and starts to use different drugs and joints. She eventually dies in the hospital next to Wanda.