Can happiness be taught? Writing in Water, a play developed by Taiwan’s leading company Performance Workshop, may have insights on this question. Conceived by Stan Lai, today’s most celebrated Chinese director and playwright, this dramatic piece tells us of a man returning to China following a period studying overseas. Hoping to bring some brightness into the lives of gloomy souls, he starts a “happyology” course, but soon becomes disappointed by his business partner’s thirst for profit. One day, upon receiving news about an inheritance, he embarks on a mysterious journey, taking us along with him.
Inspired by the ideas of French writer and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, author of The Book of Happiness, this play premiered in the aftermath of Hong Kong’s 2008 devastating financial crisis. Stan Lai’s happy return to CCM follows two previous successful runs in Macau, when he brought the sweet Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land and the epic The Village. Now returning to the city with the support of Shanghai’s Theatre Above, Writing in Water is once more bringing positive energy and inspiration, encouraging the audience, and revealing that happiness is within reach, perhaps even closer than we might think.
One of the most celebrated voices in contemporary Chinese theatre, Stan Lai has been called “The best Chinese language playwright and director in the world.” (BBC) Born in the U.S., Lai began his creative career in Taiwan, and now his works are performed all over China and the Chinese speaking world, as well as in the West. His noted works include That Evening, We Performed Crosstalk (1985) , Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land (1986), The Village (2008), his epic 8-hour A Dream Like A Dream (2000), and his latest Ago.
Lai has also written and directed two widely acclaimed feature films, The Peach Blossom Land (1992) and The Red Lotus Society (1994), the former receiving top prizes at the Tokyo, Berlin, and Singapore international film festivals. Lai holds a Ph.D in Dramatic Art from Berkeley, and has taught extensively at the Taipei National University of the Arts, and at Berkeley and Stanford.
Talking about Writing in Water, Lai notes, “Where is the origin of the world’s good and evil? What breeds violence? What defines love, joy and happiness? I dedicate this play to all those who are unhappy. May they find true happiness.”
Writing in Water
09-10.09.2020
20:00
Macao Cultural Centre – Grand Auditorium
Performed in Mandarin, with Chinese and English surtitles