words yvonne teh

The patriarch of China’s modern writing inspires the world’s first mingling of Canadian and Chinese theatre arts.

On May 24, 2007, the first Sino-Canadian theatrical collaboration had its world premiere in Shanghai. Lu Xun Blossoms is a staging of extracts in English and Mandarin from classic works by Lu Xun, the man known as the father of modern Chinese literature. The co-production between Canada’s Theatre Smith-Gilmour (TSG) and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre will move to North America this autumn but, before that, it plays in Hong Kong as part of an ongoing tour of China.

TSG co-founder Dean Gilmour – who is both Lu Xun Blossoms’ co-director with the theatre company’s other founder, Michele Smith, and one of its six performers – talked to bc about the dramatic offering and the collaborative efforts that went into the play’s staging. He also shared his admiration for novelist and essayist Lu Xun.

Both he and Smith “love Lu Xun’s compassion and humanity”, so it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that until just a few years ago, the Paris-trained pair hadn’t heard of the writer, even though his works have been translated into both French and English...

How did TSG get involved in this historic collaboration?
Back in 2004, when we were performing our show, Chekhov longs... In The Ravine, in Shanghai, Nick Yu, the artistic producer from Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, invited us to write and direct a new creation which would be a co-production between our two companies. We immediately said yes and made the decision that the source material must be from a Chinese writer because we were very interested to explore Chinese literature to create a piece of theatre. After many months of researching modern and ancient Chinese literature, we decided to focus our attention on Lu Xun. We discovered many connections between the writing of Chekhov and Lu Xun: both have a wonderful sense of humour and both write without sentimentality.

After working on this play, what do you find most interesting and pertinent about the work of Lu Xun?
The essence of Lu Xun: change is vital to human existence. Things must change for a better future. However, to change we must remember the past. To move forward we must remember and try to understand the past. Change must be compassionate.

Your work is described as ‘physical theatre’. How greatly does that differ from ‘regular’ theatre and in what ways particularly?
On the surface, there are many differences but underneath there is no difference between the theatre that we do and regular theatre. For 27 years, we have been creating a theatre of image and action with text. A number of years ago, Michele Smith and I made the decision to only create original theatre with a group of like-minded collaborators. We also decided to work on a bare stage with essential props and costumes. We were determined to create a unique theatre of image and action with text. The actor’s ability to transform is essential to our vision and at the heart of what we do in the theatre.

Lu Xun Blossoms is a bi-lingual production. Can all the performers understand English and Mandarin? If not, how do the actors communicate?
The most difficult challenge that we faced creating Lu Xun Blossoms was working in two languages. Day after day, we searched to find ways to communicate with each other. We worked together for many months rigorously searching to understand the stories of Lu Xun. We translated the text so that we could understand the two languages. Little by little, we constructed a language beyond words: this is the language of theatre. Now we have a deep understanding of each other and together we tell the stories of Lu Xun.

You’re on record as saying “Theatre creates a sense of community.” Can you discuss that specifically in relation to Lu Xun Blossoms?
Our goal is to make a real and deep contact with the audience. When this happens there is the possibility for an exchange of ideas, feelings and sensations between the actors and the audience. The theatre is a special place unlike any other. People come together and experience life through the stories that tell us who we are – it is a chance to reflect together. That is a sense of community but in this particular situation, it is an international community.

How would you characterize this play?
Lu Xun Blossoms is a journey back to luzhen (home). It is childhood memories, compassion, death, shame, ignorance, and a scream in the night, a rickshaw driver growing larger and larger, and wolves devouring a child. It is the slippery oil-bean hell for those who seek knowledge. Six actors play many characters, two cultures and two languages dancing together.

What should audiences for this work be especially on the look out for?
Theatre asks the audience to look and listen from the heart. Thanks to the beautiful words of Lu Xun, we are given the opportunity to glimpse the essence of what it is to be human. Lu Xun Blossoms give us the chance to see actors from different cultures acting together in two languages. It is a rare chance to see theatre that challenges our perception of culture and theatre.

Michelle Smith states on the TSG website, “We believe that theatre can make us more humane, more tender, more compassionate, and more refined.”
In the theatre, people have the chance to reflect on life and what it is to be human. It is a place where people can find empathy for others. The world today is in great need of tenderness and compassion. We need to work towards a better world. A world that is tolerant.

How does all this relate to your present production?
With Lu Xun Blossoms, Michele Smith and I have built a bridge between two cultures and, thanks to the beautiful words of Lu Xun, the audience is given the chance to glimpse the essence of what it is to be human. We hope that this glimpse will help people feel this tenderness and compassion for each other and that this feeling can promote tolerance and understanding.

What do you hope and expect from the reactions – Chinese and non-Chinese – of your audience?
It is difficult to predict how a non-Chinese audience will react to this play. Lu Xun believed that it is very important to remember the past. He believed that change and the possibility of a better future depended on our ability to look at the past and understand it. He did not believe that change meant that we must turn our backs on the past. In Lu Xun, we see a vision of China before the revolution. Lu Xun speaks to a Chinese audience and he reminds them of the past.

For a foreign audience it is impossible to understand the tiny details of Chinese culture. At the same time, there is something universal about Lu Xun that anyone from any culture can understand. Lu Xun is a great writer and teacher: we can learn many things about life and the world from him. In the creation of our show, we have made a bridge between our two cultures and it is possible to see the group working together towards the common goal of telling the stories of Lu Xun. It is a great thing to work in co-operation towards a common goal.

Lu Xun Blossoms will be performed at the HK Cultural Centre’s Studio Theatre from September 6 to 9. The evening performances will commence at 8pm while the Sunday, September 9 matinee will begin at 3pm. Tickets are $220 and $140 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.