Interculturaling Shakespeare with Jingju

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What do Shakespeare and Jingju (Beijing opera) have in common? Archaic? Difficult? Irrelevant? Do you know that “updating” (contemporizing or modernizing) Shakespeare and jingju is not a new phenomenon but a continuous attempt? In the twentieth century, interculturalism became a new methodology to both preserve and revitalize old traditions; therefore, performances that combine Shakespearean text and jingju stylization have become a modern paradigm of intercultural theatre that attracts new audience and inspires new experimentation and scholarship. Theoretical writings by Richard Schechner, Eugenio Barba, and Patrice Pavis and intercultural Shakespeare performances by Wu Hsing-kuo, Suzuki Tadashi, and Ariane Mnouchkine are some of the most influential scholars and artists who solidify the genre of intercultural theatre.

New Swan Shakespeare Center and Illuminations, Chancellor’s Arts and Culture Initiative are happy to co-organize this event on intercultural Shakespeare with jingju for the UCI community. Dr. Bi-qi Beatrice Lei will give a talk on the history and theories of intercultural Shakespeare theatre with jingju and Mr. PoCheng Chu will demonstrate stylized movement and vocalization of jingju in intercultural Shakespeare performance. Together, they illustrate how deconstruction, negotiation, and reinterpretation help sustain and revitalize classics, both from the East and the West. Lei and Chu will also share their own intercultural journeys.

Dr. Bi-qi Beatrice Lei is a renowned scholar on intercultural Shakespeare. She is the founding chair of the Asian Shakespeare Association (ASA) and the founding director of the Taiwan Shakespeare Database. She currently serves as the vice-chair of the International Shakespeare Association (ISA) and assistant director of the Shakespeare Association of America (SAA). She received her PhD in English from New York University.

PoCheng Chu is a jingju performer, specializing in martial and old male roles. He is an actor of Wu Hsing-kuo’s Contemporary Legend Theatre and Artistic Director of Hsing Legend Youth Theatre. Chu won the Best Young Actor Award at the 34th Taiwan Traditional Arts Golden Melody Awards in 2023 and received the Asian Cultural Council Fellowship in 2024.

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