Chinese Opera Performance
"A Medley of Chinese Opera"

Workshop presentation
"The fascinating world of Chinese Opera"

Chinese Theatre Circle

Since 1981 Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) has been promoting Chinese Opera. It has presented about 2,500 performances at home and abroad, travelled to 23 countries, and participated in major international arts festivals. The Singapore government bestowed upon CTC the Excellence for Singapore Award in 1997. CTC has produced three world class artists: Mrs. Joanna Wong and Miss Lou Mee Wah both Singapore Cultural Medallion winners, and Miss See Too Hoi Siang winner of "The Outstanding Young Person In the World Award". Noted for its pioneering effort, CTC broke new grounds by presenting Chinese Opera in Mandarin, Malay and English in recent years.

"A Medley of Chinese Opera" comprises two different styles of Chinese Opera excerpts and one short song. One excerpt is called "The Butterfly Lovers" about the legendary lovers Liang San Bo and Zhu Ying Tai both of whom were unable to get married due to parental objection and thus became victims of feudalism. However after their death they transformed into butterflies and achieved freedom. The costumes are beautiful and their movements graceful. This excerpt features Kwok Kwong Luen as Liang San Bo and Chan Mei Leng as Zhu Ying Tai. The other excerpt is a military type of Chinese Opera known as "Return of a Warrior to His Motherland" based on history. The opera tells the story of the warrior Lu Wen Long during the Song Dynasty (AD 960 - 1279) who was brought up by his father's murderer, the king of Kim, a barbarian state, and who immediately returned with his lover to mainland China to plan his revenge the moment he learned of his background. This episode has lots of action. This opera features Frances Wong as Lu Wen Long and See Too Hoi Siang as Lu's lover. The song "A Thriving Nation" is performed by Ms Kwan Siu Ping, a veteran singer who has performed extensively in Australia, France, Belgium, England, and The Netherlands.

The workshop will be conducted by Mr. Leslie Wong Sze Ying, the Chairman of Chinese Theatre Circle. Using the cardinal principle of Chinese Opera which is "every sound is music and every movement a dance" he will explain the niceties and intimacies of Chinese Opera with demonstrations by other team members on makeup, gestures and movements. An artist will sing a brief aria showing the way traditional Chinese Opera is sung. Two artists in full makeup and costumes will help to do the demonstrations on common gestures and movements seen on stage like opening the door, climbing the stairs, rowing a boat as well as a sword dance to depict the graceful opera movements. Members of the audience will be invited to have a "hands-on" experience such as riding a horse, wielding a sword, flinging the water sleeves. Towards the end the two artists in costumes will perform a short traditional Chinese Opera excerpt singing "live" to taped music. There will be a Q & A session to wrap up the workshop.