Princeton Chinese Theater

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From the Directors

Directors: Xiaoyang Long (left),
Yupeng Liu (right)

Traditional Chinese theater had its own form—“operas” that combined story telling with music and acrobatic displays. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that Chinese plays took on a more modern style. Thunderstorm, or Lei Yu, is one of the most notable examples of those earlier works.

Now, Thunderstorm is perhaps the most well-known play in Chinese, having been adapted and produced numerous times and found its way into Chinese textbooks. Over the years, the play has seen many different interpretations. While the old generation tended to focus on the tension between the two social classes, highlighting the

contrast between the hypocritical master (Zhou Puyuan) and those who suffered as a result of his merciless conducts, more and more people have started to probe into the other aspects of the play, such as the overwhelming role of “fate”, the idea of karma, or the complicated relationships between the characters.

As college students, we have yet to form a coherent opinion about fate or karma, and do not dare to impose our limited understandings onto such a play. But precisely as college students, we have a powerful intuitive energy that I hoped to channel into our acting and interpretations. This is not a story about ordinary love or hate. It is about a primitive desire to be free—free of a suffocating house, free of haunting memories, free of dreams turned to rust.

Throughout the play, you will get to know eight main characters in two households, each of whom has a distinct personality and leads a unique life. Zhou Puyuan is the stern master haunted by the past. Fan Yi is the fiery woman who loved to save her own life. Zhou Ping is the weak son who could not bear to live with his own sins. Zhou Chong is the idealistic young man who lives in a world of his own. Lu Gui is the cunning servant, Sifeng the wholesome girl still living a life of hope, Lu Dahai the brusque worker, and Shi Ping the woman that carries all the weight in her silent heart.

Cao Yu once wrote an introduction to his play, in which he implored the audience to bestow compassion upon his characters. “Watch their struggles from your high seats, “ he wrote, “and please, have sadness in your hearts.” In the hope of toning down the excitement level, Yupeng and I added the prologue and epilogue (originally written by Cao Yu but usually not performed) back into the play. Those take place ten years after that thunderstorm and show the Zhou house after it has become a church hospital.

This is a dialogue-heavy play, and most of the intricate art is in the words the characters speak, so it might be somewhat difficult for those who aren’t proficient in Chinese to understand. If this were the case, please refer to the program notes, which contain detailed accounts of every act.

Thank you, and enjoy.

Xiaoyang Long ’12

Yupeng Liu '12