Festival Will Run From August 12 - September 4, 2011 And Focus On Asia#
China will feature heavily next year at the Edinburgh International Festival as it turns an eye to Asia in 2011 and spotlight artists from China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Along with the National Ballet of China's performance of "Peony Pavilion," one of the most interesting Chinese acts to take part in the festival will be the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe, which will perform "The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan," an East-meets-West adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
From the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe's website:
As an adaptation from the Bardic tragedy, the Peking opera blends the Eastern and the Western theatrical features and makes a dialogue between the great cultures of the Orient and the Occident. The Tragedy of Zi Dan is a serious attempt to convert a foreign play to a Peking opera. The stage presentation strictly follows the rules of Chinese dramatic aesthetics, which is famous for its succinct yet meaningful depiction and resemblance.
First performed in 2005, "Prince Zi Dan" has been performed several times throughout Europe. At the Edinburgh Festival, audiences won't have to worry too much about language differences -- the performance will include subtitles in seven languages.