Underwater Shakespeare

A couple of weeks ago, after all the blood and sweat, and maybe an occasional tear, I saw the culmination of a couple months of effort. Not so much by me, but by the Shakespeare Association of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL). For a little while now, I've been heading over to Cori's school about every week to help direct their production of Twelfth Night. These are just ordinary Chinese students getting together to perform a few of the Bard's better works, in the original Elizabethan English. Pretty impressive, when you think about it. They aren't all necessarily English majors or theatre kids. They don't get to rehearse on a stage. They have a faculty advisor, but no official director. Naturally, having studied both Shakespeare and directing, Cori and I were happy to help out.

We learned pretty quickly that this wasn't going to go how we wanted it to. We're used to a well-planned and efficient rehearsal process—movement, lines, character, dress, show. They direct themselves on-the-fly and by committee, which doesn't really work unless you're a finely-tuned acting company with a history of collaboration. These were Chinese students who could spend an hour debating the proper delivery of the play's opening line.


Usually, the most important part of the play is the text, and when they can't pronounce the text, you give them some actions and hope that people get the gist of it. We mostly just gave notes, taught basic theatre techniques, and even showed them a little swordplay. It was a good learning experience all around.

The performance was definitely a surprise. They had a packed auditorium. They also had actor microphones (which must've been cranked up to 11), a set with props (which were covered in flashy gold tinfoil), and scenes with narration (which aren't in any copies of Twelfth Night I've ever seen). They changed a few things and cut out a bunch of scenes, but the running time still stretched to nearly three hours (with no intermission).

In the end, I managed to understand only about 30 percent of the lines, but it’s sort of like going to Latin mass—you know what’s supposed to be happening. What I wonder is whether the Chinese could catch more of it than I could, since they have an easier time deciphering the accent.

This entry’s title comes from Cori’s rather apt description of the show. On a related note, the previous entry’s title comes from my students. Unfortunately, that really is how some of them talk.

"Sanksgiving Day"

Well, I don't know exactly what's been keeping me from writing more on the blog. It's not for lack of material, since there's always something to write about, however mundane. I think I may have just started subconsciously associating the blog with real, actual work. Like lesson-planning. That's how it always goes with these things. Journaling goes from an outlet to a chore in no time.

We did have a Thanksgiving celebration, in case you were curious. We don't usually pass up an opportunity to do something expensive and indulgant for the sake of togetherness. So, while everyone back home was still asleep, we headed across Wuhan to the Shangri-la Hotel for a traditional Thanksgiving buffet. And we had a hell of a time trying to get there. We couldn't find a cab to take us there, since you need a cab with an odd number on an odd-numbered date with a driver who's willing to go across town at rush hour. Our only option was the bus, but two buses had just collided at the stop nearby, blocking traffic both ways. We ended up walking to another stop, catching a bus to the Yangtze River, ferrying across, and taking a cab the rest of the way.

Our friend Jo was nice enough to call ahead and reserve a table for us, even though she didn't join us for the meal. It turns out that reserving a table there on Thanksgiving is a little like calling up the Four Seasons in Chicago and asking about the Dongzhi Festival. There just aren't going to be many takers. Nevertheless, it was a fine meal, and well worth the 25 or so dollars we each paid for it. There was much turkey and ham and potato to be had. And the desserts, how many there were. Thinking about it now only makes me wish we could've taken some for leftovers.

Throughout the week, I tought my students about the holiday--the history, the customs, the introspection, etc. Most people here don't really know or care much about it, since there aren't quite enough foreigners in Wuhan to make the holiday profitable. But we, in true American fashion, still managed to do the most patriotic (or ex-patriotic) thing we could think of and stuffed ourselves silly. Here are a few snapshots of the evening.

The Yangtze River at night.

Cori with ice sculpture and buffet in back.

The first of many plates of food.

Walking through the lobby. Fancy.

Posing with the holiday display.