FOLLOWING the success of last year's production of The Autumn of Han, Red Dragonfly Productions return with another exciting adaptation of a Chinese classic, DiaoChan: The Rise of the Courtesan. Often called the Chinese Macbeth it is an epic story of lust, jealousy and revenge, taken from the ancient Chinese classic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Empire is in turmoil and the tyrant DongZhuo, with the great warrior LuBu at his side, is systematically putting to the sword all those who oppose him. The minister WangYun fears for the lives of his family, but when both DongZhuo and LuBu show a lustful interest in DiaoChan - a singing girl of WangYun’s household - she comes up with a plan that could solve both their problems – a plan that would see DongZhuo fall and see her rise to the ranks of the nobility.
DiaoChan: The Rise of the Courtesan was adapted for the stage by Ross Ericson, who was behind the successful adaptation of The Autumn of Han and whose fivestar solo play The Unknown Soldier won much critical acclaim at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. "Europeans can often find classical Chinese drama a little impenetrable," said Ericson, "so my job is to put the story into a structure and language that would be familiar to European audiences, whilst retaining the authenticity and spirit of the original text."
DiaoChan will be at The Market Theatre in Ledbury on Saturday, November 7 at 8pm. To book, call the box office on 07967 517125 or visit themarkettheatre.com
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