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Dragon Child debuts in New York
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E-mail CNTV, April 23, 2012
The Chinese Children's Art Theater has been bringing plays to children for over 50 years. They have now made a debut in New York. The Dragon Child is a play which mixes the Chinese zodiac with modern puppetry, as well as themes related to urbanization and water shortages.
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Directed by Australia's Peter Wilson, director of the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, The Dragon Child is produced and presented by China Children's Art Theatre in Beijing with support from The Arts Centre in Melbourne. |
Dragon Child is well known in China and has played in many other cities around the world since its debut in 2008, but this is the first time it has played in New York.
The show is collaboration between The China Children's Art Theatre and the Victorian Arts center in Melbourne.
Peter Wilson is the director, who is famous for directing the opening of the Sydney Olympics and he is incorporated new techniques into this production
Peter said, "The company has done small amounts of puppetry but not to the kind of styles and extent that Dragon Child has within its production. Black theater, you know the corridor theater that is not particularly common within Chinese theater - that was something I had to try and teach the actors how to use."
CCTV reporter Nathan King said, "The Dragon Child, very much steeped in Chinese mythology. We have the signs of the Zodiac of course but its issues and its moral will resonate with audiences here both young and old."
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Directed by Australia's Peter Wilson, director of the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, The Dragon Child is produced and presented by China Children's Art Theatre in Beijing with support from The Arts Centre in Melbourne. |
The performance uses no words but the themes of rapid urbanization and the precarious nature of natural resources is skillfully displayed with an evocative mix of music puppetry and scenery- in a way that children of all ages can understand.
Peter Wilson, the Director of Dragon Child, said, "The kids live in a world that is ever changing. Dragon child deals with a whole range of issues. One of them is our concern about the environment and we live in it. So I think children should be made aware of the concerns."
The cast are obviously enjoying putting on the show in big apple, Yang Cheng who plays the OX is delighted to show Chinese Children's theater to new audiences.
Yang Cheng, actor of Chinese Children's Art Theater, said, "I think the audience from New York is very perfect. They can know everything from the stage. So I am very happy to give show here."
And New York is happy to host them.
Michael Harrington, Sen. Director of NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, said, "I think the audience in New York will react in the same way that I reacted when I saw the show. Which is they'll react to the beautiful visuals, they'll react to the positive message. They'll react to the solid theatricality of the piece. "
This limited run here in New York coincides with Earth Day so many who attend here will have the environment and the worlds resources on their mind, this production through a child's eyes suggests the answer lies in balance of old forces and new, that is something all can relate too.
