Recently, "The Landscape of the Other Shore", an experimental drama by the Performance Department of the Division of Arts SZU, won the "Outstanding Young Performer" Award at the closing ceremony for the Asian Arts Awards at the Edinburgh Art Festival. It is the only production from the Chinese mainland to receive this honor at this year's festival.
This summer vacation, faculty and students from the Division of Arts SZU were invited to perform two stage productions, "The Book of Will" and "The Landscape of the Other Shore", in Europe. Both productions are undergraduate graduation projects that underwent rigorous refinement in practical training. Before the European tour, the productions had already been staged more than 30 times in China, receiving invitations to major national platforms such as the Daliangshan International Theatre Festival, where they were met with enthusiastic responses. The European tour team consisted of 12 faculty and students, led by Liu Hui, Dean of the College of Theatre, Film and Television at Division of Arts SZU, and Wu Xi, Associate Dean, who served as executive producers. The production was directed by Hu Yaguang, produced by Zhang Yang, and supported by a creative team including Yang Yang, Zhang Chunli, Wang Ying, and others. Professor Sui Cheng from the College of Art and Design was the artistic director, and the theme song was composed by Associate Professor Wei-En Hsu from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Dramaturgy was led by Yang Qian, Artistic Director of the Fat Bird Theatre Troupe, with performances by actors such as Deng Jin and Guo Yiying.
The tour began at the Verona Shakespeare Fringe Festival, a biennial event that only invites seven productions from around the world. SZU's team made history as the first Chinese troupe to be invited to perform at this prestigious festival. "The Book of Will", an adaptation of the creation of Shakespeare's first folio, had previously received rave reviews at the 2024 Daliangshan International Theatre Festival. John Blondell, founder of the American Verona Shakespeare Fringe Festival, praised the production for its "aesthetic sophistication and modern dramatic concepts", while mentors from the Skene Drama Research Center commented, "The statue of Juliet comes to life on stage." The production was later showcased at the 78th edition of Estate Fiesolana and the Livorno Music Festival, where it sparked enthusiastic discussions from the audience after each performance.
Following their performances in Italy, the faculty and students continued their tour in Edinburgh, presenting "The Landscape of the Other Shore". This work, created without a script, draws inspiration from Théodore Géricault's "The Raft of Medusa" and explores human nature in extreme environments, drawing on real-world news events. After its premiere, it became the only Chinese production selected for the C Arts Showcase at this year's festival. It has also been invited to the Festival d'Avignon in France. Producer Zhang Yang noted that the production had "found its place on the international stage".
Both productions were developed under the guidance of the Division of Arts SZU and were refined through the Daliangshan International Theatre Festival before making their way to Europe's leading stages. They received coverage from major media outlets, including THE LIST and SCOTTISH FIELD in Scotland, Il Tirreno in Italy, the website "Sound Behind Curtain", and domestic media such as Guangming Daily. Director Hu Yaguang explained that the goal of the tour was to offer European audience an opportunity to experience an Eastern interpretation of Western classics.
