Lisa LU in Conversation
Thursday 11th October, 19:00 - 21:00
British Library, London
A true story of a 92-year-old Chinese actress in Hollywood and Hong Kong: from the Empress Dowager Cixi to Anmei Hsu in Joy Luck Club.
A rare opportunity to hear Lisa Lu and guests discuss her performing arts journey of over sixty years across the arena of film and theatre from Hollywood to Hong Kong.
Lisa will share her experiences of working across cultures on various performing arts platforms as an actress and producer. Her guests, Stan Lai, the celebrated Taiwanese playwright and director, Dongtian Guan, a much-admired Beijing Opera actor and Xinyi Chen, an acclaimed director, will also discuss their experiences of working alongside Lisa.
The renowned Peking Opera stars from the China National Peking Opera Company including Li Shengsu will pay tribute to Lisa with a short extract from the Emperor and the Concubine and Lisa will perform an extract from her latest work, a Chinese translation of The Gin Game.
Lisa Lu, an internationally renowned actress and producer has starred in many films, including her most recent, Crazy Rich Asians, to be released this summer from Warner Bros. Studios. Her career started in the 1960’s, in such films as Mountain Road (1960), to recent performances in Roland Emmerich’s 2012. She is best known for her numerous American and Chinese films, including Disney's Joy Luck Club (1993), Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987) and the Shaw Brothers' Empress Dowager.
Roundtable Speakers:
Stan Lai
Playwright／Director
One of the preeminent voices in the contemporary Chinese theatre, Stan Lai has been called "the best Chinese language playwright and director in the world," (BBC) "one of the most celebrated Chinese-language playwrights and directors," (New York Times) "Asia's top theatre director," (Asiaweek), and "Asia's flagship playwright." (China Daily)
Dongtian Guan
Guan Dongtian is a national Class-A actor of Peking Opera and a professor of the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts. As Guan grew up in a Peking Opera family he has been exposed to this art form from a tender age and has become his life-love. His singing style has been influenced by his father and other Peking Opera schools and he has developed his own style of singing, bright, mellow, passionate and full of emotional artistic appeal.
Xinyi Chen
Chinese playwright, director
Chen is a well known Chinese theatre director and playwright and has worked in the industry for over 60 years. She worked in Chinese opera, film, spoken drama in the early 30 years of her career and since then has concentrated on theatre playwriting and directing. She has directed more than 130 productions and has received numerous awards across different stage genres from different authorities.
Facilitator:
Professor Ruru LI
LI Ruru is a professor of Chinese Theatre Studies in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, UK. She has written extensively on Shakespeare performance in China (including a monograph Shashibiya: Staging Shakespeare in China 2003) and on Chinese theatre (modern/traditional). Her recent work includes Staging China: New Theatres in the Twenty-First Century (ed. 2016), The Soul of Beijing Opera: Theatrical Creativity and Continuity in the Changing World (2010), Translucent Jade: Li Yuru on Stage and in Life ([in Chinese] 2nd edition 2015), and a photographic exhibition Cao Yu (1910–1996): Pioneer of Modern Chinese Drama (2011–16). Li runs traditional song-dance theatre workshops for both students and theatre professionals because she regards regular contact with the theatre as essential to her academic work.
Events Special Guests:
LI Shengsu
Head of Troup One in the China National Peking Opera Company
Li Shengsu, a well-known Peking Opera actress in China and nationally recognized class-A actress, was a disciple of Mr Mei Baojiu, son of Peking Opera Master Mei Lanfang. Li, a beautiful and elegant actress, is highly regarded for her brilliant performance skills and is renowned for her rich and sweet voice.
How to get to the British Library
By train
Kings Cross and St Pancras International and Euston
By Underground
King's Cross St. Pancras, Euston and Euston Square
By bus
Many services: including 10, 30, 59, 63, 73 and 91
By car
There is no onsite parking.
The nearest car park is the NCP one in Judd Street, 10 minutes' walk away.
Metered parking (08:30 – 18:30) is available on Ossulston Street (3 spaces only).
By bicycle
There are covered and uncovered areas for bicycles. The best approach from central London is via Tavistock Place and Cartwright Gardens.
Transport for London cycle route planner