The Department of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus Adolphus College will present The Other Shore, a play written by Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian. Directed by Amy Seham and featuring choreography by Melissa Rolnick, performances will be held in Anderson Theatre Feb. 19-21 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.
The Other Shore is a non-realistic play that experiments with movement, sound, and character to explore questions of individuality, community, and freedom. Xingjian, the first Chinese Nobel Prize winner in literature, wrote the piece in 1986 as a commentary on the shifting values and beliefs in Communist China. His controversial work ultimately forced his exile from his homeland, but his plays are widely recognized as a powerful expression of the struggles in contemporary China and elsewhere.
The actors, crew members, and dancers spent the month of January rehearsing the play, taking advantage of Gustavus’s unique January Interim Experience term that allows students to intensively study a single subject for a month. The cast and crew met from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, adding evening sessions as needed.
The production features shadow puppetry done by Gustavus students taught by Ann Sawyer-Aitch, costume design by Andrea Gross and assisted by Gustavus student Kristin Weller, original set design by Micah Maatman, and lighting by Terena Wilkins.
The Other Shore was chosen as part of Gustavus’s Global Insight Program, which focuses on China this year. The Global Insight Program is a themed learning program intended to allow students, faculty, and staff to focus on one country, region, or global issue during the academic year.
Tickets are available through the Gustavus Ticket Center by calling 507-933-7590. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free for Gustavus students and staff.
Leave a Reply