Source: School of International Studies (SIS)

Written by: SIS News Centre

Translated by: Yu Jingbing

On the night of November 26, the British TNT Theatre performed King Lear, a famous tragedy by Shakespeare, on Zhuhai Capus during its China tour of Shakespeare classics, bringing a great cultural feast to students. Despite the sharp drop in temperature, continuous rain and the resulting move of stage to indoors that day, students’ enthusiasm for watching the drama barely wore off. Chen Youzhi, Deputy Secretary of the SIS Committee of the CPC, gave a welcoming address and watched the performance.

To thunderous applause, the curtain gradually opened. Stirring drumbeats and mysterious, illusory sounds of singing amazed the audience all at once. King Lear stepped onto the stage in a complete silence. The king, who is elderly and wants to retire from power, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters. His eldest daughter Goneril and second daughter Regan cunningly please him through artificial flattery; his youngest daughter Cordelia proclaims his love for her father honestly but bluntly, which infuriates him. He even marries Cordelia to the King of France without careful consideration. However, King Lear gradually finds out that what Goneril and Regan love is not himself but his power. In deep regret, he was driven away to the heath, running into his youngest daughter Cordelia by coincidence. It turns out that Cordelia has been worried about his father, and so implored the King of France to send troops to save his father. On the other hand, the loyal Earl of Gloucester is tricked by his ambitious little son Edmund and tries to kill his upright elder son Edgar, who disguises himself as a madman, finally kills his younger brother and proves his innocence. The French and British armies meet in battle where the British defeat the French and Cordelia is captured. King Lear is finally overwhelmed by the death of Cordelia and he dies, leaving the audience in deep sorrow. The audience’s minds were completely captured by the excellent acting and the stadium rang with thunderous and continuous applause, which fully interpret a famous saying: Art has no border.

TNT Theatre was founded in 1980 in Britain and since has established itself as a world-class international touring theatre company. It advocates stimulating the audience’s imagination and making them involved in dramas rather than just being by-standers. TNT productions always include a specially commissioned score by a leading composer, and aim to integrate all the performing arts, so they contain considerable elements of music and dance.