This weekend seems to be one of the most dramatic — at least in terms of plays! There are three different performances to choose from, especially for families looking for a fun way to start the long holiday weekend.
On Thursday (Mar 30), Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) will stage a livestream performance of Shakespeare’s classic The Tempest by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Tempest is about the protagonist sorcerer Prospero, who’s robbed of his position, power, and wealth by his enemies. The magician is able to control the very elements and bend nature to his will. So when a sail appears on the horizon, he reaches out across the ocean to the ship which carries the men who wronged him. Creating a vast magical storm, the eponymous tempest, he wrecks the ship and washes his enemies up on the shore. When they wake they find themselves lost on a fantastical island where nothing is as it seems.
The event is part of the new partnership between DCB and Royal Shakespeare Company. The great news is that the play is free to attend!
The Tempest – Livestream Performance at Wodehouse Theatre, Mar 30
All ages. 4-7.45pm. Free. Wodehouse Theatre – Dulwich College Beijing, Legend Garden Campus, 89 Capital Airport Road, Shunyi District.
And then starting on Friday (Mar 31), an operatic comedy will be at the center stage of the Beijing Comedy Theatre. Stage, you read it right, is a hilarious portrayal of a troubled opera company, with more than 20 characters. While the production explores some of the stereotypes and foibles of Peking Opera, it does so with a loving eye. Its last run lasted nearly two years. The whole comedy is in Chinese, so it’s a good way to enhance Chinese language learning for children and adults alike.
Stage Operatic Comedy, Mar 31 – Apr 9
All ages. 7.30-9.30pm (closed Apr 4 and 5). RMB 94-827. Book tickets here. Beijing Comedy Theatre, 11 Chaoyangmen North Avenue, Dongcheng District 北京市东城区朝阳门北大街11号
And on Sunday (Apr 2), Easter will begin early with even more fun courtesy of Minds at Play, as they stage a bilingual family-friendly show plus workshop. The improv show itself is exciting as all the skits the audience will see on stage are improvised.
Bring your kids, bring your grandparents, bring your in-laws, and why not bring that long lost relative you recently found! Minds at Play’s international troupe of actors is performing an Easter-themed, bilingual improv show for the whole family. It gets better, after the show we will have a workshop for kids 6 and older that teaches them how to do the things they just saw on stage. Improv is an exciting style of theater that teaches creativity, teamwork and in the moment connection. Come and enjoy us for a morning of silly, wacky and kid-friendly fun.
MINDS AT PLAY Presents: Easter Improv for the Whole Family, April 2
Adults and kids ages 6+ (Kids workshops for ages 6+) 10.30am-noon. RMB 80 (pre-sale price; scan/extract the QR code below); RMB 100 (at door). Book your tickets here. Please note that children MUST have a ticket to enter. Paper tickets will not be given; after confirming your reservation electronically, you can enter with with your payment confirmation link. All ticket sales are FINAL – no returns and no exchanges. Penghao Theater, 35 Dongmianhua Hutong (Off Nanluoguxiang) 东棉花胡同35号 (近南锣鼓巷）蓬蒿剧场
Featured photo from Ajale via Pixabay. Content photos courtesy of DCB, Stage, and Minds at Play respectively.
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