The White Chalk Circle is adapted from the Original 13th century play by Li Qianfu. The play has been performed in many forms, most notably as a Peking Opera which was performed in Russia by Mei Lanfang in the 30’s and seen by Berthold Brecht who used it as the play within a play for The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Peking opera was instrumental in the creation of Brecht’s theatre philosophies. The more we have studied Mei Lanfang and their writings on Peking Opera, the more the practices of Epic Theatre and Alienation technique are rooted there. This production uses a new translation of the original opera, collaborating with Chuyao Zhou and the Huizhou Cultural Theatre. We have written a new prologue and epilogue in line with Brecht’s original but updated to reflect modern corporate takeovers of community resources.

The play opens with a prologue - set at a town hall meeting following the sudden death of Mrs. Li without a will. A corporation has been trying to take over her large farm in a valley and strip it of resources to grow a single crop; however, Mrs. Li had always promised the farmland to go to the community. A heated argument erupts and a strange young man, The Troubadour, enters saying Mrs. Li asked him to come to the town and play out a piece of mask theatre for the people.

The Troubadour hands out masks for the people to take part, and they become the characters in the Chinese play “The White Chalk Circle”. As the play within a play begins, a young woman, Haitang, has been supporting her mother - and lay about brother - by working at an inn as a courtesan. The wealthy Mr. Ma asks her to be his second wife and assures her his first wife Mrs. Ma will not cause problems. Five years later, Haitang has a child. The child is intersex, and most favoured by the Gods. Mrs. Ma plots to poison her husband and frame Haitang for the murder, taking the child as her own and living with her lover - a corrupt government official. Haitang is charged and sent to the great Judge Bao for sentencing. On the way to the judge, the plot is discovered and Haitang’s - now responsible - brother helps to show Judge Bao the truth. The Judge - famous for incorruptibility and for being harsh but honest - uses the chalk circle test to see who the true mother is. Similar to the judgment of Solomon, the true mother would never harm the child and so the truth is discovered and the guilty punished.

Content Warnings:

Mise-en-scene: Steen
Musical Director/Composer: Byron Schipp (he/him)
Movement Director: Slade V Mayer (they/he/she)
Thai Chi Instructor: Trevor Slattery (he/him)
Stage Manager: Oz Ferrier (they/them)
Cultural Advisor: Chuyao Zhou - Kevin Caucher
Publicity: Nick Kilpatrick (they/them)