MFA Production Wheel of Chance Staged in New Space at STA 05-01-2010

During November 26th to 29th，a German play，Wheel of Chance，which had never been performed in China before， was staged in New Space Theatre at STA. This production was made by students of the MFA Class 08. The performance was directed by He Yan， and leading character was acted by Dong Yan， who studies under He Yan. MFA Acting 08 student Wang Xiaolu and Min Jian， undergraduate student of Acting Department， also acted in the play.

Dong Yan played a Gypsy lady in this solo performance. The character recalled her past on the side of her granddaughter’s maternity bed. Gypsies believe in Catholicism and used to be historically under discrimination. Like the Jews in World War II，Gypsies were the victims of the German genocide. The protagonist suffered greatly because her husband was beaten to death， her children were burnt alive and herself was confined in a concentration camp and been tortured and raped daily by 25 soldiers. With her strong will，however， she lived through the tough life. The playwright uses the metaphor of a spinning wheel to depict the tough life of Gypsies. Born and living in this hard world is the Gypsies’ eternal fate. The leading actress applied Hollywood’s most expressive make up， as if wearing a mask， which created vividness and strong image of the character.  The leading actress’s excellent acting and the collaboration with the undergraduate student has received great acclaim and applause.