Pen-ning Hsing’s “Vargen och en man vid namn Dongguo” draws on a classic Chinese fable and Taiwan’s complex historical experiences. Image: Dramaten.
Taiwanese playwright Pen-ning Hsing’s interpretation of a classic Chinese fable will be presented at Sweden’s Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm in September.
The staged reading, titled “Vargen och en man vid namn Dongguo” in Swedish, follows a scholar who saves a wolf from hunters. Once the danger has passed, the wolf threatens to eat the man who rescued it.
Hsing uses the story to explore violence, memory, testimony and control over how history is told. The work combines elements of traditional Chinese theatre with Taiwan’s complex history and current geopolitical situation.
According to Dramaten, the play also examines how powerful countries define security, historical rights and strategic interests. Smaller societies may become part of other countries’ narratives before they can tell their own stories.
Playwright and director Dmitri Plax has adapted and directed the reading. Swedish actors Karin Franz Körlof and Nina Togner Fex will perform the work.
The performances form part of Dramaten.Doc, a programme that uses staged readings to respond to conflicts and current events around the world.
The reading will take place at Dramatenbaren in Stockholm on 9 and 10 September at 19.00. It lasts approximately one hour.
More information and tickets are available on Dramaten’s website.
Sources: Dramaten and Taipei Mission in Sweden.