Presenter: National Theatre Company of China  
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Theatre 
Dates: September 02-04/06, 2009    19:30

Programme Introduction 

Writing Planner: Liao Yimei (Chinese famous playwright and writer)
Playwright: Kang He (Chinese famous poet, playwright and writer)
Director: Meng Jinghui (Chinese famous drama director)
Stage Designer: Zhang Wu
Lead Cast: Guo Tao, Liu Xiaoye

Don Quixote is a novel written by the great Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) during the Renaissance. The adventurous life of Miguel de Cervantes is a typical example of Spanish people. He started writing Don Quixote in his fifties and published part one in 1605 which gained nationwide popularity immediately and got reprinted six times within one year. The novel won him great honor, though not enough wealthy to help him get rid of poverty. This convinced Cervantes to continue his writing and published part two in 1615. Don Quixote is criticized as the first modern novel in history of literature.

In 2009, the National Theatre Company of China presents Don Quixote as a key original drama to Chinese audience. Famous experimental drama director Meng Jinghui has been invited to interpret the western classical novel in Chinese theatre language.

The novel's landmark status in literary history has meant it has explored the fundamental conflict between ideal and reality. Don Quixote and Sancho connect and set off with each other. The former is a symbol of idealism while the latter is symbolic of practicality, the two having mutual influence. Finally, Don Quixote notes the unreal nature of his ideal and Sancho feels his master's delusional "enchantment". Tension between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza is reflected in their witty dialogue; comedy and tragedy coexist in the protagonist.

Synopsis
Don Quixote tells us a story about a middle-aged gentleman from a declining noble family. Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals touted in books he has read, he dons an old suit of armor and rides his old horse like an ancient knight. He designates an ugly farm girl as his lady love, and persuades Sancho Panza to accompany him as his faithful squire. During his three expenditures, he tries to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked; however, he is challenged and humiliated. For example, he was severely beaten and used to be sent back as a mad person. In the end, after he was defeated by his friend in the disguise of a knight, Don Quixote forswears all the chivalric truths he followed and dies from a disease.

Director: Meng Jinghui
Arguably the most influential director of China's avant-garde stage, Meng Jinghui, working in the National Theater Company of China currently, is an active and popular figure in the theatrical circle. Since the 1980s, he has stirred up a storm of "experimental drama" in China with his continuous efforts in the field and has created and directed many plays. The most influential ones include Bald Soprano, Waiting for Godot, Si Fan, The Balcony, I Love XXX, Accidental Death of An Anarchist, Rhinoceros in Love, Bug, The Maze, The Magic Mountain, Two Dogs' View of Life and Murder in the Hanging Garden etc. Meng's Chicken Poet stood out from other highly accomplished films and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 27th Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Youth Jury Award—Special Mention in Locarno International Film Festival. His publications include Avant-garde Drama Archives and Meng Jinghui's Experimental Theatre Archives.

National Theatre Company of China
The National Theatre Company of China (NTCC) was established on December 25, 2001 by merging the former China Youth Art Theatre and Central Experimental Theatre. NTCC has attracted a cohort of talents from the fields of drama, TV and film arts. It offers a platform where tradition meets modernity and state-of-the-art performance is pursued to nurture theatrical masterpieces.

During recent years, NTCC has presented a number of great plays on its stage, including The Dawns Here Are Quiet, The Orphan of Zhao and The Wilderness and People, becoming the pillar in domestic drama community.
 
  
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