'A Glance at Pingyao' upgraded

A new version of "A Glance at Pingyao" was rehearsed on March 6; and according to the director Wang Chaoge, after the 656 performances on stage it's time to enrich the drama.

Compared with the previous version, the new adaptation offers a more exciting time-travel experience to the audience with brighter colors. The plot of worshiping ancestors in the old version now uses a new expressive style, by introducing Chinese gate culture, in which audiences can walk around the theater and interact with perfomers to relieve the suffocating atmosphere.

The symbol of a gate in this play represents a combination of elements of spirits, ancestors and memorial tablets, which also enables audiences to better understand a typical Shanxi.

"This time we mainly focused on improving the quality of the performance, through some changes in expressions, with few modifications given to the lines," Wang added.

The new version provides audiences with a larger space to be involved in and enhances details such as adjusting lists of performers for different scenes.

Wang also said that the "A Glance of Pingyao" gave a new interpretation of the local spirit. After the rehearsal had finished, Wang added that the performance was not only produced on the basis of arts and financing, but with spirit. This performance showed off the typical Shanxi spirit and we aimed to bring this spirit to more people, he said.