Modern masterpieces

"The SDAC was founded in 1995 following the merger between the Shanghai People's Theater Company and the Shanghai Youth Theater Company. Playwright Xia Yan (1900-1995) was the founding director of the Shanghai People's Theater Company back in 1950."

Written in the 1930s, the play depicts people of diverse ages, backgrounds and social status who share a crowded compound in Shanghai in the early 20th century. This key production will bring together "several generations of our actors", says Yu Rongjun, artistic director of the SDAC.

"This is a play of special importance for us, and one of our major repertoires reflecting our artistic achievements."

Yu will himself be presenting two new creations for the upcoming season. Opening on April 22, Letters Home From the War is an epic tale covering the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49). "It is an epic historical story, told in an intimate perspective through personal narrative," Yu tells China Daily in an exclusive interview.

Letters Home is based on the correspondence between a father and daughter over the decades. When her father dies on the battlefield, he entrusts a comrade to carry on writing to the young girl. Over time, the girl grows up to cherish the letters written from several different ghost writers in lieu of her father. The story is told in the form of a musical, featuring dozens of familiar Chinese songs from the early 20th century. With new musical arrangements and innovative stage effects, Yu hopes to share with audiences this story of love and faith during the turmoil and suffering of war.