Yuju Opera production set for Avignon Festival stage

Last year, as a field trip to research the venues and to gauge the French audience's response, Suzhen Theater performed a Yuju Opera excerpt as an opening act in Avignon.

As Wu recalls, despite the cultural and language barriers, they were met with warm applause and positive feedback. After the performance, audience members came up to them, complimenting them on the makeup and costumes, and pointing out details of her performance, such as the way her eyes shifted in different directions, which boosted the troupe members' confidence in staging full productions in France.

"When it comes to a foreign art form, audiences may not be familiar with the format or the language, but they'll appreciate its beauty and be willing to attend the performances," Wu says.

"We'll be sure to refine the performances and present more polished shows to the audiences of the Avignon Festival."

Despite the long distance, the troupe members plan to transport all of their original props and set pieces to France. The chairs, for example, cannot be easily replaced, because those used in Yuju Opera are meticulously designed so that the sitting postures of different characters can reflect their personalities.

"We don't want to compromise when it comes to the stage sets. We must bring the authentic props and present the same effect as on the domestic stage," Wu says.

"These works are the lifelong legacy of traditional Chinese opera masters. They have been performed onstage and refined over and over again. This allows them to be recognized by the audiences. We'll try our best to convey the charm of traditional Chinese opera to international audiences."

Born in 1977 in Zhumadian, Henan province, Wu grew fond of Yuju Opera during her childhood while watching performances with her grandmother. At the age of 12, she joined a local troupe, where she learned and performed a wide range of roles.

Having established herself as a seasoned performer, she enrolled in the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in 2009, when the academy first introduced its Yuju Opera bachelor's program. There, she studied under the guidance of Yuju Opera artist Niu Shuxian, a student of Chen Suzhen, and was later recognized by Niu as an inheritor of the Chen School.

"I consider myself a very diligent person. Whether performing for a small audience or in an outdoor performance in rural areas, I have developed the habit of taking each performance very seriously. Although it can be tiring performing the same piece over and over again, it is essential to present a fresh perspective for the audience."