A Note from Madam Shen

(Overall artistic supervisor of this Resident Training Program and Production)

Jingju arises from the Chinese peopleit embodies and can represent us perhaps more clearly and completely than any other performing art. Yet along with generations of other Jingju artists in China, I believe that Jingju is also an art of international value. To achieve the international recognition that has been accorded other originally-ethnic arts such as ballet, opera, and realistic theatre, Jingju like those arts must be studied in depthand seriously performedby non-ethnic artists outside of China. I am deeply grateful to the University of Hawaii for its twenty-five years of pioneering work in this area. And I am confident that through their intensive study and respectful performance of Jingju, these University of Hawaii students are both helping to bring Jingju the international acceptance it deserves, and preparing to contribute meaningfully to the enrichment of multicultural world theatre.

Production Staff

Shen Xiaomei, Nanjing, China

January 2010

Major Support For The 2009-2010 Jingju Resident Training Program and Production Provided By: The University of Hawaii Foundation Chun Ku and Soo Yong Huang Endowment for Chinese Theatre The University of Hawaii Foundation Chinese Theatre Endowment The Office of the Chancellor, University of Hawaii at Mnoa The University Research Council Special Fund for Innovative Scholarship and Creative Work The Jiangsu Province Department of Culture, Peoples Republic of China The University of Hawaii at Mnoa School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Center for Chinese Studies and Confucius Institute The University of Hawaii at Mnoa College of Arts and Humanities The University of Hawaii Foundation Beijing Opera Fund The East-West Center The University of Hawaii Foundation Sheridan and Julia Ing Family Endowment for Asian Theatre State Foundation On Culture and the Arts, and through appropriations from the Hawaii State Legislature (and by the National Endowment for the Arts).

Production Stage Manager: Daniel Sakimura Assistant Stage Manager: Philip Tumbaga Interpreters & Assistants for the Guest Artists: Mei-Hui Chang, Cheng Wei Chen, Matthew Diemer, Nian Liu, Yang Ming, Qiaona Yu; with additional assistance from Evelyn Leung and Ju-hua Wei Scenic Artist: David Gerke Properties Coordinator: Dneka Patten Light Console Operator: Rebekah Harter Sound Console Operator: Matthew Bise Projection Operator: Yan Ma Audio Area Head: Matthew Bise Head Flyman: Michael Hardy Master Electrician: Daniel Sakimura Electricians: Dneka Patten, Angela Gonsalez, Kelsi Ju, Philip Tumbaga, Students from THEA221 and THEA240 Stage Crew: Trevor Craighead, Lilja Addeman, Kevin Lacasse, Jonelle Macapinlac, Pablo Paz Staff Technical Director: Gerald Kawaoka Set Construction Crew: Chesley Cannon, Luke Cheng, Jeremy Dowd, David Gerke, Angela J.P. Gosalvez, Kelsi Ju, Dneka Patten, Philip Tumbaga, Students from THEA 221 and THEA 240 Staff Costume Shop Manager: Hannah Schauer Galli Local Costume Alterations Crew: Johnna Batiste, Jenilea Heath, Morgan Lane-Tanner, Corinne Powell, Amy Schrag Hair Coordinators: Sandra Finney & Hannah Schauer Galli Hair and Headdressing: Sharon Garcia-Doyle, Evelyn Leung, Corinne Powell, Toby Rinaldi, Amy Schrag, Kristina Tannenbaum, Rachael Uyeno, Rachel Weckhorst Espejo Make-up Advisor: James Sau Tim Young Make-up Coordinator: Rachel Weckhorst Espejo Make-up Crew: Elisa Diehl, Dneka Patten, Meg Thiel Dressers: Molly Bell, Aisha Goshi-Otaguro, Kelsi Ju, Neil Nevis, Nelson Rosa, Mao Takemura, Hikari Tsuno, Students from THEA 200D

M A I N S TA G E
2009-2010 SEASON

Front of House Staff

Staff Theatre Manager: Marty Myers Box Office Manager: Stefannye Slaughter Box Office Staff: Sarah Jane Carlton, Sarah Maurer, Cindy Hartigan Publicity Director: Tracy Robinson Publicity Assistant: Vincent Desrosiers Web Assistant: Erin Sim Photographer: R. David Beales, Daniel Brown, Shuzo Uemoto Graphic Designer: Brett Botbyl House Manager: Kristina Tannenbaum Assistant House Manager: Students from THEA 400E, Sara Skinner-Probst Department Office Staff: Tana Marin, Lori Ann Chun Department Chair: W. Dennis Carroll For large print programs, Assistive Listening Devices or any other accessibility requests please contact the House Manager or call the Kennedy Theatre Box Office at 956-7655. To arrange a Campus Security Escort from any two points on campus, please see a House Manager. - Please silence all pagers, phones and digital watches. - No photography or video recording is permitted. - Please refrain from eating, drinking or smoking in the theatre. Visit us on the web at http://www.hawaii.edu/kennedy

The White Snake

(Bai She Zhuan)
Script based on Tian Hans 1953 version. Performance text based on Mei Lanfang-style master Du Jinfangs 1960 version.

Thanks Go To The Following Individuals And Private Groups For Making This Training Program And Production Possible: Lori Admiral, Tessa Ahsing, Thomas Bingham, Mangmang Qiu Brown, W. Dennis Carroll, Hui-Mei Chang, Rosita Chang, Che Ning, Larry and Lily Chiang, the Chinese Opera Association of Hawaii, Julia Chu, Lori Chun, Joseph D. Dodd, Peggy Eu, William Feltz, Sandra Finney, Christopher Gregory, David A Griffith, Donna Gutierrez, Linda Hamada, Martha Hanson, the Hawaii Rainbow Kunqu Society, Anita Hodges, Judy Hughes, Keoni Jeremiah, Gerald Kawaoka, Daniel W.Y. Kwok, Susan Lampe, Scott Larson, Frederick Lau, Nathan Lee, Leslie Lewis, Gregg Lizenbery, Chin-tang Lo, Tana Marin, Harold McArthur, Zihong Miao, Byron Moon, Sherrie Morinaka, Marty Myers, Ryan Nakagawa, Patti Nakamoto, Kathy Nelson, Cynthia Ning, Hannah Schauer Galli, Shanghai Tang, Shen Xiaomei, Kathleen Shimabuku, Barbara Smith, Betty Tam, Tracy Lee Teixeira, Kathy Todoki, Ricardo Trimillos, Dr. Shuang Troy, Daniel Tschudi, Donna Vuchinich, Wang Chenyang, Wang Renyuan, Yao Hong, Diane Yoshida, Colleen Young, Donald B. Young, James Sau Tim Young

Feb 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13 at 8pm Feb 7 and 14 at 2pm

Free pre-show chats on Feb 6 and 13 at 7pm
Presented by: College of Arts and Humanities Department of Theatre and Dance Music Department
School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Center for Chinese Studies

Artistic Staff
Adapted and taught to the student actors and musicians by Lu Genzhang, Zhang Ling, and Zhang Xigui of the Jiangsu Province Jingju Company Under the artistic supervision of Madam Shen Xiaomei Translated by Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak and Hui-Mei Chang Produced and directed by ElizabethWichmann-Walczak Assisted by Kristina Tannenbaum, and by Nicole Tessier (English-language coach) and Evelyn Leung (dance captain) Musical direction by Frederick Lau Scenic design by Joseph D. Dodd Properties design by Daniel Sakimura Costume coordination by Lu Genzhang and Hannah Schauer Galli Training for headdressing and dressing by Sandra Finney and Hannah Schauer Galli Lighting design by David A Griffith Sound design by Matthew Bise Projection design by Maria Liu

Cast (In Order of Appearance)

BAI SUZHEN, the WHITE SNAKE, a highly-evolved snake spirit.....Elisa Diehl* (scenes 1,2,4) Michelle Boudreau (scenes 5,7,8) Sami L.A. Akuna (scenes 10-12, Feb 5, 6, 10, 12-14) Jillian Blakkan-Strauss* (scenes 10-12, Feb 7, 11) GREEN CHILD, the GREEN SNAKE, the younger sister of BAI SUZHEN....Meg Thiel* (scenes 1,2,4) Dneka Patten* (scenes 7,8,10, 11) Nicole Tessier (scene 12 , Feb. 5,6,10,12-14) Michelle Boudreau (scene 12, Feb. 7,11) XU XIAN, a handsome young man............................................Donald Quilinquin (scenes 1,2) Ju-Hua Wei (scenes 4,6) Maseeh Ganjali (scenes 9-12, Feb 5, 6, 10, 12-14) Ju-Hua Wei (scenes 9-12, Feb. 7,11) BOATMAN, an elderly riverman...............................................................Angela J.P. Gosalvez FA HAI, a powerful monk.............................................Dan D. Randerson* (Feb. 6,7,10,12-14) Yang Ming (Feb. 5, 11) SHA MING, a young monk................................................................................K. Leigh Rivera ZHAO DA, a neighbor of Xu Xian......................................................................Ronald Gilliam WANG SHI, a neighbor of Xu Xian....................................................................Sara Robertson* QIAN JINXIU, a neighbor of Xu Xian........................................................Maria L. S. L. Liu SUN BAO, a neighbor of Xu Xian...........................................................Yvette Z Vandermolen LI XIAOER, a neighbor of Xu Xian........................................................................Marcus Lee DEER CHILD, a youthful immortal guardian spirit...........................................Jackie Okimoto CRANE CHILD, a youthful immortal guardian spirit..........................................Nick Ishimaru IMMORTAL ELDER, a powerful immortal spirit....................................................Luke Cheng DIVINE WARRIORS, the army that supports FA HAI...............................Luke Cheng, Elisa Diehl*, Ronald Gilliam, Angela J.P. Gosalvez, Nick Ishimaru, Marcus Lee, Donald Quilinquin, Yvette Z Vandermolen HU FA SHEN, the DIVINE PROTECTOR, a leader of the DIVINE WARRIORS........James Schirmer* QIAN LAN, a leader of the DIVINE WARRIOR............................................Futoshi Terashita* WATER SPIRITS, the army that supports the SNAKE sisters.....Evelyn Leung*, Maria L. S. L. Liu, Frances Marguerite Mammana, Rhiannon McCullough*, Jackie Okimoto, Nicole Tessier, Meg Thiel*, Devika Wasson TURTLE GENERAL, a leader of the WATER SPIRITS....................Matthew Xi Mao Toyama XU SHILIN, the son of BAI SUZHEN and XU XIAN........................................Evelyn Leung* FIRE SPIRITS, the army that supports GREEN CHILD................................Maria L. S. L. Liu, Frances Marguerite Mammana, Rhiannon McCullough*, Jackie Okimoto, Sara Robinson*, Meg Thiel*, Matthew Xi Mao Toyama, Devika Wasson

Directors Notes
Our production of the Jingju play The White Snake is based on Tian Hans 1953 script and Du Jinfangs 1960 performance text. In Chinese terms it is therefore considered a special type of newly-created play, one set in the mythological past but created in the modern period. In production, such plays generally use the full range of traditional costuming, makeup, and performance techniques, while their sets often combine modern design approaches with the use of traditional furniture and the need for substantial open spaces. We are following these authentic Jingju performance practices as closely as possible. Our costumes and stage properties are from China, generously provided by the Jiangsu Province Department of Culture, and our headdressing crew has trained for many weeks to construct the elaborate headdresses worn by the female characters. Our evocative set and lighting are original creations by Joseph Dodd and David Griffith respectively, while our stage crew is costumed and appears in full view, in keeping with the very traditional practice of jianchang stage assistants. The stylized quality of Jingju verse sung in Chinese often makes it difficult for Chinese audiences to understand, and we have worked hard to recreate that stylized quality in our English version; we are therefore following the Chinese practice of projecting the verse on both sides of the stage. In contemporary performance practice, leading roles are often shared among two or more actors in successive scenes of the same performance, and we have three performers successively playing each of three leading characters: the White Snake, Green Child, and Xu Xian; this allows us to feature three different interpretations of each of these characters as well as a wide variety of performance skills. We also have women playing men and vice versa, following the traditional aesthetic of assigning roles according to vocal and physical abilities rather than sex. Most importantly, however, every actor and musician in our company has received in-depth, professional training in preparation for these performances. This production is the culmination of a six-month Jingju Resident Training Program held at the University of Hawaii from August 2009 through January 2010. During this program more than 60 students have undergone intensive training in the techniques of Jingju movement, vocalization, musicianship, makeup, costuming, and staging utilized in todays performance. Their teachers have been three master artists from the Jiangsu Province Jingju Company: Mr. Lu Genzhang, an award-winning performer of both traditional and modern Jingju; Ms. Zhang Ling, an accomplished Jingju performer with a wide range of performance skills; and Mr. Zhang Xigui, an accomplished Jingju musician skilled in both melodic and percussion instruments. From the inception of this project three years ago through these culminating performances, overall artistic supervision has been provided by Madam Shen Xiaomei, a personal disciple of the legendary Master Mei Lanfang and one of the most respected creative artists in Jingju today. The experience of working closely with these master artists has been an exhilarating, expanding, and immensely rewarding one for all of us. We are all extremely grateful to them for sharing their extraordinary skills as creative artists and teachers with such dedication, patience, and generosity, and hope that our efforts to capture and convey a part of their vast and rich art meet with their approval.
Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak February 2010

Melodic Ensmble
Jinghu...................................................... Charlotte DEvelyn Sunhee Koo Erhu......................................................... Bernard Ellorin Yueqin.......................................................Lisa Asano Sanxian .....................................................Wataru Isoshiro Pipa..........................................................Edean Kinoshita Zhongruan/Dizi........................................Frederick Lau Suona........................................................Frederick Lau Sam Schank

Percussion Ensmble
Conductor, Bangu.....................................Man Yang (Scenes 1-4) Daniel Tschudi (Scenes 4-12) Daluo........................................................Kenneth Fong, Yuan-Yu Kuan Naobo.......................................................Sam Schank Xiaoluo.....................................................Kenneth Fong, Man Yang Datanggu.................................................Yuan-Yu Kuan Xiaotanggu...............................................Frederick Lau

Understudies (listed alphabetically)

Special Thanks
The Kennedy Theatre production program is generously supported by a grant from the John Young Foundation. The UHM ticket program is supported in part by a grant from the Student Activities and Program Fee Board.
Member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829

Sami L.A. Akuna.....................................................................................................FIRE SPIRIT Jillian Blakkan-Strauss* ....................................................................................WATER SPIRIT Nick Ishimaru.....................................................................................................WATER SPIRIT FIRE SPIRIT Yang Ming...................................................................................................DIVINE WARRIOR Sara Robinson*..................................................................................................WATER SPIRIT Yvette Z Vandermolen.............................................................................XU XIAN (scenes 1,2)

*In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Performance

The White Snake will be performed with one intermission following scene 7