CIS's secondary Chinese Drama Club’s annual performance continues to be a highlight of the year. This year, students put on an outstanding production of Stan Lai’s “Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land” to resounding success. This modern classic revolves around two theatre groups vying for a stage and weaves together themes of love, longing and tradition. Our young performers went above and beyond, and received praise for presenting this complex and comedic story with sensitivity and maturity. Here is what grade 7 parent, Ms Duan, had to say after viewing the performance.

I just had a chat with a director in China about CIS's adaptation of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land". Talking about it made me feel like I was back in the audience, filled with excitement. I've been following this play since 2007 and have seen several different adaptations, so I'm quite familiar with it. When my daughter told me she was participating in her school's Chinese drama society's production of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land", I was surprised, happy, and a bit worried all at once. After all, they're just a group of teenagers, and my daughter was only 12 at the time. I couldn't imagine how they would interpret and present such a structurally complex, emotionally nuanced play. Over the past six months, besides encouraging her and silently supporting her, I didn't want my feelings to influence her, so I left everything to the director and waited quietly for the final production to bloom.

Despite their young age, the students managed to convey the atmosphere of pursuit, waiting, missed opportunities, regrets, evasion, entanglement, heartache, and helplessness that the play encapsulates. Some of the young actors' lines, movements, expressions, and eye contact were already at a professional level. While the first performance was great, the second performance was even better. On the first day, some actors had difficulty expressing themselves during certain scenes. I was fortunate to watch the director guiding this scene during rehearsal the second day. The students clearly understood the director's vision and took it to heart. Their lines became more infectious, and their emotional chemistry improved. During the scene when Mrs. Jiang appeared at the end without saying a word, the body language and eye contact of the actors brought tears to the audience's eyes.

Apart from the outstanding performances of the actors, what left a deep impression on me were all the backstage crew members. Set design, props, lighting, sound, makeup, ticketing, and so on—I saw how earnestly and responsibly the kids handled their roles and how they helped each other, which was very heartwarming.

I've been a stage director myself and worked in media for many years. I watch various forms of stage plays every year and know how difficult it is for a play to come to life. Chinese plays are relatively niche in international schools, so I'm especially grateful to CIS for providing such a rare opportunity and splendid stage for the kids. Over the past six months, it was the teachers' full encouragement, wholehearted support, and patient companionship that led to this wonderful performance. 

Once again, thank you for your dedication!