written and directed by Stan Lai

assistant direction and dramaturgy by Nia Witherspoon

Memorial Auditorium, Stanford University

February 2007

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Two theater groups are mistakenly booked into the same theater for rehearsal. One is performing Secret Love, a serious contemporary drama; the other is performing the farce In Peach Blossom Land. The two groups fight for the stage, and eventually resign to sharing it. In between, madness ensues, and a mysterious woman roams about the theater searching for a man who may or may not exist…What happens in a methatheatrical collage, a structured chaos, a meeting point of modern Chinese politics, ancient visions, tragedy, and rollicking comedy.

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Secret Love In Peach Blossom Land is arguably the most famous play in the modern Chinese language theater. Created in 1986 by Stan Lai and his Taipei-based theater group Performance Workshop, this landmark play has touched the heartstrings of Chinese audiences everywhere, and has now been adapted for Stanford audiences.