1 November 2016
Flee by Night
Akademie der Künste Shows Danny Yung’s Contemporary Version of the Chinese Kunqu Opera
Theatre guest performance from Hong Kong on 5th and 6th November
The Akademie der Künste is bringing a central work of Chinese avant-garde theatre to Berlin and to the stage of its building on Hanseatenweg with Flee by Night. Hong Kong director Danny Yung has transferred to the present-day the more than 400-year old classic work of theatre about General Lin Chong, who had to flee into exile because of intrigue at the imperial court. In collaboration with the master of the Kunqu opera, Ke Jun – in the role of the hero – an emotionally compact, highly explosive piece of modern theatre has been created.
The production met with great success when it was shown in 2015 at the KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen in Hanover. The guest performance in Berlin is supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin.
Danny Yung is one of the most influential theatre artists in Asia. For three decades he has been developing his theatre work from investigations into traditional East Asian forms of theatre. His works, shown worldwide, are created in intense exchange with the principal actors and performers who portray the diverse performance traditions of Asia.
Flee by Night is the final segment of a trilogy incorporating this experimental relationship with performative tradition. At the same time, the guest performance taking place within the context of the Akademie programme Uncertain States. Artistic Strategies in States of Emergency exemplarily stands for Yung’s aesthetic concept of using theatrical means to confront and comment on political realities. Political and social balancing acts are the order of the day in Hong Kong; a result of the precarious status of “one country, two systems”. The director reflects on the cultural-political and social upheavals in Hong Kong and in China in all of his works.
A production by Zuni Icosahedron, Hong Kong
Script, direction, stage production: Danny Yung, performers: Ke Jun, Yang Yang, David Yeung, Live percussion: Li Lite, Music: Steve Hui, Video: Benny Woo, Lighting: Mak Kwok Fai, Costumes: Barney Cheng, Producer: Wy Wong
In cooperation with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin
Thursday, 3 November 2016, 5 pm, € 5/3
One Table, Two Chairs
Lecture Demonstration and Panel on Flee by Night with Ke Jun, Danny Yung, Cao Kefei, Christel Weiler. Moderation: Johannes Odenthal. In German and English.
Saturday, 5 November 2016, 8 pm, € 15/10
Sunday, 6 November 2016, 8 pm, € 15/10
Introduction for both performances at 7:30 pm
Flee by Night
Contemporary Kunqu opera, staged by Danny Yung. With Ke Jun, Yang Yang, David Yeung, Li Lite. Chinese with English surtitles.
Special Events Venue:
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10557 Berlin, Tel. +49 (0)30 200 57 2000
Tickets: Tel. +49 (0)30 200 57-2000, ticket@adk.de, online www.adk.de/tickets
Press tickets: Tel. +49 (0)30 200 57-1514, presse@adk.de
In the context of:
Uncertain States. Artistic Strategies in States of Emergency
Exhibition and special events programme of the Akademie der Künste
15 October 2016 – 15 January 2017
www.adk.de/uncertain-states
Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation