Red

Playwright Chay Yew explores issues of artistic expression and self-identity in the magical, mysterious drama Red. When Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution sweeps through China, the ancient, glorious art of Bejing Opera becomes a pawn in a dangerous new game of politics versus tradition. For a revered Chinese opera diva (played by Francis Jue) whose life plays out on stage, and the young female apprentice who denounces him during the turbulent days of China’s Cultural Revolution, the game has stunning consequences. Weaving personal, historical, and artistic threads into a brilliant theatrical tapestry, Red is at once a battle of wits that slowly uncovers a powerful tragedy, and a personal story that opens up to reveal the ideological wounds of a great nation.