CFan Chinese Theatre Group
Northwest Auditorium - 2023
Sunrise
日出
Written by Cao, Yu
Directed by Cerulean Chen Long
Scenic Designer - Zhang, Jiayun (Lucy)
Prop Master - Zhu, Yutong (Chloe)
Lighting Designer - Gao, Yixiang (Roger)
Sound Designer - Guo, Qianxu (Lucy)
Costume and Makeup Designer - Chen, Siyu (Rita)
Stage Managers - Huang, Man (Millie) & Li, Ruiyu (Lennox)
Producer - Huang, Zijun (Kerry)
Photography by:
Li, Xiang
Li, Jianrui (William)
Liu, Yixuan (Ethan)
Sunrise 《日出》 is one of Cao Yu's most renowned works and a cornerstone of Chinese theater.
Set in pre-World War II Tianjin, the play follows the socialite Chen Bailu, whose perspective illuminates "the darkness before the sunrise" - a vivid contrast between the opulent, decadent upper class and the suffering of the lower class. The narrative unfolds between the luxurious lounge of Bailu’s hotel and a rundown brothel, reflecting the harsh realities of a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society in early 1930s China.
为什么我们还在这里？
The story of Chen Bailu also reflects the experiences of countless women who are both idealized as paragons of femininity and condemned as fallen and self-destructive. Their eyes are borrowed to witness suffering, their bodies used to embody an ideology, yet they are not allowed to narrate their own destinies. It becomes a vicious cycle, a curse: why do these stories always end with the women being punished?
《日出》这样的戏容易被“教科书”化，它所寻求的答案，曹禺当时想不明白的问题，仿佛现今已经显而易见，理所应当——甚至可能被当作“唯一的”、“正确的”解。但越深度挖掘，我越发现许多说不清答案的问题：从前的天地真的已经过去了吗？新天地真的已经到来了吗？曹禺想要奔赴的终点，我们这个时代已经跨越了吗？
为什么我们无法离开？
为什么
我们从未离开？
为什么看不见光？
为什么
哪里都是死巷？
我们还在讲这个故事？
为什么
我希望这一版《日出》向观众传递的，不是“批判”、“警醒”，也不是“歌颂”、“弘扬”，而是“质询”和“求索”。
她是一支无畏、自由的舞；她是划破沉寂书页的，一个嘹亮的、鲜活的、富有生命力的问号。