{"id":5594,"date":"2015-09-03T15:37:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T14:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/townsquareproductions.ultimecom.fr\/?page_id=5594"},"modified":"2016-03-15T17:07:23","modified_gmt":"2016-03-15T22:07:23","slug":"china","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/?page_id=5594","title":{"rendered":"china"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">  <\/script><br \/>\n<section class=\"cs-section wpb_row\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-md-12\"><div class=\"cq-tabs \" style=\"width:\" data-tabsstyle=\"style3\" data-titlebg=\"#16380b\" data-titlecolor=\"#ffffff\" data-titlehoverbg=\"#e7a33b\" data-titlehovercolor=\"\" data-rotatetabs=\"15\"><ul class=\"cq-tabmenu style3\"><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Cultural Projects<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>    The Golden Trees<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>    Shanghai Expo<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>  CCCP 90th<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Crazy For You<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Promise<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Fame<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Into the Wood \/CAD<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Into the Wood \/Ovation<\/span><\/a><\/li><li style=\"background-color:#16380b;\"><a href=\"#\" style=\"color:#ffffff;\"><span>Kunlun Myth<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"cq-tabcontent style3\" style=\"background:;\"><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PROJECTS INTERNATIONAL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>China Cultural Projects<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Since March 1999<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SONGLEI MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY, Beijing<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Operations Consultant of new 1300 seat theater; responsible for yearly ten week programming<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>CENTRAL ACADEMY OF DRAMA, Beijing<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Co-Producer of Mandarin FAME; consultant for musical theater\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">training<\/a>\u00a0and production<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SHANGHAI THEATRE ACADEMY, Shanghai<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">Consultant on<\/a>\u00a0Musical Theater Center<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>GRASSLAND\u00a0<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\"><strong>FOUNDATION<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0OF INNER MONGOLIA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">Design Consultant<\/a>\u00a0for the Shanghai Expo Inner Mongolian Pavilion; Producer\/Director for Inner Mongolian Expo Parade; Producer\/Author\/Director of THE PROMISE, a one-act musical at Expo; Producer\/Creator\/Director of GOLDEN TREES, an outdoor spectacle in Alashan, Inner Mongolia<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>THE GOLDEN TREES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Huyang Tree<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 was created in Erjina, Inner Mongolia on the fringe of the Gobi Desert.\u00a0 Funded by the\u00a0<strong>Grassland Culture <\/strong><strong>Foundation<\/strong>, our task was to promote tourism in the autumn when the\u00a0<strong>National Forest of Huyang Trees<\/strong>\u00a0become a brilliant\u00a0yellow against the sand dunes and clear desert sky.\u00a0 \u00a0In 2010 the nearest public airport or train station for this village of 12,000\u00a0mongolians was a 10 hour drive across the desert, but it already became a favorite destination for photographers.\u00a0\u00a0 Conservation\u00a0efforts including clean up, fencing and a raised boardwalk through the forest began hand-in-hand with efforts to showcase the\u00a0forest\u2019s beauty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The\u00a0<strong>Huyang Festival<\/strong>\u2019s main attraction became the\u00a0<strong>outdoor musical Huyang Trees<\/strong>.\u00a0 Our goal was to share through traditional\u00a0music and dance,\u00a0 the local culture and history of Erjina.\u00a0 As they say a\u00a0<strong>Huyang Tree can live for 1000 years<\/strong>.\u00a0 When it dies it may\u00a0stand for another 1000 years.\u00a0 When if falls it will still exist for another 1000.\u00a0\u00a0 The\u00a0<strong>Huyang Trees<\/strong>\u00a0were witness to the great history\u00a0beginning when Zhang Qian rode through this forest on his way west, with the largest caravan in the history of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">His journey ignited the creation of the Silk Road and brought China to the outside world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Our second tale told of the\u00a0<strong>Homecoming Heros<\/strong>, the Tuerhute Mongolian tribe, who walked 1700 miles from Russia to return to\u00a0their homeland, losing half of their population in the struggle. \u00a0It was near this forest in the 1700\u2019s that the Chinese empereur gave\u00a0them a safe home and they were allowed to hold fast to their Mongolian way of life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The musical finished on a very personal note for the townspeople.\u00a0 In 1955 the elderly still remember when China came to close\u00a0their village and the Mongolian leaders agreed to relocate their village 140 kilometers north on the edge of this forest.\u00a0 It was a\u00a0great sacrifice but necessary for China to build their first space center and nuclear test site.\u00a0 The villagers felt the potential of invasion\u00a0from America and Russia was very probable at the time.\u00a0 It was at this space center that Shenzhou V carried the first Chinese\u00a0astronaut into space in 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In my role as Artist in Residence at the Cultural Foundation, I worked with 40 singers and dancers, 20 extras (retired singers and\u00a0dancers), camels, horses, homing pigeons, long-tune singers, double and triple tone singers (humai), horse-head fiddles, dapchur\u00a0(2 string banjos) players and the most loving and loveable cast in my career.\u00a0 \u00a0Se Enke who grew up near Ejina in Alashan county\u00a0composed the music.\u00a0 My brother Ke Ming once again wrote the lyrics and with me, co-wrote the script.\u00a0 We built a theater in\u00a0the desert and their history came alive once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Huyang-1.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6449 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Huyang-1-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Huyang 1\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Huyang-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Huyang-1.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang9.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6450 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang9-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"huyang9\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang9.jpg 690w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang10.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6451 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang10-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"huyang10\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang10-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang10.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang14.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6452 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang14-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"huyang14\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang14-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang14.jpg 690w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang13.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6454 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang13-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"huyang13\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang13.jpg 690w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang-15.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6457 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang-15-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"huyang 15\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/huyang-15.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>SHANGHAI EXPO<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pavilion for the Province of Inner Mongolia at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 was themed \u201c<strong>BETTER CITY, BETTER LIFE.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 Believing that the city is built by mankind, developing and growing into a dynamic system, the theme centered on the faith that mankind is the most vigorous and creative being in this system, whose life is closely related to the pattern and development of the city.\u00a0 As urbanization rapidly grows, this urban dynamic system and entire ecosystem have been affecting each other on a greater and deeper level.\u00a0 Three systems, human, city and the Earth, are interrelated with one another and are merging into an inseparable unity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Film Experience included:\u00a0 a 270 degree wrap around movie screen surrounding the audience with the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">complete<\/a>\u00a0Inner Mongolia experience; six\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">projectors<\/a>\u00a0revealing the live film shot from three to seven cameras simultaneously, guaranteeing the audience a feeling of being amidst the grasslands; and music both recorded and live, from the voices of Inner Mongolia unlike anything heard by modern audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Exhibit included:\u00a0 a double sided wall detailing the Ancient Community versus the Modern City; the modernizations of satellites,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">solar power<\/a>, wind power and digital communications; the gift of Milk Tea to all guests; a scale model revealing the Model of the Modern City and its similarities to the Ancient Community; an interactive human-sized scale demonstrating the balance of city and country; a map informing the guests of the harmonious existence of both city and country; sound domes amplifying the various sounds of the Inner Mongolian grasslands; an hour glass with sand from the Gobi Desert counting down the hours of the Expo for the entire six-month run; a virtual experience of traveling the grasslands; and an interactive digital wall utilizing touch-screen technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-divider-icon text-center\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>INNER MONGOLIA&#8217;S 90 th PARTY COMMEMORATION\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-divider-icon text-center\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The\u00a0<strong>Ministry of Culture of Inner Mongolia<\/strong>\u00a0decided that the three tales of \u201c<strong>Huyang Trees<\/strong>\u201d had special signifiante for 2011.\u00a0It was the\u00a0<strong>90<sup>th<\/sup>Anniversary of the Chinese CommunisT\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Party<\/strong>\u00a0and our musicals message helped share\u00a0China\u2019s historic past\u00a0opening to foreign lands, the unification of the diverse Chinese\u00a0cultures and the sacrifices required\u00a0to make the country great.\u00a0 \u00a0They commissioned the\u00a0<strong>Grassland Culture\u00a0<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\"><strong>Foundation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Town Square <\/strong><strong>Productions<\/strong>\u00a0to create an expanded, theatrical \u00a0version of Huyang Trees to be performed in Beijing at the\u00a0esteemed Poly Theatre during the national celebration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Se Enke wrote eight new songs.\u00a0 With Ke Ming, we expanded the dramatic elements of the stories into a full musical\u00a0form. \u00a0From New York, David Caldwell arrived to provide \u2018musical\u2019 musical direction. In the absence of sand dunes\u00a0and camels, Wang Kan Mei (born in 1952 his first name is literally translated as Against America)\u00a0 created an\u00a0expansive scenic design that took us from the Istanbul to Space.\u00a0 While most of the cast came from the Inner\u00a0Mongolia Song and Dance Ensemble, some of Beijing\u2019s finest singers delivered the leading roles, and eight\u00a0spirited dancers from Erjina gave the Tuerhute soul to the ensemble.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The show did the Teurhute proud, Erjina proud, Inner Mongolia proud, and when the full stage national red flag\u00a0descended, China proud.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>CRAZY FOR YOU<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Crazy for You<\/strong>\u00a0is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Billed as \u201cThe New Gershwin Musical Comedy\u201d, it is largely based on the songwriting team\u2019s 1930 musical,\u00a0<strong>Girl <\/strong><strong>Crazy<\/strong>, but also calls on the great Gershwin trunk for standards from the American songbook. Crazy for You won the\u00a01992 Tony Award for Best Musical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Following the eye-opening success of\u00a0<strong>FAME<\/strong>, The Central Academy of Drama made a surprising pick for their second\u00a0adaptation of the Broadway musical into the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">Mandarin language<\/a>. Whereas the characters in\u00a0<strong>FAME<\/strong>\u00a0could easily be\u00a0seen on a day to day basic at the Academy,\u00a0<strong>CRAZY FOR YOU<\/strong>\u00a0with the Gershwin Brothers and Ken Ludwig is as\u00a0uniquely American as a musical can be \u2013 Broadway in the roaring 20\u2019s, a Nevada ghost town, and a banker who\u00a0wants to dance! The choice defied explanation until you know the backstory and one universal truth: Your First Broadway\u00a0Musical can change your life!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Liu Hongmei is the Chairwoman of the Musical Theater Department at the Central Academy. Here is an excerpt from\u00a0Liu Hongmei\u2019s bio in the program. \u201cIn the spring of 1995, I was assigned by the Academy to study and perform\u00a0musicals at the Shiki Theatre company in Japan.\u00a0<strong>Crazy for You<\/strong>\u00a0made me fell like receiving a baptism in musicals\u00a0which I fell in love with ever since. I am fascinated by it and crazy for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On the opening night in Beijing, Hongmei ran up to me and screamed with excitement. The translator channeled all of\u00a0her emotion and also screamed the words, \u201cTeacher Liu says she has been waiting 18 years for this night!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Understanding how Hongmei was so closely attached to the show, we arranged for the license of the show to include\u00a0the use of Susan Stroman\u2019s original choreography<br \/>\n. Key to our success was the engagement of Kirby Ward, who\u00a0starred in the London and later, the US National tour as Bobby. He knows this show\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">step<\/a>\u00a0by step every step of the\u00a0way. He began with a two-week tap dance master class in December, 2011 and selected the cast. During the winter\u00a0he guided\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/projects\/international\/\">the design<\/a>\u00a0team and his associate directors by phone and Skype. In five weeks in April he worked his\u00a0magic with Charles Czarnecki (music director) and Melissa Stern (assistant choreographer) and turned our junior\u00a0year of Chinese students into Broadway showgirls and ghost town hicks. It was astonishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">As China discovers the thrill of the American musical theater it feels right that they turn the spotlight on\u00a0\u201c<strong>Crazy for You<\/strong>.\u201d In his review in The New York Times, Frank Rich wrote, \u201cWhen future historians try to find the\u00a0exact moment at which Broadway finally rose up to grab the musical back from the British, they just may conclure\u00a0that the revolution began last night. The shot was fired at the Shubert Theater, where a riotously entertaining show\u00a0called Crazy for You uncorked the American musical\u2019s classic blend of music, laughter, dancing, sentiment and\u00a0showmanship with a freshness and confidence rarely seen during.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>PROMISE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The\u00a0<strong>2010 Shanghai Exposition<\/strong>\u00a0sought to bring the world together \u2013 and so we did.\u00a0 In Hohhot , the capital of Inner\u00a0Mongolia, I was assigned to produce and direct\u00a0<strong>The Promise<\/strong>, a one-hour original musical which would celebrate\u00a0the Inner Mongolian Week at the Expo.\u00a0\u00a0 In Hohhot the singers and dancers had never seen a live musical before.\u00a0Singers who danced, Dancers who sang, everyone who acted, it was all a discovery during an eight week rehearsal\u00a0at the\u00a0<strong>Hohhot Song and Dance Company<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We added eight acrobats and four horse-head fiddle players for more fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The story focused on a young Mongolian man who moved out of the Grasslands and left his sweetheart behind in search\u00a0of a better life in the big city.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact the title of the Expo was \u201c<em>Better City \u2013 Better Life<\/em>\u201d but my Mongolian friends,\u00a0proud of their heritage would not be inclined to say that a Better Life is in a Better City.\u00a0\u00a0 And so, as musical go, the\u00a0young man realizes that Shanghai is not where his heart is.\u00a0 The big city lights do not shine as bright as his sweetheart\u2019s\u00a0smile.\u00a0 In the climatic number he walks down the Shanghai street and strips off his tie, hands off his suit coat, rolls up\u00a0his sleeve and begins to strut \u2013 a Mongolian wrestler\u2019s strut.\u00a0 The crowd gathers and step by step they join this free spirit\u00a0in the dance and song of his homeland.\u00a0\u00a0 He returns to the Meng Gu Bao (yurt) of his beloved and the musical sweeps to\u00a0a close with the touching traditions of the Mongolian wedding ceremony.\u00a0My chief collaborators were the grand Ulan Touga, composer and my brother, Ke Ming, lyricist, poet, inspiration\u00a0and holder of the faith.\u00a0\u00a0 Two other Americans joined my in Hohhot:\u00a0 Ann Marie D\u2019Angelo choreographed and\u00a0David Caldwell contributed vocal arrangements and music direction.\u00a0 The three of us shared two translators as the\u00a0cast sang and spoke in Mandarin.<\/span><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Promise-don-press-conference.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6416 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Promise-don-press-conference-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"Promise don press conference\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Promise-don-press-conference-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Promise-don-press-conference.jpeg 503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>FAME<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Performed at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, this production of FAME was the first of its kind,\u00a0and received International press with its recognition in \u201cVariety\u201d. Translated into the Mandarin language and performed\u00a0by the students at the Academy, the production toured China during the 2009-10 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Cast-group.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6408 size-medium alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Cast-group-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Fame Cast group\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Cast-group-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Cast-group.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Tango.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6409 size-medium aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Tango-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Fame Tango\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Tango-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-Tango.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6407 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance-200x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Fame powerdance\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance.jpeg 427w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<table style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood2.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-6411\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood2-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Into the wood2\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood2-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood2.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-6410\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"Into the wood\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-wood.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-The-Woods-poster-pdf1.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-6414\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-The-Woods-poster-pdf1-215x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Into The Woods poster pdf\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-The-Woods-poster-pdf1-215x300.jpeg 215w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-The-Woods-poster-pdf1.jpeg 323w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fame-powerdance.jpeg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-woodlogo.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5594]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-6412\" src=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-woodlogo-300x102.jpg\" alt=\"Into the woodlogo\" width=\"300\" height=\"102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-woodlogo-300x102.jpg 300w, https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Into-the-woodlogo.jpg 371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div><div class=\"cq-tabitem\" style=\"color:;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>&#8220;KUNLUN MYTH&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"cs-divider-icon text-center\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"> end254_() <\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"entry-read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/?page_id=5594\" class=\"cs-btn cs-btn-flat cs-btn-rounded cs-btn-xxs cs-btn-flat-accent\">Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5594","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5594"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6465,"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5594\/revisions\/6465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsquareproductions.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}