Delighted to invite a host of working partners, colleagues and valued friends to the reception at Southbank Centre to launch a range of highly ambitious projects due in 2018, as well as celebrating a number of completed projects from 2017. The reception was a great opportunity to present the growing partnership between Jingying Entertainment Group and Performance Infinity. The reception event gave us the opportunity to inform our guests about the success of several brilliant projects completed in 2017, and the developing partnerships between British and European artists in China. Key speakers included Qiuyun Wang of Jingying Entertainment Group; Steve Ansell, the Artistic Director of Stage@leeds, University of Leeds, Dave Carey from Chickenshed Theatre, Wilma Kuite, the producer of Jakop Ahlbom Company, and Martin Lamb – writer and lead consultant for the upcoming production, the Science Detective.

Now in its second year at the London Southbank Centre, the China Changing Festival is a wonderful event that showcases a range of contemporary performance arts from across China. As well as this, the festival highlights the developing creative ties between the China and Britain. Little Soldier Zhang Ga is a puppet production for kids created by the War Horse China team during their performances of War Horse Mandarin version; Sink is created by a Chinese emerging director Xinxi Du who was trained in RADA and Royal Central of Speech and Drama, with her unique understanding of the certain period of history in China.

Hominus Brasilis tells the story of humanity in the most unique way. Five actors use their bodies and vocal sounds to tell important episodes from earth’s history. All scenes take place on a 5′ by 3′ platform with no scenery or props. The Brazilian company Cia de Teatro Manual were founded in 2010, and have been performing globally since then. 2017 represented the company’s first time performing in China, with their production of Hominus Brasilis performing at the Beijing Comedy Week.

The dance production In-Between, was a collaborative production between artists from the UK working alongside performers and artists from the Chinese city of Jinan. The dance choreography was developed by Janis Claxton to an original score composed by Pippa Murphy. First presented in the city of Jinan, the performance had a test presentation at Oxford House, London. Following the performance there was a talk on how the production of In-Between came together. The discussion then looked at the nature of artistic collaborations in China from both a British and Chinese understanding.

Since 2016, one of the leading documentary producers from China Central TV station has been planning the documentary shooting of Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu for the audience to discover the stories and history from those two theatre masters. Performance Infinity provided consultancy services to the producing team to shape the content and also to find the most suitable interviewees when they visited the UK.

Edinburgh Young Theatre Critic Camp aims to help young Chinese-English theatre critic learn English critic writing skills to apply to reviews written in Chinese, and furthermore help them to develop a career as a theatre critic. During Edinburgh Fringe Festival, participants see shows individually or as a group and have accomplished altogether 100 reviews. From dance to drama, children’s show to late night show, popular performances to shows created by emerging young artists. The reviews provide Chinese reader lens to a wide range of shows in Edinburgh.

The 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe saw one of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays, Macbeth, performed in an entirely unique style, that of a traditional Cantonese opera. Presented by the Zhuo Peili Cantonese Opera Studio the production combined the intrigue, jealousy and deep levels of human emotions known to Macbeth with the style, flair and vibrant colour of Cantonese opera.

New City, New Sound was an ensemble production brought to Edinburgh to highlight the musical and cultural talents emanating from the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Combining a range of performances, the show offered audiences a first-hand opportunity to hear traditional Chinese instruments and singing, as well as witness authentic dancing, unique to the region of Shenzhen. The stunning production offered a brilliant opportunity to experience both traditional and contemporary music and culture indigenous to Shenzhen.

The production of Sink is a new piece of writing based on the true story of Chinese playwright Lao She. As a writer of great esteem renowned throughout China, Lao She was given the title of People’s Artist. However, this would all change during the cultural revolution, as Lao She was deemed a reactionary and publicly humiliated. The production asks questions of freedom, identity, history and our own place and role in contemporary society. The show was performed in English by Chinese actors at the Fringe; but in the director’s native language of Mandarin at the Southbank’s China Changing Festival.

Every two years, British Council selects a range of performances to be part of its showcase programme. The aim is to help promote and highlight the work of companies, plays and individuals that the British Council feel are deserving of special recognition, from across the British Isles. On behalf of the British Council, Performance Infinity wrote, translated and edited a series of articles that were published in China, that aimed to expose these productions to Chinese audiences, and give context, not only to the shows themselves, but also their history, development and place within the British theatre landscape. The articles published looked at a cross section of companies and individuals such as: Kneehigh Theatre , Scottish Dance Theatre, Volcano Theatre, Jess Thom and Theresa Ikoko. Each publication was written and edited by Joseph Edwards and Chengyu Tan.