The story of the film Crossroads focuses on the experiences of four college graduates, reveals the social problems of Shanghai workers' unemployment in the 1930s and living conditions of college graduates during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and praises precious friendship, love and positive attitude towards life. This drama not only retains the characters with different personalities in the film and the development of their different destinies in the political and economic environment, but also enriches the “reliable friendship", "sweet and shy love", "longing for the future" and "repressed but happy life" and other plot elements. Through reshaping the classic images and adding "in-the-play" narratives to conduct a dialogue between history and reality, the play highlights eternal issues of human life that transcend history, such as "what is a valuable life" and "what mission young people should undertake". It is worth noting that the play will use the directing technique of organic integration of film screens and live performances on the theatre stage. While reviewing the historical memory of the nation in a specific period, it also unfolds speculative and realistic topics utilizing defamiliarization effect. It shows us that every generation of young people will face their own challenges, they all need to fight against fate, overcome all difficulties and to embrace hope.
Executive Presenter: WANG Ning
Artistic Director: XU Xiaozhong
Executive Producer: ZHAO Tiechun
Chief Managing Producers: LI Zhixiang, ZHAO Tiechun, ZHU Jing, WANG Cheng, GONG Jicheng
Film Director: SHEN Xiling (The drama is adapted from SHEN's film)
Playwrights: HUANG Ying, XU Weixin
Stage Director: HUANG Ying
Set Designer: ZHANG Kunpeng
Lighting Designer: HAN Dong
Video Projection Designer: HU Shuzhen
Costume Designer: NING Fangguo
Make-up Designer: LIN Ying
Composers: ZHANG Xiao, WANG Zixiao
Sound Designer: RONG Hua
Mr. ZHAO: DONG Wenliang
Miss YANG: XU Zixuan
Atang: LI Zhaoyang
Big LIU: FENG Yang
Xiaoxu/ Hoodium: YU Mengchao
Elder Sister YAO: LIU Beibei
Landlady/ Dancing Girl: WANG Wenjie
At the crossroads of life, the youth can cheer up, depress, advance, or fall behind. Inevitably, they hesitate at the crossroads and are confused about where they should head to. In 1937, the film Crossroads directed by SHEN Xiling was premiered in Shanghai and caused a huge sensation. Eighty-three years later, a group of young actors put the film on stage, paying tribute to the classic from the perspective of the young people, and re-examining the meaning of the classic.
In the play, like many other young people, ZHAO resides in a bustling metropolis,and lives in the cheapest simple house. Faced with the dilemma of "no money" and "no job", he can only make all manners of quips and jokes to relieve the boredom. However, no one can change reality by evading the cruelty of it. The "Unemployed Four" ultimately fell apart with ZHAO and TANG lingering in Shanghai. Unexpectedly, ZHAO and Miss YANG, who hate each other as neighbours, gradually fell in love without knowing each other's identity.
Outside the play, the actors see their own dilemmas in this drama. They discuss dignity and love, ideals and choices. They try to figure out whether the past classic is still valuable to contemporary life. The young actors laugh and chat about the surrounding anecdotes of the film. This scene seems to overlap with the young creators of the 1937 film-they were young, passionate and hesitant at the crossroads. From the classic film and its main creators, the youth today have gained the courage and strength to step forward from the crossroads.
DONG WenliangMr. ZHAO
DONG Wenliang
He is an actor of the NCPA Drama Ensemble. He performed in NCPA dramas The Lei Family, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Returning Home on a Snowy Night, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and The Birds. He graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and serves as a performing arts teacher at his alma mater. His works have been awarded Excellent Drama of National Small Theatre Dramas, Award Nomination of National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art, The Best Drama of Austral-Asia Art Award and so forth. They were also involved in many theatre festivals and creative projects hosted by France, UK, Germany, Singapore, Australia, Korea and Japan.
His representative drama works include: A Pipe Dream, Blooming Flowers in Season, Dream Walker, Love at Left, Emotion at Right, In Search of the Supernatural, Stewed Pork Offal, etc. His other stage plays include musical theatres: Cho Cho, A Jailbreak by an Imperial Order, Crazy KTV; French poetic dramas Barocco, Labyrinth; Qu operas The young emperor, Tears of Imperial Concubine Zhen, WANG Laohu the Bride Hunter, Beneath the Red Banner, The Beijing People, Teahouse, and so on. He also directed dramas The Taihang Love Song, We Are Together, Confucius, and Braving the Torrent.
XU ZixuanMiss YANG
XU Zixuan
A member of NCPA Drama Ensemble
XU Zixuan graduated from Beijing Film Academy, majoring in drama, film and television performance. She has performed in NCPA drama A Mid-summer Night's Dream.
Her representative works of stage play include To be Continued, Dream Walker, When Smart Meets HAN Han, The Mousetrap, Murder On Dante Street, Mourning, and Homesickness. Her representative works of films and TV dramas include Blind Message, Dash Forward, 80’s and 90’s Generation and Got a Foreign Wife. Her representative work of sitcom is Anecdotes About GUO Degang.
LI Zhaoyangas Bottom
LI Zhaoyang
LI Zhaoyang is a member of NCPA Drama Ensemble. Graduating from the Beijing Film Academy, he has performed in NCPA dramas A Mid-summer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Returning Home on a Snowy Night, The Merchant of Venice, NCPA Drama Commission The LEI Family, Jane Eyre, etc. His representative works of stage play include Mu Chun, Happy Dinner, and Twelfth Night. His representative works of films and TV dramas include Food to Pregnant, Life with a Little Sweet, Hey Kids and Abnormal Cases.
FENG YangBig LIU
FENG Yang
FENG Yang is a member of NCPA Drama Ensemble. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, majoring in drama film and television performance. He has performed in NCPA dramas A Mid-summer Night's Dream, Returning Home on a Snowy Night and The Merchant of Venice.
His representative works of stage play include Golden Mille Dream, Macbeth, Chinese Class, The Show Must Go On, Wild Duck and Childhood.
YU MengchaoXiaoxu/ Hoodlum
YU Mengchao
YU Mengchao is a member of NCPA Drama Ensemble. He graduated from Capital Normal University, majoring in Public Affairs Administration.
He has performed in NCPA dramas A Midsummer Night's Dream, Returning Home on a Snowy Night, The Merchant of Venice, The Birds, Jane Eyre, The LEI Family, the Royal Architects, and Look West to Chang'an. His representative works of stage play include Admire Spring, Prophecy, Sir John Falstaff, The Mysterious Companions of Sun Story, Twelfth Night, Beijing People's Art Theatre drama Fisheye Lens.
LIU Beibeias Elder Sister YAO
LIU Beibei
LIU Beibei is an actress of the NCPA Drama Ensemble. She once played the part of Hermia in the NCPA drama A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She joined in the NCPA dramas such as The Merchant of Venice, Look West to Chang’an, Crossroads, The Birds, The Lei Family, the Royal Architects, The Tempest, The Crossroad and The Count of Monte Cristo. She had graduated from the Shandong College of Arts and majoring in drama, film and television performance. Representative works include dramas Thunderstorm, Rickshaw Boy, Peach Blossom Fan, Desire Under the Elms, Letter from an Unknown Woman, Una Donna Sola, Being Rich and Jiuer. Representative film and television work is Fiji Love.
WANG Wenjieas Landlady/ Dancing Girl
WANG Wenjie
WANG Wenjie is an actress of the NCPA Drama Ensemble. She is a graduate student at the Central Academy of Drama. In the NCPA drama commissions, she played the part of Ophelia/SONG Qingru Hamlet, Cordelia in King Lear, Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice, Guizhi in The Lei Family, the Royal Architects, and Landlady in Crossroads. She joined in such the NCPA dramas as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Eyre, A Doll’s House, The Crossroad and The Count of Monte Cristo. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, majoring in musical performance. She participates in the musical Rent (Chinese Version) and Spring Awakening, the original musical Tomorrow Will Be Better, and a physical drama The Rite of Spring.
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