Zoo Story?

As you’re soon to read in the October issue of that’s Beijing (currently at the printers – don’t you just love these early print deadlines?), the four-year-old Three Oranges Theatre is all set to celebrate the midpoint of one of their most ambitious projects yet with a week-long festival over the October Holiday …

Well, that was the plan, at least.

It appears now that Three Oranges is without a home (and a venue to host the festival), stemming from an unfortunate misunderstanding between the theater group and the management of the Crimson Room, the stage in the Hutong School where Three Oranges has thus far held three of the performances in their one-man show series (beginning with Wild Grass, which debuted in March). Last Saturday, as those hoping to see the debut of actor Hu Lemin’s adaptation of Edward Albee’s Zoo Story (the series’ fourth installment) discovered quite suddenly, events in Beijing are never guaranteed to go on – even if they’re minutes from starting.

With Hu backstage, primed and ready to go, the Crimson Room management shut down the show with little explanation to the audience, who were already settled into their seats and waiting for the curtain to rise. Rumors rose immediately – was the play censored? Was it even sensitive? No, sadly, it was simply the age-old conflict between tenant and landlord.

Perhaps even more unfortunate is the fact that Three Oranges had already been planning to make their farewell to the Crimson Room at next month’s festival, which was structured to bring the first four plays of the series (including Zoo Story) back to the stage – perhaps for the final time. Several of the plays, most notably Wild Grass (pictured above), were adapted specifically for the space, incorporating the windows and structures of the Crimson Room stage into the performances. Now, the unexpected early eviction has the festival itself on shaky ground.

“We’re trying our best to find a new performance space,” says Hortense Halle of H!TANG productions, the promoters behind the Three Oranges Festival. “But it’s pretty close to October 1 [the scheduled date for the festival’s opening day],” she says with a sigh, confirming our fears without actually putting it into words. “But still, we’re trying.”

If the group indeed manages to find a new venue in the next week, The Three Oranges Festival won’t be so much of a reprise of the performances as a redefinition. In the case of Zoo Story, of course, it’ll just be a delayed premiere.

Readers interested in the festival are welcome to call H!TANG directly for the most up-to-date information before making their plans around the festival. English speakers can call 6401 5415/420 x 88, Chinese speakers can get updates at 133 4111 5750.

Zoo Story

Journal of a Fool

Links and Sources:
that's Beijing: On Stage
H!TANG Productions