A Spring of Theater With Middle Kingdom Creatives!

We did it, dear reader! Winter is over, and long may spring reign. There are two things you can look forward in the near future – consistently pleasant weather and a glorious double whammy of drama, courtesy of Middle Kingdom Creatives (MKC)! That's right: Beijing's favorite English-speaking troupe has two enticing new plays scheduled at Jinshang Yuan in April. 

You know them for their fun, irreverent antics. They make you laugh, they make you sing – by golly, they even make you drink. But I am telling you, this time you're in for something entirely different with them delving into the world of drama with Two Plays: Happiness and No Exit. MKC's incursion into drama feels like a step forward for a group of individuals who never cease to surprise me with their creativity and brilliance. I believe that Beijing shines its brightest when we get to witness diverse yet like-minded individuals gather, grow and thrive over the years. The communities that result from these interactions provide opportunities for cultural exchange as well as an anchor for those of us who get to call this city our second home. With this in mind, I feel truly delighted to be sitting here today with playwright Danny Whitehead and actress Stephanie Stone. They're both at the steering wheel for this project, and boy do they command the ship expertly.

Hi, guys. It's always a happy day when I get to have you in the room for a chat. Let's start by introducing yourselves to the audience. Of course, we also want to know everything about the wonderful plays you're bringing to Beijing in April. 
DW: Hello there! Well, I'm thrilled that my play, Happiness, will be put on in Beijing by an incredible creative team. As the title suggests, the play is an exploration of the ever-elusive feeling we humans spend our lives chasing. How far are you willing to go for happiness? Most importantly, perhaps – what are you willing to sacrifice? Starting on the first day of a honeymoon, the play sees love, life, and loss intersect for a tense psychological drama that lays bare the lies we often tell ourselves – and others – in our pursuit of happiness. 

SS: Hi, Beijing! This time, I am stepping in as both the director and part of the cast for Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. Here, I feel it's worth noting that there's always this balance we strive for at Middle Kingdom Creatives. Whether it's by way of our unique spins on beloved theater classics or in this combination of new, original plays and big-name classics, it's always about honoring what is already out there while still making our own, unique contribution. 

With this in mind, No Exit is a plunge into the eternal torment undergone by three wretched souls – Cradeau, Inès and Estelle. These characters bring to the stage a turbulent stream of secrets and unspoken flaws and desires that bind them together and reveal a painful truth: Hell is not fire and brimstone; hell is the relentless judgment of others. No Exit is a torturous, endless dance. There'll be no respite for the cast, for the audience. We are looking forward to immersing all together in this heady, introspective drama. 

This is such a departure from your latest plays, and I am here for it. It goes without saying that you're staying at Jinshang Yuan, a venue that feels like home for you in the light of your long-standing collaboration. But I did notice that this time you're returning to Starlight Lounge, which is their smaller performance space where you actually held your first shows. Seeing as Jinshang recently opened a larger area where you had your awesome musicals as well as A Christmas Carol, what made you decide on the small stage?
DW: The Starlight Lounge space heightens the intimacy and intensity of the plays, with the audience right up close to the action. It's a perfect space for the powerful emotions and high drama that Happiness and No Exit deliver.

SS: That's right. We want the audience to feel almost as if they're a passive member of the cast. We want them to experience the love, loss and turmoil of the characters. The Starlight Lounge is the perfect venue for these smaller, more intimate dramas that explore deep, universal themes intrinsic to the human condition.

Oh, that makes sense. Speaking of that dramatic dimension, you acknowledge that this is a rare departure from your usual comedic madness. While it may be taboo to ask if you play favorites, I can't help but wonder – what's dearest to you on the stage? Drunken antics, heartfelt laughter and irreverent twists? Or the experience of raw, powerful storytelling? Which is the most challenging one to write, to direct, to play?
DW: I think comedy and tragedy are both uplifting, just in different ways. Comedy reminds us directly of the joys and absurdities of life, but tragedy also delivers a catharsis for the audience where the pain and loss heighten our appreciation of what joys we have. As a writer, I approach them both in the same way – in both cases, I start with complex, strong characters who have a clear intention and obstacle, and whose active decisions propel the story. However, I reverse the structure for each genre. I write my comedies with an emotional low at their midpoint to end on a high, whereas I follow the tragedies' typical descent to a climactic emotional low. It's tough to immerse yourself in tragedy over several months as a writer, and even tougher for the director and actors to inhabit that tragedy for months of rehearsal, so a lot of mental health considerations are necessary... but I know actors and directors relish that kind of opportunity to stretch their talents. I hope our audiences appreciate the variety and the challenge, as MKC extends its range!

SS: They all have their merits, certainly! We want to round out and expand our repertoire to appeal to an even broader audience here in Beijing. As an actor, it's enjoyable to lean into the comedy – after all, it's very rewarding to make people laugh. But there's also something satisfying (and exhausting!) about digging into a meaty, complex role that challenges both you and the audience. 

Such an insightful answer. But let's stay on the topic of challenges. You're staging four performances on Apr 4, 5, 11 and 12. To be clear, you'll be doing both plays every night, with a mere intermission of 15 minutes in between. Beyond the apparent feat of stepping out of one universe to jump right away into the next, I imagine that each performance night does teach you something. I am certain that the audience will be getting their money's worth and more on any given night, but do you otherwise notice any difference from the first night to the last one? Just curious about the way you may perceive each behind the curtains. 
DW: The magic of theater is that it only exists once – on the night it's performed. The actors, audience, and atmosphere at every performance will be different, so even though the script is the same it'll be a unique and different show every time it's performed. The doubleheader of Happiness and No Exit is also a fantastic piece of curation by Steph – there's a real dialogue between the themes of the two plays, and setting them against each other adds a new layer to both, and that will also differ each night. 

SS: At the risk of sounding a bit esoteric, there's a beautiful symbiosis between audience and actor; it's a very special, sacred relationship. Each audience is comprised of different individuals and they each bring different perspectives and energy into the room. As an actor, I'm also not the same person every day. Even if imperceptibly, I'm a different human than I was yesterday or the day before. All that to say, performances should never feel mechanical but organic and influenced – in part – by the energy of the audience and the state of the actors. The “bones” of the show are the same (the script, the blocking, the set) but there's a relational energy as well, which is dynamic and makes each performance unique and special. 

Interesting! Now onto the cast. What's your balance between veterans and newbies this time around? I know that at this point, people are eager to audition for your plays. How do you approach the casting for each of your plays, and how do you scout new talents? 
DW: Don't ask me, I'm just a writer – that's a question for our inspirational director, Greg! But seriously, one of the most rewarding things that a writer can ever experience is seeing how actors and directors bring your work to life. This'll actually be the third time Happiness has been performed, after previous runs at Liverpool's Unity Theatre and Theatre 503 in London, and each time there's been a different cast and director and a different interpretation of the characters and the play. Our actors for Happiness in Beijing are brilliant – I cannot wait to see Adam, Mila and Ricky on that final show. 

SS: Between the two shows, there are just seven cast members, and everyone has been in at least one MKC production before. The exciting thing here is that several are coming from supporting roles in the larger shows to leading roles here. I'm confident we have a very strong cast and I think the audience can expect the same level of quality they're used to seeing. 
As to casting, usually we announce a show and put a call out for auditions. Anyone is welcome to submit a video audition regardless of prior experience. That's one of the reasons we've chosen to do large-cast shows or one-act showcases, to allow for more community participation. 

This casting was a departure from the norm. I travel a lot for work and my schedule is very uncertain, so I'm not always able to participate in our productions. However, this time I was able to convince work to allow me to stay in Beijing for a whole month. This was great, but it also meant that we had to move very quickly. So, for this production, we approached people we thought would fit the roles well and would also have the time to dedicate to a full and compressed rehearsal schedule. Time was of the essence, otherwise we would have held open auditions. The good news is that there is more theater coming up this year, and several opportunities to participate!

An intense year, no doubt! Now, Danny, a question for you in particular. I had the pleasure of meeting you during your years in Beijing before you left us for Bangkok. Assuming that you don't make a surprise return for the performances, how do you feel about having one of your scripts placed in the hands of your friends and former troupe fellows in the city you used to call home? With the privilege of time and distance, how would you define the theater milieu in Beijing, and would you say there's anything unique to it now that you're abroad?
DW: Bangkok is a great place to live: It's a hectic, crazy, dynamic, hot, humid, dirty, beautiful, noisy mess of a metropolis. But, truth be told, I really, really, really miss Beijing. There's a much stronger sense of community in Beijing – maybe the pandemic strengthened that? – and there's incredible creativity to be found everywhere. Year after year, what happens in Beijing has greater and greater global influence, and that's as true of its culture and creative industries as it is of its trade and diplomacy – I sometimes think that people in Beijing forget that, but I found it genuinely thrilling. There's also comparatively much less theater in Beijing, and I think that helped us build up our wonderful, loyal, supportive, MKC community as there was an unmet demand for English language theater. I'm also not exaggerating when I say that in Beijing I created with, and worked with, some of the most inspiring people I've ever met – both expatriate and Chinese – from hugely differing backgrounds. That diversity, that spirit, that undefinable-something-special which all Beijingers feel... it's something rather unique. And I hope MKC reflects that.

Awesome. Now we'll close this blog post with a question for you, Steph. You and Danny are both founding members of MKC. It's truly nothing short of inspiring to witness your growth and inimitable spark over the years. Your 9-to-5 here sends you around China doing short video documentaries, so even though you're on camera, it's different in terms of a creative outlet. So, I guess I'd like to know more about the ways in which MKC departs from your everyday work. What led you into this community, and how would you say it has helped shape your Beijing life? 
SS: I would say that the MKC community came from the natural pull creatives have to connect and create. There is so much creative talent in Beijing, but there was no outlet in terms of theater. When we first started talking, we wanted to do a play, and Happiness was the first work of Danny's that I read. I've wanted to get it in front of a Beijing audience for years!  But the pandemic had other plans, so we pivoted and Danny wrote for us an incredible sci-fi detective comedy audiobook called The Dystopian Detective Agency in which myself and others here were voice actors. If you want to get it, it's available anywhere you get your audiobooks!

Once things settled down, we realized that we wanted to keep doing creative projects together and so we founded MKC. Laurel Burns, whom you've talked to on other occasions, has been an absolute gem of an addition. With her passion and vision, we've simply been expanding ever since she joined us. Doing two dramatic short plays is just the next evolution. I hope to see you all at Jinshang soon!

Happiness and No Exit will be staged on Apr 4, 5, 11 and 12 at Jinshang Yuan Starlight Lounge, at 7.30pm (doors open at 7pm). Tickets are RMB 100 and can be purchased by scanning the QR code in the poster above.

Jinshang Yuan Starlight Lounge
B1/F, Jinshang Yuan, 20, Xinyuan Lixi, Xindong Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新东路新源里西20号金尚源B1

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Images courtesy of Middle Kingdom Creatives