'The Village' Returns to Tell Stories of Home, Loss and Belonging

Theater director Stan Lai has brought back his signature play "The Village" to Theater Above in Shanghai with two versions scheduled for late August and October, respectively.

Rooted in the true stories of Taiwan's military dependents' villages, "The Village" tells the ordinary yet profoundly moving tales of people uprooted from their homelands against the backdrop of a turbulent era.

The play carries unique cross-strait memories. Over its 18-year run, it has been passed down through generations of theater artists, continually touching audiences old and new.

Lai and TV producer Wang Weizhong originally co-created the play. Like many who grew up in the military dependents' villages, which originated in the late 1940s and 1950s, Wang left after coming of age to pursue his career elsewhere.

In 2006, when the villages faced demolition, he approached Lai with the idea of creating a theatrical work about them, hoping to preserve and share this chapter of history with a wider audience.

Beijing-based actor Wen Zhang and Theater Above actors are performing in the first run from late August to September 6.

The October performances will feature Theater Above and Taiwanese actors. For many of the Taiwanese performers, "The Village" tells the real-life stories of their parents, neighbors, and elders. Affectionately calling each other "villagers," the actors keep the lost world of the dependents' villages alive on stage with genuine emotion.

The performance has English subtitles.

Performance info

Dates: August 29-30 and September 3-6, 7:30pm; October 29-31, 2pm/7:30pm

Tickets: 100-1,280 yuan

Venue: Theater Above 上剧场

Address: 5F, 1111 Zhaojiabang Road 肇嘉浜路1111号5楼