‘White Deer Plain’

A theatrical version of “White Deer Plain,” adapted from Chen Zhongshi’s 1993 novel of the same name and a script by Meng Bing, will be staged Dec. 16-17.

Presented by the Shaanxi People’s Art Theater, the play, directed by Hu Zongqi, portrays the hardships of three generations of two families living on the White Deer Plain in Shaanxi Province spanning from the early 1900s to the 1980s. “It is about land and the conflicts between the elderly who want to hold on to traditional values and younger people looking to embrace newer ideas,” says Li Xuan, a director of the theater. Although the cast of the Shaanxi People’s Art Theater version is not made up of big names, most of them are Shaanxi residents who can speak the dialect, giving the play an authentic Shaanxi flavor.

Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 16-17

Tickets: 280-980 yuan

‘Thunderstorm’

Tianjin People’s Art Theater will present Cao Yu’s “Thunderstorm,” one of China’s most enduring dramas of the 20th century. Revolving around two families whose complex relationships lead to inevitable tragic consequences unfolding against the backdrop of turmoil of the decade, the script, written in 1933, was critically praised both at home and abroad. Cao Yu (1910-1996) is called “the father of China’s modern drama.” He was appointed the director of the Beijing People’s Art Theatre in the early 1950s and was elected the chairman of the Chinese Dramatists’ Association in the early 1980s.

Time: 8 p.m., Dec. 19

Tickets: 180-680 yuan

‘The Yellow Storm’

The star-studded Chinese play “The Yellow Storm” presented by the National Theater of China will be staged in Shenzhen.

Adapted from Chinese author Lao She’s novel “Four Generations Under One Roof” written in the 1940s, the play, directed by Tian Qinxin, brings to the stage the hardships and suffering experienced by three families living in Beijing during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Lao She (1899-1966) is a prominent figure in 20th-century Chinese literature. The novel is considered to be one of his best writings.

Some of the old cast members, including Tao Hong, Qin Hailu and Xin Baiqing, are returning, while Sun Honglei will be replaced by Tong Dawei this time. Huang Lei, Duan Yihong, Yin Tao and Zhu Yuanyuan will also not return.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 30-31

Tickets: 280-1,280 yuan

Booking: Tickets can be purchased on the WeChat account “SZpolytheatre”

Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater, Nanshan District (南山区深圳保利剧院)

Metro: Line 2 or 11 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit E

(SD News)