"Regrets for the Past" is a thought-provoking piece which depicts a young couple seeking true love, breaking away from the bondage of feudalism but ending in tragic separation.

The creative production team from the Kunju Opera Troupe said the show is a brave experiment for Kunju Opera.

Many argue that Kunju, as a century-old opera form, should only stick to traditional stories and subjects. However, the team hopes to show that employing the art forms of Kunju, they can also interpret a modern topic.

Zhang Lei working at the troupe, said: "The production not only takes new forms but has a new creative team."

It is the first time the troupe has applied work shop methods in its rehearsals, deliberately involving improvisation experiments.

As for the team, it is made up of a group of young people whose average age is less than 30.

Apart from this, the production is the first collaboration between the troupe and Fudan University. The playwright Zhang Jing is a senior in the Chinese Literature and Art Department at Fudan.

The award-winning Li An and Shen Yili will be cast as the hero Juansheng and the heroine Zijun respectively.

7:15pm, February 14-16

Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center

288 Anfu Lu

Tel: 6437-7756, 6473-4567

(Shanghai Star January 24, 2003)