Translating Peking opera for the Anglophone stage

Abstract

In any discussion of the translation and exchange of traditional Chinese theatre (xiqu in Chinese), Peking Opera (jingju) in particular, the focus should not only be on its literary value but also on the power of its form in performance. The intricacies of the xiqu form and its different conception of theatre-making engender many difficulties for both the production and reception of the translated xiqu plays in non-Chinese contexts. In great part, of course, this is because the theatre translator’s decisions are largely conditioned by the contingency of production and reception in a specific context, so that the stage-worthiness of a translated xiqu play is tested and realised through the collaborative work of the translator and the target non-Chinese production team in order to ensure a meaningful audience experience. The stage translators and production teams constantly negotiate between loss and gain in the process of re-creating the theatrical and aesthetic impacts of the original xiqu forms in the target performance. These issues of xiqu translation for performance require a practice-based research design for us to fully examine these translation approaches and production collaboration. This thesis consists of three parts in terms of design: a contextual examination of the form of Peking Opera (and some other xiqu forms), and discussion of intercultural encounter and exchange in two recent translations and one related staging of this form (with the second case being my own practice-as-research study).

Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2029.

Date of Award	Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	China Scholarship Council
Supervisor	David Johnston (Supervisor), Sue-Ann Harding (Supervisor) & Sarah Eardley-Weaver (Supervisor)