ShPTF | Call for Actors/Narrators
Queer Monologues “I Am Nezha 1.0 ” wants you！
The theme of ShanghaiPRIDE 2018 is:
Our Community | Our Identity | Our Pride.
2018 is also ShanghaiPRIDE’s 10th anniversary!
Do you remember last year’s BBC TV miniseries “Queers” starring Ben Whishaw, Russell Tovey, Alan Cumming, and other well-known actors? These actors used a monologue format focusing on their personal experiences to describe the UK’s 100-year history of LGBTQ activism. This type of oral history combined with dramatic monologue not only showcases moving and personal experiences, but also forms a bridge of tolerance, understanding, and acceptance between performers and audiences.
But what about our history?
The 2018 ShanghaiPRIDE Theatre Festival program “I Am Nezha” is one of these works, using individual experience as an entry point into queer narratives from the Chinese world.
Now, we’re working alongside screenwriter Zhang Jia’an to recruit actors and launch an experimental queer theatre project.
We expect “I Am Nezha 1.0” to hold its first script reading event in June 2018 during the ShanghaiPRIDE Theatre Festival, while performances will officially begin after August. The piece takes the form of a “queer monologue,” with the performance centering on the lives of eight narrators/performers.
This performance of “I Am Nezha 1.0” will feature the topic “Our 10 Years, Our Experience,” depicting queers coming of age in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s through their own voices and life experiences.
“I Am Nezha” is probably queer theatre’s first oral history program in mainland China. Version 1.0 will be the starting point, giving birth to a future 2.0, 3.0, and more versions examining even more queer-related topics. Therefore, this isn’t just about recording stories — it’s also about creation and change.
Why Nezha?
Nezha is one of the most unique characters in Chinese mythology. He was Li Jing’s third son and, following the virtue of filial piety, he killed himself to return his flesh to his mother and his bones to his father, while simultaneously developing a deep conflict with patriarchy. This type of relationship is not uncommon within queer circles. After killing himself, Nezha ultimately put two lotus flowers and three lotus leaves together to create a new body. In this completely new life, Nezha’s gender became vague and abstract — inviting comparison to queer identities, without labels or the need to please others.
Screenwriter Zhang Jia’an will explore why queer is queer in “I Am Nezha 1.0.”
About the Screenwriter:
Zhang Jia’an (Weibo: Zhang Jia’an) is a young screenwriter, producer, director, and professional writer. He studied dramatic literature at the Shanghai Theatrical Institute. He is a former columnist for Art and Literature Life Weekly and has helped participate Ibsen International, Queer University, Shanghai China International Arts Festival, International College Student Film Festival, and other similar programs. His works focus on women, queerness, and intimate relationships. These include “Untied,” “Three Sisters,” “Miss Lili,” “Cooked,” “Southern Hostel,” “Everything Is Quiet,” “My Mother Is the Babel Tower,” “Those of Us Who Can’t Love,” “Who Moved My Brother,” “Little Winter in Summer,” “Housefly on the Wall,” “Love Tale,” “Charlie Brown and Lucy,” “24 Hours with Robot Lili,” and more.
Applicant Requirements:
1. You must be living in Shanghai and available for regular rehearsals (tentatively scheduled once a week beginning in May).
2. Both experienced and inexperienced/amateur performers are welcome.
3. Performers don’t have to be members of the LGBTQ community.
4. You must be willing to share your stories and actively participate in the production. (If you would prefer not to perform in public, you can submit your story for others to perform.)
5. You must be honest about your own story, be focused during rehearsals, and take the project seriously.
6. Cast Size: 8 (4 assigned male at birth, 4 assigned female at birth)
7. Age: 18+, people born in the 2000s, ’90s, ’80s, ’70s, and ’60s are all welcome, and seniors are especially encouraged to apply.
Interview& Rehearsal
Interview Dates: End of April
Rehearsals will mainly take place in May and June in Shanghai.
Application
If you’d like to participate in “I Am Nezha 1.0,” please send your portfolio to chenlangxxx@126.com. The portfolio should include unedited pictures from your daily life along with a basic introduction of your background and related stories. Please include your phone number and WeChat.
Partnership
Rehearsals will be led by professors and professional actors. The play will be performed at ShanghaiPRIDE Theatre Festival. For collaboration opportunities, please contact us at shanghaipride@gmail.com.
We look forward to meeting the Nezha in you!
