ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin Staff Students practice for the CSA
culture show this Friday.
By Siddarth Puri
Daily Bruin Reporter
[email protected]
For the last three years, the Chinese Students Association has
been known for its distinct cultural show ““ involving
cultures other than Chinese.
This year is no exception as a diverse group of performers
present “Remains of A Legend” at Royce Hall this
Friday.
The production recounts the historic tale of Marco Polo’s
journey through China during the Yuan Dynasty, when Kublai Khan was
the emperor and his followers created the Forbidden City.
Polo’s journey gets tricky when a rebel Chinese general,
Sehuang, captures his European convoy. The play follows Polo as he
encounters everything from Mongolian princesses to revolting
mercenaries.
“We did research on the play to make it as historically
correct as possible,” said David Lee, writer of the play and
a fourth-year computer science student. “We wanted it to be
multicultural and, therefore, based the story on the time of the
Yuan Dynasty because that was the only time foreigners were allowed
in China.”
The play is made up of both a diverse cast of characters as well
as a diverse group of people playing them. Building on this theme
of cultural unity, the performers aim to demonstrate and explain
Chinese culture to the audience.
“The whole play aspires to show that Chinese culture
isn’t just for Chinese people,” said Lee. “We
want to apply it to everyone and make it as universal as possible
so everyone can relate to it and enjoy it.”
Though the CSA sponsors the play, many actors aren’t
affiliated with the student group. The group had open casting
auditions, according to producer Steven Kuo, to pool the best of
the best at UCLA.
“Our cultural show is different from most other
shows,” said Jason Liou, director of the production and
fourth-year theater student. “By having an open casting call,
it gives us a larger chance for diversity, which helps us build a
sense of community and something special for the
audience.”
By breaking down ethnic and cultural barriers with a diverse
cast, the association is trying to create a play that is didactic
enough for the audience to get a feel for the Chinese culture, but
not be swamped in it.
The play is not only an eye-opening performance for audience
members, but also for the actors themselves.
“I never felt like there was a bias against any specific
ethnic group,” Sarah Duran, who plays Lo-Mai (a Chinese
mercenary) and is a first- year student. “It was an accepting
environment that wasn’t focused on one culture, but taught us
about numerous people.”
The play continues the tradition created by UCLA alum Weiko Lin,
who thought of the idea to hold diversely cast plays. According to
Liou, Lin left them a tradition to expose Chinese culture to other
people and fuse it with other cultures. This will be the third play
performed by the group.
“This play has a historical tale interwoven with smaller
sub-stories,” Lee said. “It educates the audience on
Chinese culture while also hoping to expose them to the
relationship between other cultures and how it so often
overlaps.”
THEATER: “Remains of A Legend” will
be at Royce Hall Friday at 8 p.m. For tickets go to the Central
Ticket Office. For more information, visit
www.remainsofalegend.com.