Stan Lai
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Stan Lai or Lai Sheng-chuan (traditional Chinese: 賴聲川; simplified Chinese: 赖声川; pinyin: Lài Shēngchuān, b. 25 October 1954) is a highly influential award winning US born Taiwan based playwright and theater director. He is the director of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land (暗戀桃花源, loosely based on Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring"), often touted as the most successful contemporary Chinese play. Lai is recognised as one of the most important theater directors in Asia.
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[edit] Life
Lai was born on 25 October 1954 in Washington D.C. to a diplomat father. He returned to Taiwan in 1966. In 1978, Lai married Ding Nai-chu (丁乃竺). After the marriage, the couple went to US for further studies.
He received his Ph.D. in Dramatic Art from University of California, Berkeley in 1983. He is also Professor and Founding Dean of the College of Theatre at Taipei National University of the Arts. In 1984, Lai and Ding founded Performance Workshop, a contemporary theatre group. Lai became the Artistic Director while Ding is the Managing Director.
Lai had been the recipient of Taiwan’s highest award for the arts, the National Arts Award, twice - 1988 and 2001.
In 2006, Lai taught at Stanford University as Visiting Professor and Resident Artist for the I.D.A. program.
[edit] Works
[edit] Plays
- That Evening, We Performed Xiangsheng (1985)
- Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land (1986, 1991, 1999 and 2006)
- Circle Story (1987)
- Journey to the West (1987)
- The Island and the Other Shore (1989)
- Strange Tales from Taiwan (1991)
- Red Sky (1994)
- Angels in America (1996)
- I Me He Him (1998)
- A Dream Like A Dream (2000)
- Millennium Teahouse (2000)
- Sand and a Distant Star (2003)
- Don Giovanni (2004)
[edit] Film
- The Red Lotus Society (1994, Toronto, New York, Tokyo Film Festivals)
- Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land (1992 ; Caligary Prize, Forum, 1993 Berlin Film Festival/Best Picture, Best director, 1993 Singapour Film Festival)
