Once Upon a Hutong
Synopsis
The Young Prince, Wang Li, is about to succeed the throne of the Qing Dynasty; however, the late Emperor Ju-long decreed that before Wang Li becomes emperor, he must first find a wife. A grand pageant is held at the imperial palace featuring virtuous, intelligent, talented and beautiful young ladies from different parts of China. A storyteller from Beijing, Mei Ling, captures the attention of the Young Prince as she weaves tales inspired by classic stories like Aesop’s Fables, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Caps for Sale and the Nightingale. Join Wang-li and his friendly eunuchs –Tai Gan and Xing Fu – as they search for the future Empress of China and find treasure in Mei-Ling’s creative storytelling.
Performed by middle school students at the International School of Beijing.
The Young Prince, Wang Li, is about to succeed the throne of the Qing Dynasty; however, the late Emperor Ju-long decreed that before Wang Li becomes emperor, he must first find a wife. A grand pageant is held at the imperial palace featuring virtuous, intelligent, talented and beautiful young ladies from different parts of China. A storyteller from Beijing, Mei Ling, captures the attention of the Young Prince as she weaves tales inspired by classic stories like Aesop’s Fables, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Caps for Sale and the Nightingale. Join Wang-li and his friendly eunuchs –Tai Gan and Xing Fu – as they search for the future Empress of China and find treasure in Mei-Ling’s creative storytelling.
Performed by middle school students at the International School of Beijing.
Behind the Scenes
Actor's Preparation: Experiential Learning Trip to Forbidden City
to research the context and characters of the play
Master Acting Class with Hollywood Guest Actress, Zhang Ziyi
Photo Credits: Jim Fidler, Pelin Guven and Abel Blanco
Reviews (November, 2016)
Everything was spectacular! What an amazing show and experience. Hannah, thanks so much for your dedication to our kids, they're so lucky to have such a positive influence in their lives. - Jaimee (parent)
First, I want to thank you so much for giving me this experience. It helped me grow not only as an actor, but also in area like respect, perseverance and so on. I will remember this show for my entire life, Thank you! -Young Soo (cast member)
Dear Mrs. Northcott,
Congratulations! It was an awesome show for the past three days. The show itself is a perfect blend of the East and West culture.
Thank you so much for coaching and mentoring Michelle of drama for the past three years. She has grown so much under your guidance. I am amazed that she is incredibly passionate about drama, thank to you who led her into this wonderful world. - Parent
Hi Hannah,
I hope you have some time today to relax and reflect on what a great experience that was for our students. I'm writing to say how much I appreciate all that you do for our MS. I do not pretend to know how hard it is to direct and write a performance for middle school students as I have never done this, but I know how much time and energy it takes to put together an event with them. So, thank you so much for all of your efforts! The kids were so amazing, and I know how proud they are after these performances (I know I am). I also wanted you to know that I have been so impressed with your demeanor with the students. I imagine there are very tense times when getting ready for a show, and when I watch you interact with students, I'm so impressed with how you model integrity, positivity, and respect throughout the process (I'm sure there a few tense moments ). I have witnessed many times the opposite from performance directors leading up to the actual performance itself. So, again, thanks for being such a great role model for our students, and thanks for your time and energy to provide these amazing opportunities for them.
Sincerely,
Fred (MS Vice-principal)
I so LOVE Middle School productions and this was just classic in it ability to showcase and harness their energy and talents. What vision you have for doing this and putting it all together. - Stacy, (Head of Curriculum)
So impressive, funny and meaningful. Great time - Titi
It was magnificient. – Bec T.
First, I want to thank you so much for giving me this experience. It helped me grow not only as an actor, but also in area like respect, perseverance and so on. I will remember this show for my entire life, Thank you! -Young Soo (cast member)
Dear Mrs. Northcott,
Congratulations! It was an awesome show for the past three days. The show itself is a perfect blend of the East and West culture.
Thank you so much for coaching and mentoring Michelle of drama for the past three years. She has grown so much under your guidance. I am amazed that she is incredibly passionate about drama, thank to you who led her into this wonderful world. - Parent
Hi Hannah,
I hope you have some time today to relax and reflect on what a great experience that was for our students. I'm writing to say how much I appreciate all that you do for our MS. I do not pretend to know how hard it is to direct and write a performance for middle school students as I have never done this, but I know how much time and energy it takes to put together an event with them. So, thank you so much for all of your efforts! The kids were so amazing, and I know how proud they are after these performances (I know I am). I also wanted you to know that I have been so impressed with your demeanor with the students. I imagine there are very tense times when getting ready for a show, and when I watch you interact with students, I'm so impressed with how you model integrity, positivity, and respect throughout the process (I'm sure there a few tense moments ). I have witnessed many times the opposite from performance directors leading up to the actual performance itself. So, again, thanks for being such a great role model for our students, and thanks for your time and energy to provide these amazing opportunities for them.
Sincerely,
Fred (MS Vice-principal)
I so LOVE Middle School productions and this was just classic in it ability to showcase and harness their energy and talents. What vision you have for doing this and putting it all together. - Stacy, (Head of Curriculum)
So impressive, funny and meaningful. Great time - Titi
It was magnificient. – Bec T.