Synopsis:

Imagine four of your dearest students dropping by to surprise you on your birthday. Imagine the celebration slowly being replaced by threats and acts of coercion as the seemingly well-educated youths unveil their true intentions. Imagine a society where the pragmatic values of youth clash with the moral values of an older generation. This is the world of Dear Miss Ye.

Adapted from the Mandarin version of Dear Elena Sergeevna, a work written by Russian playwright Lyudmila Razumovskaya and translated by Tong Ning, Dear Miss Ye explores the tussle between old- and new-world values in a society that is rapidly changing. The play asks, among other questions, who, or what decides a society's moral standards and on what basis? When different moral or value systems collide, a phenomenon that seems imminent in our increasingly globalised world, how are they to be assessed and judged?

There will be a post-show dialogue on 18 March with the director, cast, and Ms Li Xie (Artistic Director, NUS Chinese Drama).

------

About NUS Chinese Drama
NUS Chinese Drama is a forum theatre group that was formed to promote theatre arts in the Chinese language by encouraging and facilitating critical thinking processes between actors and the audience. The group functions according to three principles: upholding artistic originality, inculcating social sensitivity, and honing professionalism.

Recently, the group has focused more on the form of community theatre. In 2013, the group conducted invisible theatre around the campus, eliciting reactions from the public when they encountered violence against women.

The group is guided by Ms Li Xie, an experienced theatre practitioner and 2005 recipient of the National Arts Council Young Artist Award who led the group to becoming the first student group to bring forum theatre to campus audiences. NUS Chinese Drama also seeks to nurture the next generation of actors and playwrights.