Internationaler Autor*innenwettbewerb / International Writers' Competition
Readings / International Autor*innenwettbewerb / Guest country China / Han/Chan/Chu
The readings will take place in Zwinger 3. They will also be available to watch via livestream and on video following the events.
»Twenty-four hours before New Year's, we are tired of life« by Han Jing
Translated into German from standard Chinese (Mandarin) by Zhang Deng
For New Year’s, the whole extended family comes together to celebrate. Mum and dad, aunts and uncles. And siblings. At least, that was what it was like when grandma was still alive. But this year, it is different. None of the four children will be there, all for different reasons. New Year’s will come around anyway. Each of the four acts is told by one of the absent children. A family story as you can probably find it around the world. And at the same time a closer look at Chinese society.
»Birds of Migration« von Chan Ping Chiu
Translated into German from Cantonese by Sara Landa
Stay or leave – a question many people have been asking themselves since 2019. The number of people who decide to leave Hong Kong is on the rise every year. Chan Ping Chiu has visited hotspots, conducted interviews and surveys and turned the material into stories. Stories about the internal struggle, life in diaspora, about displacement, memories and the connections between people and places. »Birds of Migration« is set in different cities at the same time, among them Hong Kong, London, Berlin, Girona and the cliffs of Moher in Ireland. His characters are isolated, yet they share a remote connection. Together, they come up with a bigger story about Hong Kong.
»Shadow Catchers« by Chu Xia
Translated into German from standard Chinese (Mandarin) by Johannes Fiederling
»Shadow Catchers« is a story within a story within another story. The play is set on an island in the old times, the Shadow Kingdom in Southeast Asia. People on the island have to catch shadows for their king. That is how they stay alive. One day, a shadow puppet player visits the island. As he plays for the king, he discovers the secret of the king and the shadows. Can he become the new king? Does he even want to?