Director’s Notes

"Richard III" is Shakespeare's one historical drama. yet it has a strong sense of tragedy. Richard III and Macbeth, both powerful men with great spiritual energy and driven by the desire, became evil persons. Lying, deceiving and killing, Richard III put all his energy and wisdom on the plots to usurp the throne and turn his ambition into a bloody reality. Only when awakened by the nightmare in the eve of his last decisive battle, he had a solo expression showing his inner monologue of fear, the very first time to face his sins with conscience, yet a very short moment.

I think the figure of Richard III has not to be confined to the external disability as it was described by Shakespeare and has become customary over centuries. One with keen desire for playing conspiracy and politics, longing for and enjoying the power does not need any external excuses, including the physical excuses to justify his logic! If we start to understand the complexity of human nature from this point, Richard III then should be described as a physically strong and healthy man with his soul handicapped.

“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! " are the most iconic lines in " Richard III ". They are screamed from the unruly wild heart of Richard III for his despair to save the life. Even further, it is his ultimate expression to negate the worldly possessive desire. Anyway, when a person is strongly tempted, his judgment of the objective world as well as himself will lose the accurate scale. Richard III was so close to the throne, the torture of the temptation his heart had to withstand can easily be observed. In fact, if we all ask ourselves, probably no one can escape from the seduction of a variety of "possessive desire", while the world is never short of those who are accustomed to use conspiracy to achieve their ambitions. From this perspective, "Richard III" will never worry about its performing stage as long as the evil desire and sense of conspiracy are hidden and wandering in the deepest dark corner of humanity.

Synopsis

The victory in the war makes Edward the King of England, and the majesty and glory of the throne ignites the jealousy and ambition of the hero in the war, Duke of Gloucester. Driven by greed, the Duke first frames his brother George Clarence, sweeping the first impediment, and ingratiates with and marries the Lady Anne, another step to usurp the throne. He then devises the scheme to win the trust and support of the Duke of Buckingham, Lord Hastings, and Lord Stanley, provoking their hatred for Edward IV. Following the death of Edward IV, his son, Prince of Wales, returns to London for the throne. Again, the sophisticated Duke of Gloucester devises plots to lock the young prince in the Tower of London, cheat the public, and slaughter his opponents. Finally, he is crowned as Richard III. Having ascended to the throne, Richard III, in disregard of moral virtues, does everything to satisfy his whims and imperiously betrays his supporters, soon revealing all features of tyranny. The throne, as always, accepts all tyrants and soon sends them to the guillotine of the history. The Earl of Richmond sends his troops to fight now the utterly isolated Richard III. At the night of the final fight, Richard III sees the souls of all his victims. Among merciless condemnation, accusation, and reproach, he can do nothing but desperately wails: a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse… Richard III dies at the sword of the Earl of Richmond with his sword. Now a new King ascends to the throne. The throne and power will never change; what changes is the men to it in succession.

Performance Information

Tours outside Mainland of China(2012)

Apr 28th-29th，London，Shakespeare’s Global Theatre，3

Tours outside Mainland of China(2013)

Jul 25th，Macedonia than tora，HERACLEA，1

Tours outside Mainland of China(2014)

Mar 26th-30th，New York，NYU SKIRBALL CENTER，5

Apr 25th，Craiova(Romania)，NATIONAL THEATRE CRAIOVA，1

Director：Wang Xiaoying

Wang Xiaoying, Vice President of National Theatre of China, Vice President of China Theatre Association, Committee Member of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Executive Member of Chinese Drama Art Research Association, visiting professor of the Central Academy of Drama in China. He received a Doctoral Degree of Directing. As a national First-Class Director and a State-level Specialist with a special State allowance, he entered the first group of “Four Groups Talent Project” launched by China Publicity and Culture System. He was awarded “Excellent Drama Artist” and “Outstanding Director of the New Century”. His representative drama works in recent year as follows,

Taking Leave, Fu Sheng, Richard III, Burnt by the Sun, Jane Eyre, Copenhagen, The Crucible, Chopin, 1977, The Man and the Wilderness, The Legend of a Hero, and Blindness. His other representative works include, Opera Diaoyu City, Dance Drama Escorting the Bride, Music Drama Old Mansion, The Broken Bridge, Huangmei Opera Half of a Moon, Shaoxing/Yueju Opera The Zhao’s Orphan, Peking Opera Xin Qiji, Pingju Opera Half River Clear Half Red River.

Director Wang Xiaoying has been invited to drama troupes in New York Broadway, Hong Kong and Macao to direct Zhuang Zhou Teasing His Wife, Blindness and Everything in the Garden, etc. Based on his rich experience in theatre and drama, he has been actively engaged in the study of director art theory. So far, he has published research papers more than 500,000 words which include From Dramatic Assumption to Poetic Imagery and Dramatic Assumption in Drama Performance (doctoral dissertation). He has been awarded the national prize of "Five-One Project", "Wenhua Award for Outstanding Director Award”, "Golden Lion Award for Outstanding Director Award”, “Cao Yu Drama Prize for Outstanding Director” and “Cao Yu Drama Prize for Outstanding Review Award”, “China Theatre Festival Outstanding Director”, “China Little Theatre Festival Outstanding Director”, “China Peking Opera Festival Golden Prize”, “China Shaoxing/Yueju Festival Golden Prize”, and “China Literary Criticism Award”, etc.

Literature Planner : Luo Dajun

Stage Designer : Liu Kedong

Lighting Designer : Liu Jianzhong