- Stan Lai
Stan Lai or Lai Sheng-chuan (zh-tsp|t=賴聲川|s=赖声川|p=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 onTao 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.Life
Lai was born on 25 October 1954 in
Washington D.C. to a diplomat father. He returned toTaiwan in 1966. In 1978, Lai marriedDing 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 atTaipei National University of the Arts . In 1984, Lai and Ding foundedPerformance 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, theNational 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.
Works
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)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)External links
* [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/drama/people/facstafflist.html#Stan_Lai Biography of Stan Lai on Stanford]
* [http://www.pwshop.com/lai/stan.htm PW Shop Stan Lai]
* [http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2007/2/23/qaStanLai Stanford Daily Interview]
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/04/opinion/blossom.php International Herald Tribune Review of 'Secret Love In Peach Blossom Land']
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=191394 NY Times review page for Stan Lai]
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