Liaozhai’s Three Dreams: Magistrate Wu

Can those who overthrow idols avoid becoming what they once despised? In a rehearsal room an actor prepares for the role of Magistrate Wu, questioning the character’s moral motivation and in doing so, confronts his own relationship with performance, authority, and self-deception. Inspired by Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, this piece invites the audience into a world where actors become ghosts, gods are bureaucrats, and belief itself becomes a performance. Traditional Yue Opera, classical Chinese instruments, and stylised historical costume create a layered meditation on power, identity, and legacy. Performed in Mandarin.