November 23rd and November 24th at 7 p.m., the Duke Chinese Theater will present its fall show “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” at Ruby’s von der Heyden Studio Theater.

Duke Chinese Theater (DCT) was founded in 2017. The only Chinese student-run theater organization at Duke, DCT presents a play at the end of each semester. Previous DCT shows include “Mr. Donkey” (驴得水), “White Deer Plain” (白鹿原), “To Live” (活着) and “The Insanity” (你好，疯子).

DCT will use Meng Jinghui’s Chinese version of “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” an Italian-language play by Italian playwright Dario Fo. Based on 1969 The attack on Piazza Fontana“Accidental Death of an Anarchist” explores the death of Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist railroad worker who fell from a police interrogation window. The official audition guide ended with the catchphrase: “I look forward to fa feng (crazy) with you!”

This semester’s DCT production team is led by Elena Zhang (Trinity ’28), Fall Showcase Director, and Assistant Director Elaine Liu (Trinity ’27). The Chronicle interviewed Zhang and Liu about the unique choice of this semester’s DCT play and delved into key themes of “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” including absurdity, madness, justice, and power.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.

The Chronicle: As we know, DCT has adapted many plays that are popular in contemporary Chinese society, such as “Mumble Jumble (乱民全讲)” and “Birth of Actors (演员的电影)”. Two of my favorites so far are “Mr. Donkey (驴得水)” and “White Deer Plain (白鹿原).” I think it is worth noting that these two shows, to some extent, challenge an established political discourse among Chinese diasporic communities.

I found it interesting that this year, DCT is stepping up to depict an (a)political story based in Europe “Accidental Death of an Anarchist”. Where did this cultural turn come from? How will DCT integrate its own culture into this new show?

Elena Zhang: “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” produced by DCT this fall is a remake based on the version directed by Jinghui Meng, a prestigious Chinese avant-garde theater director. Compared to the original Italian version, Jinghui Meng’s adaptation incorporates various Chinese dialects and slang with a lot of local color, and we further built on Meng’s foundation by taking into account current events and popular memes on the Chinese Internet, such as would be health insurance issues and popular Chinese pop songs on TikTok. This allows the play’s discussion of justice and power to better fit the Chinese context.

Elaine Liu: Furthermore, the irony of the Madman’s “madness” lies in his role as the only truly conscious and perceptive character amidst a sea of ​​corruption and incompetence. While the police and bureaucrats label him as disturbed, in fact his banter and taunting reveal the disturbing truths he tries to hide. We want the audience to understand and relate to the fact that his “madness” becomes an instrument of truth, stripping away the facades of officials and highlighting the absurdity of a system blind to its own injustices.

This is the first time DCT has performed a play that is not set in a Chinese society. The temporal and spatial differences between Chinese and Italian societies are both a major challenge and an experimental highlight for the play’s performance. At 7 pm on November 23 and 24, DCT will take its audience into a dramatic new world with intricate insights into human emotions and behaviors.