Last weekend saw the Monsoon Drama Club of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) perform their own adaptation of the Shakespeare classic “The Taming of the Shrew” both on campus and at the Futian Cultural Center.

The Monsoon Drama Club modified the classic Shakespearean comedy, that shows the changing process of the heroine from “shrew” to “good wife,” and from “daring to speak” to “stuttering” in a modern context. The director, writers, actors, and artists of this version are all students of the SUSTech Monsoon Drama Club. By tailoring and adapting the classic performance to modern times, the characters are given a more vivid appearance with a cleverly designed plot. This gives the audience the opportunity to enter the plot quickly.

The use of modern catchphrases and buzzwords enhance the dialogue, creating a new perspective of the performance in the new era. Although the stage design and props are fairly simple relative to professional theatre, the smart use of lights and music combined with vibrant performances from the actors, the audience was enthralled with the action on stage.

Many of the actors play the same role, and several actors play multiple roles. It is testament to their skill that the audience does not notice the same actors playing different roles. The SUSTech Monsoon Drama Club has continued to make major performance breakthroughs throughout their history, with their first outdoor performance at the Lakeside College. They were also invited to perform at the Futian Cultural Center, for their first-ever off-campus performance. The tickets for their performance were sold out quickly, and it received rave reviews.

Their performance received support from the Office of Communications and Public Relations, the Office of Student Affairs and the Center of Arts.

The SUSTech Monsoon Drama Club was established in 2016 and is made up of drama-loving students. They hired outstanding young director Wang Haoran as a teacher to professionally train the students in areas such as literature, dance, plastic arts, and music. The Monsoon Drama Club organized electives in scriptwriting, performance and Western drama solos. Students were trained to perform in many ways and covering all aspects of a performance.

The SUSTech Monsoon Drama Club regularly organizes theatre salons and performances to rehearse the classic dramas at home and abroad. It also encourages students to create and perform their own scripts.

Their previous performances have been short drama “Description of Red,” 2017 drama “Physicist,” original situational-comedy “Shared Director,” and this year’s drama “Taming of the Shrew.”