Busy, busy, busy, busy these days but I learned something interesting today that I thought I would share.
I met a guy who is in the local university’s production of the Lady White Snake Chinese opera. The show is in February but they are starting rehearsals now because the group is learning the opera in Chinese first and then in English. Apparently, it is easier to learn the proper delivery if you learn it in Chinese first. Then they have three different English translations to choose from. Each person will be assigned the English version that suits their abilities best. One person may be singing translation one and the person responding may be using translation three.
I saw the last Chinese opera they performed and I have to confess that it took me ten minutes to realize they were singing in English because they were employing Chinese opera’s characteristic style of drawing everything out in a very high pitch. I knew the cast had an extended rehearsal period because they were learning an unfamiliar technique, but I had no idea how involved it really was.