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<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">NEWS RELEASE</SPAN></DIV>
<P>April 23, 2004 <BR><B><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Contact:</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Sherry Elasoff<B>, </B>Manager,
Marketing & Publicity<BR></SPAN>Tel: 604-247-4978 Fax:
604-247-4995<BR><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Email: <A
href="mailto:marketing@gatewaytheatre.com">marketing@gatewaytheatre.com<BR></A></SPAN><BR><B>For
tickets call: 604.270.1812 or see <A
href="http://www.gatewaytheatre.com">www.gatewaytheatre.com</A></B><BR></P>
<H1><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=+2>Pangaea Arts and The Gateway Theatre present
<I>The Butterfly Dream. </I></FONT></SPAN></H1>
<P><IMG height=333 src="cid:008601c42c22$8c271be0$3601b38e@bc.hsia.telus.net"
width=500><BR><I>O Sheng as <SPAN lang=EN-CA>Chuang Tzu. Photo: <A
href="http://www.michaelfordphotography.com" target=_blank>Michael
Ford</A></SPAN></I></P>
<P><B>For Immediate Release</B>: </P>
<H1><SPAN lang=EN-CA><FONT size=+2>West meets East in <I>The Butterfly
Dream</I></FONT></SPAN></H1>
<P>The Gateway Theatre in association with producer Pangaea Arts is proud to
introduce their interpretation of the classic Chinese tale of <B><I>The
Butterfly Dream</I></B>, May 6 – 15, 2004. A rare opportunity to experience the
art form of Beijing Opera performed in English and Mandarin with English
surtitles.<B><SPAN lang=EN-CA style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><BR>(Preview: Thursday,
May 6. Opening Night: Friday, May 7)</SPAN></B></P>
<P><B>Run is 90 percent sold out! Book soon!</B></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-CA><B>In Brief:</B><BR>Chuang Tzu, the famous Taoist scholar
and philosopher, decides to put his wife’s proclamation of eternal fidelity to
the test by faking his own death and tempting her while disguised as a young
prince. </SPAN></P>
<P>On his way home after a 10-year retreat, Chuang Tzu encounters a widow
fanning her husband’s grave. Her dead husband had asked that she wait until the
dirt dried on his grave before she re-married. Chuang Tzu uses magic to
help dry the grave, and wonders if his coquettish wife T’ien Shih would be in as
much of a hurry to re-marry. When he reaches home he asks the question; she
professes her eternal fidelity. Chuang Tzu puts his wife to the test by faking
his own death and disguising himself as a virile young prince. Will T’ien Shih
keep her vow?</P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-CA>The Butterfly Dream is adapted and directed by:<B>
Yuan-Tzeng Hsia</B>. Scenic Design: <B>Phillip Tidd</B>. Lighting Design:
<B>Bill Davey</B>. Performers: <B>Yuan-Tzeng Hsia</B>, <B>Lee Hsiao-Ying
Hsia</B>, <B>O Sheng</B>, <B>Heidi Specht, Lora Sun, </B>and<B> Kitty Li</B>.
Stage Manager: <B>Yvonne Yip</B>. Assistant Stage Manager <B>Alexia Chen</B>.<B>
</B>Music by <B>Zhang Fuqi,</B> and <B>Yuan-Tzeng Hsia </B>recorded by the
<B>National Beijing Opera Theatre of China</B>. Translator: <B>Huihui Shen</B>.
</SPAN></P>
<H3><SPAN lang=EN-CA>About Beijing Opera</SPAN></H3>
<P>Beijing Opera has been a nationally celebrated theatrical form in China for
almost 2 centuries. Its Chinese name, Jingxi or Jingju literally means ‘the
drama of the Capital City’. The plots of most Beijing Operas are based on
well-known Chinese stories with familiar characters, unfolding without the
tension or suspense expected in Western-style theatre. Sets are minimalist,
often with only a table and chair used to represent a large number of structures
or locales. The performance is judged on the way actors interpret these familiar
characters, how they carry themselves on stage, and on their virtuosity in song,
speech, dance-acting and combat skills. The goal is aesthetic perfection.</P>
<H2><SPAN lang=EN-CA>Biographies </SPAN></H2>
<P><B>Yuan-Tzeng (Michael) Hsia<STRONG> <SPAN> </SPAN>–
</STRONG>Director, Performer</B><BR><SPAN lang=EN-CA>Trained as a
professional actor at the Ta-peng Peking Opera Vocational School of Taiwan,
specializing in the Chou role type, Mr. Hsia performed with many leading opera
companies in Taipei for 35 years. In Vancouver, Mr. Hsia has taught opera at
Chinese Language Schools, Kwantlan University College in Richmond, and workshops
at UBC. Mr. Hsia won a Jessie Richardson Award for his make-up in the production
<I>Cultural Metaphors </I>in which he also starred as the Monkey King. He
directed and performed in the Pangaea Arts production <I>Into the Heart of
Beijing Opera </I>which toured schools throughout BC. </SPAN></P>
<P><B>Lee Hsiao-Ying Hsia<STRONG> – </STRONG>Performer</B><BR><SPAN
lang=EN-CA>Hsiao-Ying Lee trained at the Taiwan Peking Opera Training School in
Taiwan and specializes in female martial roles (Dan role type). She has
performed professionally for over 20 years with the Taiwan Peking Opera Company,
the Jung Kuang Peking Opera Company, and the Chi-lin Hall Peking Opera Company
in Taiwan and has toured extensively in Japan and Korea. She has performed in
the Pangaea Arts productions <I>Into the Heart of Beijing Opera </I>and
<I>Einstein’s Dreams</I>. </SPAN></P>
<P><B>O Sheng<STRONG> – </STRONG>Performer</B><BR><SPAN
lang=EN-CA>Mr. O immigrated to Canada in 1996 from the Fu Jian Province in
Mainland China. He received his training from the Fu Jian Art School and
specializes in old man roles (Lao Sheng). He has worked as a professional
Beijing Opera actor for over 15 years, and in 1990 was awarded the Golden Prize
in the Contest for Best Young Actor in Fu Jian Province. Mr. O is active in
local Beijing Operas. He has been the major actor in the annual performance of
the Seniors' Research Group of Chinese Opera and Music for four years. Mr. O
also performed in the Pangaea Arts production <I>Into the Heart of Beijing
Opera</I> in 2001, 2002, and 2004.</SPAN> </P>
<P><B>Heidi Specht – Performer, Producer</B><BR><SPAN
lang=EN-CA>Heidi is the Founder and Artistic Director of <I>Pangaea Arts </I>and
is an actress, director, choreographer, producer and teacher. Heidi’s love of
Asian theatre has taken her to Japan many times and to the U.S.A to study
Japanese traditional Noh and Kyogen theatre. Heidi played the role of Pigsy (Zhu
bajie) in the Pangaea Arts production <I>Into the Heart of Beijing Opera,
</I>which has been touring to BC schools for the past three years. Last spring,
Heidi directed the Japanese production of <I>Funny Faced Ogre </I>at the Gateway
Theatre. Heidi is the founder and co-artistic director of <I>The Trollsons</I>,
a family of masked Scandinavian Trolls. She will be performing at the 2004
Vancouver International Children’s Festival and returning to Singapore to
perform at the 2004 Singapore International Arts Festival.</SPAN></P>
<P><B>Kitty Li – Performer<SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><BR></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA>Kitty has been studying both
Chinese dance and ballet since she was in grade two. She was born in Hong Kong
and came to live in Richmond when she was 8 years old. In 2003 / 2004
Kitty won first place at the Pacific West Dance Competition. Kitty studies dance
at the Ping Academy of Dance, and is currently a Fine Arts student at
Kwantlen University College. </SPAN></P>
<P><B>Lora Sun – Performer</B><BR><SPAN lang=EN-CA>Lora has been
dancing for over ten years, studying both Chinese dance and ballet. She was the
winner of the 2003 Canadian National Dance Competition (age 16) and was the 2003
Oriental Teen Cover Girl. In 2004 she won an ultimate gold in the American
Dance Power Competition and was awarded Female Dancer of the Year. She
also received the highest overall award for costume. Lora came to Canada
three years ago from Beijing. She is currently a grade eleven student at
McRoberts Secondary School in Richmond.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN lang=EN-CA
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">- 30 -</SPAN></P>
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