Shadow theater (皮影戏) is a special art form and a type of opera in China. The puppets (影人) for the show are carved (雕刻) from the skins of cows, horses or sheep. Making puppets includes several steps, such as choosing materials, carving, painting, sewing and inking.

No matter how complex the puppets are, two tools—a carving knife and a wax (蜡) board, are necessary and enough to produce a play. Performers use these puppets to tell wonderful stories.

In the past, the shadow theater was performed in the fields, with all performers hidden behind the scenes, Some controlled the puppets and sang, while others managed the music. A team was made up of six or seven people and a box of puppets. When putting on a play at a market or square, performers would start the show after fixing light boxes and curtains. A team could perform up to 30 or 40 times a day, even into the night at times, and when the curtain fell, the performers would pack up and move on.

Rooted in China’s northwestern Shaanxi Province during the Western Han, the shadow theater is considered the oldest active film art in the world. Some people call shadow theater “the ancestor (祖先) of the modern art of making films”.

And among all the country’s branches (分支), Beijing shadow theater stands out for its techniques in carving and modeling the puppets, as well as its specific tunes (曲调). Beijing shadow theater was divided into two schools: east and west. The eastern school disappeared very early on, while the western school came into being during the Ming Dynasty. In 1842, Lu Decheng inherited (继承) this art and established the Beijing Xiangshun Shadow Theater. Since then, the art of Beijing western-school shadow theater has been passed down generations of the Lu family.

Learning English may be uncomfortable. But learning a new language is enjoyable and meaningful.

The play English is about four Iranian (伊朗的) students in an English class. They are getting ready to take the TOEFL: the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

The students have various reasons (理由) for taking the class. Elham feels ashamed (羞耻的) when she speaks English. She hopes to go to a school in Australia, but she must first pass the TOEFL. She took the test five times, but she didn’t pass it every time. And she became less interested in learning English.

Goli is the youngest of the group. Of all the students, she is the most excited about learning the language. Roya wants to learn English so she can talk with her grandchildren in Canada. And Omid already speaks English very well. It is unclear why he wants to be in the class.

Tara Grammy is an actress. She plays Elham. She said, “Different parts of us come out in different languages when you speak several languages.”

English first came out in New York City in 2022. It began showing in Washington D.C. in January, 2023. It finished its run (巡演) in Washington D.C. on March 12th, 2023.