On the day of his 18th birthday, Mei Jian Chi learns the secret of what befell his father, who had died before the boy was born. Commissioned by the king, his father forged a sword that had no equal to it in the world. When he brought it to the palace, the king cut off his head to prevent him from making similar weapons for his enemies. He did not realize that the sword-maker had forged a second, identical sword, which he hid in his house. Many years later, the son digs the sword out and sets out for the city to avenge his father’s death. On his way he is confronted by the Dark Man, who offers to avenge his father on the boy’s behalf. In return, he only asks two things: the magic sword and… the boy’s head.

Grzegorz Jarzyna’s production of Two Swords marks the first collaboration of the famous Polish stage director and founder of the punk TR Warszawa theatre with Chinese actors. The script is based on a story by Lu Xun, one of the pre-eminent Chinese writers and essayists of the 1st half of the 20th century. Written in 1926, the story revisits an ancient Chinese myth, which Xun uses to comment on the current problems troubling his country that was undergoing tumultuous social and political transformations at the start of the century. The legend of the sword-maker murdered by the king and of his son who wanted to avenge him is a metaphor of resistance against cruel and tyrannical rule. Xun wonders about the price of exposing the truth and suggests that a struggle for justice requires sacrifices.

Grzegorz Jarzyna delves into Chinese mythology in search of values that have been forgotten or rejected in today’s world. To quote the director: “In the coming decades China, today a global manufacturer, is bound to become the leading force of economic and technological change. It will also play a more prominent role in the global culture. What currently goes on in China will have a direct influence on the entire world, the West included. This is why the question of what the Chinese society believes in and what its values are is so important. The legend of two swords reminds us of the values such as truth, faith, and freedom, which are lacking in China today. Is a revolution of values possible.

Lu Xun used an ancient tale to talk about the present. For that same purpose Jarzyna transports the myth to a near future: the events in the play take place in the 2040. It will be a journey to the future of China and the world that at once makes use of the tools of technologically advanced theatre and is deeply rooted in Chinese mythology and culture.

The dramatic language will bring together elements of Western and Asian traditions, with particular emphasis on working with the actors’ bodies. Jarzyna wants to combine the traditions of the Asian drama based on conventional gestures and movements with the thoughts and experiences of the European theatre innovators: Antonin Artaud and Jerzy Grotowski, who saw revolutionary potential in the body of the actor-performer. The body will be at the same time the vessel for ideas and values, and a space of independence inaccessible to the authorities. This is a body that rebels, breaks free from external control, a body that is autonomous and independent. By putting emphasis on body language, the production hopes to overcome cultural barriers and achieve universal significance.

The production team will include outstanding artists from Poland, China, Russia, and the USA, invited by the director. Video Designers will be Marta Nawrot, Polish video artist working in Warsaw, whose work includes, among others, visualizations for Grzegorz Jarzyna’s production of Ivona, the Princess of Burgundia (Theatre of Nations, Moscow 2016). The Russian choreographer Ivan Estegneev will be responsible for choreography. Costumes will be designed by Anna Nykowska, who has previously worked with Grzegorz Jarzyna in the production of The Second Woman, Martyrs, and G.E.N. The play will be set in a minimalist space, with extensive use of video projections.

格热戈日·亚日那 导演
Grzegorz Jarzyna Stage Director

格热戈日·亚日那，1968年生于波兰西部城市霍茹夫，他是当代波兰最炙手可热的戏剧导演之一。他的作品为波兰戏剧的突破性发展做出了巨大贡献。亚日那毕业于克拉科夫雅盖隆大学哲学院，并在克拉科夫卢德维克·索尔斯基国立戏剧学院学习导演。1998年，他成为华沙多样剧场TR Warszawa（前身是Teatr Rozmaitosci）的艺术总监，多样剧场是波兰最具创新性的戏剧团体之一，从2006到2013年亚日那还曾担任还剧院总经理一职。

亚日那常以大胆和具有创新性的形式重新解构剧场经典（Witkacy的剧作《热带的狂热》，根据亚历山大·弗雷德罗的《少女誓言》改编的《 Magnetism of the Heart》），改编并搬演著名的欧洲小说（托马斯·曼的《浮士德博士》，根据陀思妥耶夫斯基的《白痴》改编的《梅什金公爵》），及享誉世界的当代戏剧作品（布拉德·弗雷泽的《身份不明的人类残骸》，在华沙和杜塞尔多夫分别上演的萨拉·凯恩的《4.48精神崩溃》），歌剧作品（在巴伐利亚国立歌剧院上演的亚历山大·策姆林斯基的《矮子》）。亚日那擅于跨界创作，代表作品有：根据莎士比亚同名剧作改编的《2008：麦克白》，该剧形式接近电影，并在四个不同的舞台上演，根据莫扎特歌剧《唐·乔瓦尼》改编的《乔瓦尼》，莫里哀的《唐璜》——介于戏剧和歌剧之间。

亚日那因作品经常获邀在欧洲及世界各个国际艺术节展演而声名大噪，这其中包括：阿维尼翁戏剧节、爱丁堡国际艺术节，以及莫斯科、圣彼得堡、耶路撒冷、柏林、慕尼黑、维也纳、斯德哥尔摩、巴黎、伦敦、都柏林、东京、纽约、洛杉矶、惠灵顿及香港等地剧院上演。2008年6月，他的《麦克白》在纽约演出，舞台是在布鲁克林大桥下修建的全新剧场。亚日那曾创作大量改编作品，两部戏剧：《美狄亚计划》和Areteia ，两个脚本——齐格蒙特·克劳兹的《伊冯，勃艮第公主》和《陷阱》。

亚日那曾参与欧洲文化之都RUHR.2010框架协议下奥德赛欧洲项目的实施。2010年，他在荷兰阿姆斯特丹Toneelgroep 剧院上演了吉恩·雷塞的《费德尔》。

他的最新作品包括了：根据皮埃尔·保罗·帕索里尼作品改编的《T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T.》，Dorota Maslowska 的《无论我们如何努力》并在德国柏林邵宾纳剧院首演，由Bram Stoker的《惊情四百年》改编创作的《诺斯费拉图》。

亚日那曾获得大量奖项和荣誉，如：国内事务部颁发的为波兰在全球做出特别贡献的表彰（2002）和圣彼得堡建城300周年黄金勋章（2004）。2007年，他在维也纳城堡剧院上演的《美狄亚》（2006）被授予欧洲德语地区最为重要的奖项之一——the Nestroy-Preis。2013年，他被波兰总统科莫罗夫斯基亲自授予骑士十字勋章。亚日那还曾两度获得康拉德·斯维纳尔斯基奖的最佳导演大奖（1999和2009年）。

Grzegorz Jarzyna, born in 1968 in Chorzów, is one of the most popular Polish theatre directors. His work has brought a major braekthrough to the Polish theatre. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and from the Ludwik Solski State Academy of Theatre in Krakow, where he studied directing.  In 1998 he became the Artistic Director of TR Warszawa (former Teatr Rozmaitosci), one of the most innovative theatres in Poland, and since 2006 - 2013 he has also been its General Director.

Jarzyna has staged classical dramas, reinterpreted in a bold and innovative way (The Tropical Craze based on Witkacy’s play, Magnetism of the Heart based on Aleksander Fredro’s Maiden Vows), adaptations of famous European novels (Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, The Price Myshkin based on Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot), world-famous contemporary dramas (Unidentified Human Remains by Brad Fraser, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis staged in Warsaw and Düsseldorf), as well as operas (Prokofiev’s The Gambler in Opera de Lyon, Maurice Ravel’s The Child and The Spells and Alexander Zemlinsky’s The Dwarf in the Bavarian State Opera). He enjoys combining different genres, which is reflected in the following performances: 2008: Macbeth based on Shakespeare’s drama, movie-like adaptation which takes place on four different sets, and Giovanni based on Wolfgang A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Moliere’s Don Juan – performance combining theatre and opera.

Jarzyna’s international reputation has been established with invitations to various festivals and guest performances in Europe and all over the world i.a. in Avignon, Edinburgh, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Stockholm, Paris, London, Dublin, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Wellington and Hongkong. In June 2008, his Macbeth was staged in New York, where a special kind of stage was built under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Jarzyna has authored plenty of adaptations, two plays: Medea Project and Areteia and two librettos for Zygmunt Krauze’s  Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy and The Trap. He has also directed a few TV performances: Witkacy’s The Tropical Craze, History according to Gombrowicz and the TV version of 2008: Macbeth.

He participated in the Odyssey Europe project implemented within the framework of The European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010. In 2010, he staged Jean Racine’s Phedre in the Toneelgroep Theatre in Amsterdam. His most recent performances include T.E.O.R.E.M.A.T. based on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s work, No Matter How Hard We Tried by Dorota Maslowska, which premiered in Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin as well as Nosferatu inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

He has received many awards and distinctions i.a. the Minister’s of Internal Affairs award for special merits to Poland in the world (2002) and the Golden Order on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Sankt Petersburg (2004). In 2007, he was granted one of the most prestigious awards of the German-speaking Europe – the Nestroy-Preis – which he received for Medea staged in Burgtheater in Vienna (2006).  In 2013, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Komorowski. He was also awarded twice the Konrad Swinarski Award for the Best Director (1999 and 2009).

北京驱动文化传媒有限公司
Beijing Propel Performing Arts & Media Co., Ltd.

北京驱动文化传媒有限公司多年来致力于剧院运营与品牌节目提供，引进世界顶级演出团体的演出。公司总部设在北京，现运营管理哈尔滨大剧院，并以中国唯一的纯民营BOT模式不断扩容。

驱动文化传媒有限公司曾于1990年代初期，在没有任何先例可循的情况下，以市场化的方式运营了北京音乐厅、北京中山公园音乐堂、南京文化艺术中心大剧院、天津音乐厅、天津大剧院，成为中国剧院运营领域的探索者及创始人，并于1994年建立起中国首个电子票务销售网络，同年五月创办直投刊物《今日艺术》。

近年来，驱动文化传媒有限公司先后引进了美国费城交响乐团、艾默森弦乐四重奏、俄罗斯莫斯科斯坦尼斯拉夫斯基和涅米洛维奇-丹钦科音乐剧院、圣彼得堡马林斯基剧院、波兰华沙话剧院、德国柏林邵宾纳剧院等国际一流艺术团体。2014年和2016年，分别于天津及哈尔滨组织演出了史诗歌剧《战争与和平》，在国内外产生了巨大影响。

驱动文化传媒积极开展艺术教育和普及，创办“打开音乐之门”系列普及音乐会和暑期音乐节，二十年来，使数十万青少年和家庭进入高雅艺术殿堂。组织驱动力合唱团、木兰童声合唱团、爱乐女室内乐团等艺术团体。“驱动文明，传播感动”是公司的核心价值理念。在运营剧院同时，也进行演艺节目的制作，出品过如《但愿人长久——中国唐宋名篇音乐朗诵会》、《读者的挚爱——名家诗文音乐朗诵会》、话剧《海淀之北》、歌剧《永乐》等众多影响深远的原创节目，并与堪称中国戏剧界旗帜的林兆华先生共同创有北京林兆华戏剧文化有限公司，举办一年一度的“林兆华戏剧邀请展”。

Beijing Propel Performing Arts & Media Co,. Ltd has dedicated itself to theatre management and branded shows production. We usually import international top performing group to perform in our theatres. Our company is based in Beijing, running the Harbin Grand Theatre right now. Meanwhile, we are expanding our market under the only pure privately owned BOT model.

Beijing Propel Performing Arts & Media Co., Ltd. was founded in the early 1990’s. It was the first company in China to commercially run the Beijing Concert Hall, the Forbidden City Concert Hall, the Nanjing Culture & Art Center, the Tianjin Concert Hall and the Tianjin Grand Theatre, which sets up the industry of Chinese theatre management. In 1994, Propel established the first online ticketing system in China. In May of that same year, Propel began publication of the Arts Today magazine.

Throughout the years, Propel has successfully imported world-class performing groups such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Emerson String Quartet, Moscow State Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, The Dramatic Theatre of the City of Warsaw, Schaubühne Berlin. In 2014 and 2016, we arranged an epic opera War and Peace in the Tianjin Grand Theatre and Harbin Grand Theatre, which created huge impact domestic and overseas.

Propel has actively developed programs for education and outreach, organizing the “Gateway to Music” series as well as summer festivals, introducing hundreds of thousands of students and families to classical music. Apart from founding the Propel Choir and Mulan Childen’s Choir, the company also founded the Aiyuenv Chamber Orchestra. “Propel. Enlightment through culture” is the core thought in our company. At the same time that we run the theatre, Propel also develops productions, including Concert of Poetry Dramatization from Tang/Song Dynasty, Famous poems Recitation Concert, the drama In the North of Haidian, and opera Yong Le. These also partners with Lin Zhaohua Theatre in organizing the annual “Lin Zhaohua Theatre Festival.”, which remain our company an influential role in the performance industry.

上海戏剧学院
Shanghai Theatre Academy

上海戏剧学院是一所以培养戏剧艺术人才为主的专业艺术院校。自1945年建校以来，学校始终坚持精英育人理念，形成专业艺术院校富有特色的人才培养模式，为中国培养了大量文化艺术人才。
学校现有全日制在校学生2500余人，设有博士后流动站2个，博士学位授权一级学科点2个，硕士学位授权一级学科点4个。现设表演系、导演系、戏剧文学系、舞台美术系、电影电视学院、戏曲学院、舞蹈学院、创意学院、音乐剧表演艺术中心、公共教学部、研究生部11个二级教学单位，还有附属戏曲学校和附属舞蹈学校两所中专。
上海戏剧学院不仅是一所教育单位，同样也是上海乃至全国的文化重镇。办学70多年来，学校为国家培养了近万名艺术专门人才，其中相当一部分成为在上海、中国乃至世界的戏剧、影视、舞蹈和美术界有影响的著名艺术家。学校还培养了一大批文化管理人才，在国内外艺术专业机构担任领导职务。
学校是国内专业艺术院校教育改革创新的排头兵。近年来，学校努力拓展国际育人平台，与56所外国戏剧院校及多家国际机构、团体建立了校际交流和合作关系。
学校以培养“至善至美”的专业艺术人才为人才培养目标，以“出人才、出作品、出思想、出模式”为办学方针，致力于建设现代大学治理体系，正在成为一所世界一流的多科性教学、创作、研究型专业艺术院校。

Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) is a comprehensive university of performing arts, with the focus on theatre training and studies and a history of 72 years. STA has about 2000 undergraduate students, 500 master and PhD students, and 1000 students in the two professional pre-college schools. The Academy provides undergraduate programs in 37 specialties under three main categories of literature, management and education, covering 12 majors of Acting, Directing, Theatre/TV/Film Design, Art Design, Playwriting and Screenwriting, Broadcasting and TV Hosting, TV & Film Programming and Directing, Choreography, Arts Management, Arts Education, Digital Media Art, and Composition and Theories. STA has six master’s degree programs in Theatre Studies, Broadcasting and TV Studies, Arts Studies, Dance Studies, Cinema Studies, and Painting Studies, one doctorate degree program in Theatre Studies with 8 research areas, and one post-doctoral research centre in Arts Studies.

STA has cultivated thousands of artists in various professional fields for the country, and many of the graduates have become leading experts and artists in the fields of drama, Chinese opera, film & TV, dance, literature and fine arts. Meanwhile, the academy has also cultivated a large number of talents for cultural management, who are now working in important posts in art institutions home and abroad, as well as in related government agencies. STA is also contributing to the art education for the minorities in China. It has trained five acting classes for Tibet students in turn, and the graduates formed the first modern drama troupe in Tibet. STA has trained one acting class for Inner Mongolia students, and the graduates formed the first modern drama troupe in Inner Mongolia.

STA is devoted to promoting artistic and academic exchanges, playing an increasingly important role in the field of theatre education in Asia and the world. STA hosts the headquarters of the Asian-Pacific Bureau for Theatre Schools of UNESCO Chair - International Theatre Institute. It has held several international arts, cultural and academic exchange programs, including the International Experimental Theatre Festival, Asia-Pacific Theatre School Expo, International Directors Masterclasses, and International Forum of Art School Directors. STA has entered into cooperation with art colleges and institutes from over 56 countries and regions.

华沙多样剧场TR Warszawa

华沙多样剧场，当今世界上最负盛名、最重要的波兰戏剧表演团体之一。1998年，在格热戈日·亚日那正式被任命为华沙多样剧场的艺术总监后，逐渐发展成为华沙当代实验艺术名副其实的中心。多年来，在这里不仅大量上演亚日那的作品，同时也不断吸引着众多顶尖的艺术家，如克里斯蒂安· 陆帕（Krystian Lupa）、格日什托夫·瓦里科夫斯基（Krzysztof Warlikowski）、扬·克拉塔（Jan Klata）、热内·波列许（René Pollesch）及凯内尔·穆德卢佐（Kornél Mundruczó）。亚日那建立了一支出色的演员、作曲家、设计师团队，并致力于发掘并创造当代剧场的新人才和新语汇，多样剧场也委约创作大量作品，大胆结构了许多剧场经典，对年轻演员和导演敞开胸怀，探索并发展了非传统艺术形式的无限可能。