The conclusion of the event was the children’s stage play, ‘Legends of the Moon’, written and directed by acclaimed Chinese film-maker Eva Jin and choreographed by award-winning dancer Jing Jing Wang. The play involved a cast of over 40 children ranging from 2 to 11 years old.
‘Legends of the Moon’ is the retelling of a story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival about the goddess Chang’E and how she ascended to the moon. The production brought together the creative efforts of parents and volunteers from the United World College Thailand community, the Mo-Lotus Artists Association and other local art patrons.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival is such a celebrated and important event for the Chinese,” explained Eva Jin. “It’s a time for reunion and gathering with families and friends. After such a tumultuous 2020, we wanted to use theatre, music, dance and visual arts to bring our Phuket family and friends together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as one.”
Eva’s accolades run high, having written, directed, and produced several Chinese films including ‘One Night Surprise’ with Fan Bingbing, ‘Crazy New Year’s’ with Xiao Jingteng and ‘Sophie’s Revenge’ with Zhang Ziyi, which was the first female-directed Chinese film to gross more than RMB 100 million at the box office. Eva received a Masters in Fine Arts from the top-ranked filmmaking program at Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Italian Opera from the China Conservatory of Music. Her short film “The 17th Man” was an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
The production on Sunday also included a Stomp-inspired dance sequence by choreographer Jing Jing Wang.
“The UWCT kids and community are simply amazing. Their commitment to the production and hours of hard work was really well rewarded by the full-house we saw on Sunday,” she said.
Jing Jing, from Inner Mongolia, brought all her experience to the production. She started dancing at 4 years of age. She studied choreography, ballet and Chinese classical dance and arts at the Jiangnan University. She has starred in hundreds of dance productions across China in her extensive career, having won awards such as the 2009 WenHua award, Best Performer for BTV, and many others.
Playing a vital role in bringing Sunday’s performance to the stage was the Mo-Lotus Artists Association. Established in 2020, the association aims to build a platform for artists and creative talents living in Phuket to foster mutual communication and understanding. Through the collective power of artists, the association’s goal is to promote artistic exchanges and development in Phuket.