Exhilarating, refreshing and richly visual, Running the Silk Road blends East and West, telling a modern story mixed with Chinese myths.

In the year of the Beijing Olympics, a group of friends from London set themselves an epic challenge – to run the ancient Silk Road trading route to China, carrying an “alternative” Olympic flame. Once on the road, complications and conflict test friendships and soon threaten their chances of success.

Weaving in and out of the contemporary story are the magical and timeless myths, performed using the spectacularly acrobatic, whirling excitement that is the Beijing Opera Theatre.

Performed in English and Mandarin with surtitles

May 2008

bite08 Barbican Pit
Barbican Centre
Silk Street
London
EC2Y 8DS

Northern Stage
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RH

Creative team

Director: David KS Tse
Beijing Opera performers: Gongxin Lan, Shen Feng, Yanzhong Huang
Designer: Yoo Bae

Cast

Nick Chee Ping Kellington
Saraj Chaundhry
Betsabeh Emran
Chia Kuei Chen