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Lachen in der Krise. Dramaturgien des Komischen im chinesischen Theater der Gegenwart
In this paper, I approach the topic of “crisis” from the perspective of contemporary Chinese theatre and drama, specifically, comedies or plays with comical elements. I argue that many of the humorous, funny, and grotesque plays written and performed in contemporary China merit to be discussed in the context of the topic of crisis. They allow us to see which kinds of crises are performed on contemporary Chinese stages and how these are narrated. I provide in-depth discussions of works by Lin Weiran, Nick Yu, Zhou Shen & Liu Lu, Wen Fangyi, Huang Weiruo and Li Jing. Eventually, I explore how contemporary Chinese dramaturgies of crises can be read both as valuable reflections on contemporary China as well as on shared experiences of crises in the contemporary world in general.
