娱乐英语新闻:Stan Lai to host first mainland workshops

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Renowned Taiwan-based dramatist Stan Lai, probably best known for his Secret Love In Peach Blossom Land (1986), will host a series of theatrical workshops for the first time on the Chinese mainland, sharing 30 years' directing experience.

The Stan Lai Theater and Directing Art Advanced Research and study Class will be held from August 1–5 in Beijing and then Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.

Thirty students from 100 applicants including directors, drama students and journalists will take the Beijing workshops, said host Ji Hailian of Magnificent Culture.

Taiwanese dramatist Stan Lai

The workshop will charge 1,000 yuan ($154.7) for participants living in Beijing and 1,800 yuan ($278.46), including bed and board for those from other parts of the country.

"It is more like a public welfare course than a commercial one," Ji said.

Described by the BBC as "probably the best Chinese-language playwright and director in the world," Lai is renowned for his works such as That Evening, We Performed Xiangsheng ("Crosstalk"), bold new genres and staging innovations. As artistic director of the much-lauded Performance Workshop, Lai has been pioneering modern Chinese theater with 30 of his original plays.

In 2007, Lai became a bestselling author in China with Stan Lai On Creativity, gaining popularity among both businessmen and artistic readers for his take on training in innovation.