Register  | Free, Registration Required | Workshop Conducted in English

During the Lunar New Year, family reunions can be moments we eagerly anticipate—or seek to avoid. The concepts of “family” and “home” mean vastly different things to each of us. How do we then celebrate the Lunar New Year? What might a reunion dinner look like? Director Zhenyu Meng (PhD in Theatre and Film Studies from the Shanghai Theatre Academy) collaborates with SpArkling Theatre Studio to present New Year’s Eve Dinner at the Gene Frankel Theatre from January 17 to 19.

The Museum of Chinese in America is delighted to host Director Zhenyu Meng and the production team for a participatory theater workshop, Threads of Home. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to glimpse the creative process behind the production, using Chekhov’s acting techniques. Participants will step into the floor plan of a typical northern Chinese household and reflect on their personal experiences. Through guided theatrical activities, participants will engage in an immersive exploration of “home,” where every detail — from props to dialogue to imagined memories — carries intentional meaning.

ABOUT Zhenyu Meng

Zhenyu Meng is a performance instructor, theatre director, and PhD candidate in Theatre and Film Studies at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. A researcher and practitioner of the Michael Chekhov Technique. She is temporarily based at the CUNY Graduate Center doing acting training method research. Her directorial works include Requiem, The Blue Bird, Forever Young, To Be Or Not To Be, and Classic of Mountains and Seas, among others. Frequently featured in the Shanghai International Arts Festival.

ABOUT SpArkling Theatre Studio

Founded in January 2024 by Annora Dong (董语柔) and Sophia Zhu (朱婕宁), SpArkling Theatre Studio was born from the creative synergy and unique resonance between their distinct artistic sensibilities. The two founders first met at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the Experimental Theatre Wing. Drawing inspiration and creative energy from diverse places such as New York and Shanghai, SpArkling is dedicated to illuminating people and the world through avant-garde experimental theatre and physical theatre forms. The studio’s core mission is to transcend cultural boundaries through art, fostering profound human connections and advancing cross-cultural artistic exchange on the international stage.

ABOUT New Year’s Eve Dinner

On New Year’s Eve, an ordinary northern Chinese family gathers to welcome the arrival of the New Year. Yet, what lingers in the air is not celebration, but unspoken tension and heavy silence. The story unfolds within the close quarters of a cramped two-bedroom apartment, where every piece of furniture and every crack in the walls, bears the weight of lingering emotions and unresolved conflicts that bind and divide the family. The show will be bilingual in both Mandarin Chinese and English with a corresponding introduction and explanation of each scene. The story is depicted through visual pictures. Audiences with all backgrounds and cultures are welcome.

For show information, please visit: http://www.genefrankeltheatre.com/now-playing.html