This talk will attempt to bring premodern Chinese song-drama out of the straightjacket of Western terminology, that is, comedy vs. tragedy, opera vs. drama, role type vs. character, music vs. voice, etc. Instead, it will seek to map new ways to think through traditional Chinese theatrical practices (playwrighting, acting, musicking, staging, audience participation, etc.) in an effort to both historicize and globalize the modern scholarly discourse on Chinese theater.

Patricia Sieber is an Associate Professor of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Ohio State University, where she teaches courses on premodern Chinese drama and fiction, the history of the book, and translation studies. She is the author of "Theaters of Desire: Authors, Readers, and the Reproduction of Early Chinese Song-Drama, 1300-2000" and is currently the lead editor of "How to Read Chinese Drama." She has given talks in the US, Europe, Russia, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and her work has appeared in journals, books, and encyclopedias in English, Chinese, and German.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange. Email us at chinese.studies@umich.edu.