ABSTRACT
This article examines how cross-cultural training affects an actor’s performance and self-definition in jingju (Peking/Beijing “opera”), focusing on the historical context of 1980s-Taiwan. I take Kingdom of Desire (1986), an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as a particular example to demonstrate radical transformations of an established performing arts tradition. Wu Hsing-Kuo, the director as well as the lead actor of Kingdom of Desire, provides insight into his acting experience to highlight how a contemporary actor combines the traditional training methods of jingju and modern dance to recreate Shakespeare’s canonical work.
