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Gao Xingjian has been lauded for his inventive use of Chinese culture in his paintings, plays, and cinema, however he denies that his current work participates in any notion of Chinese. This book traces the development of these forms and how the relate and interact in the French language plays of the Nobel Laureate.

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Introduction: International Recognition and Confusion 1. Reactive Theatre 2. Physical Division: Jingju and Performance Theory 3. The Actor in Thirds: Gao´s Theory of Performance 4. An Individual in the Void: Au bord de la vie 5. An Individual in Company: Quatre quatuours pour un week-end 6. An Individual in Night: Ballade Nocturne and Gao´s Philosophical Woman Conclusion: The Obligation of Creation

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Todd Coulter is Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance at Colby College, USA.

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