Backstage at Beijing's Capital Theatre in a dusty storeroom filled with antiquated video and audio equipment, piles of programmes and flyers from productions long past, Lin Zhaohua pours a cup of oolong tea and sits down to light what will be the first of several cigarettes over the next hour. While the dishevelled surroundings seem beneath the mainland's premier stage director, it is obvious this is where he feels at home - in the bowels of a theatre, a setting that's been his domain for more than 45 years. Now 71, the Tianjin-born Lin looks 15 years younger. Upon meeting Lin, who will direct three performances of Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, it's clear that this is someone who has pushed the boundaries in mainland theatre despite many obstacles. Originally assigned to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to train as an actor in 1961, he found his forte when he started directing in 1978. In the early '80s, impassioned with the desire to produce experimental theatre, he collaborated with Gao Xingjian, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner for literature, to create the country's Little Theatre Movement. In 1989, he established the Lin Zhaohua Drama Studio to break free from the stringent government-run theatre system. Today, it is the country's longest-running independent theatre group. 'I hate politics,' said the self-proclaimed 'half-famous, half-anonymous person'. 'If you can keep your freedom in creating and producing works you are really interested in, that is the happiest feeling.' Although he won't admit it, it is easy to draw parallels between Lin, who continues to work at an age when most people would have retired, and the ageing Halvard Solness, the protagonist in Ibsen's The Master Builder. After surviving a life-changing fire as a young man, Solness, played by veteran mainland actor Pu Cunxin, is inspired to become a great architect. While his creations, such as the grand cathedrals of the 19th century, find international acclaim, such accolades become more rare in his middle age. With a new generation challenging his supremacy, he draws inspiration and pushes himself harder in an effort to reach a peak that had previously eluded him. The arrival of a mysterious young woman helps him regain a glimpse of his former vigorous self. While Ibsen's play initially came out in 1892, Lin sees the Norwegian's story about man's obsessive drive to succeed, regardless of the price, as relevant today as when it debuted. 'This is the first time I have directed an Ibsen play,' said Lin. 'Anybody who is serious about Chinese drama knows a lot about Ibsen. We all know he is kind of a representative of realism. Before the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and afterwards, all drama students were taught his kind of realism. 'But the later works of Ibsen were kind of different. They weren't the heavy doses of realism. His main (later) works, The Lady from the Sea and The Master Builder, are totally different. Before we kind of think his work reflects social problems and society; but if you know the later works this will change your ideas. 'I have read lots of Chekhov, Shakespeare and Ibsen and have directed productions of their works. But I don't direct for them, I direct for myself. I get a feeling of those people and their works so I begin to express those feelings. I have read nearly all the works of Ibsen. Now I have started rereading them. I have a different feeling, a new feeling that reflects where my soul and mind is at, so I decided to do this play.' Lin said he doubted any of the Putonghua-dialogue-heavy play would be lost in translation with Hong Kong audiences. And if they were, English and Chinese subtitles would be provided during the performances. He said he was looking forward to coming to Hong Kong for the performances that were originally meant to mark the 100th anniversary of Ibsen's death in 1906. Lin said it was the second time he had been invited to the city by the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Performances of his production Chess People were staged in 1997, but he was unable to attend due to visa restrictions. Lin said The Master Builder was 'different' from the kinds of dramas being performed on Chinese stages, but said it had been well received in Shanghai and Beijing in 2006. He said the show was a good opportunity for Hong Kong audiences to see the brilliance of lead actor Pu live. Despite success in television and film, the Beijing native, a prominent campaigner for China's anti-HIV/Aids drive, continued to hone his craft through the challenges of theatre. Pu and Lin have worked together many times over the past 20 years. 'He is a very talented man who has an attitude to reach a higher level; something very different from other actors. Pu still wants to challenge himself, just like The Master Builder. His acting in this show has already made him reach a new level. There have been some comments in newspapers that before this show Pu was a famous actor - but after this performance he is a master of acting. It is very seldom that you see such an educated and talented actor in such plays.' The Master Builder, March7-9, Lyric Theatre, Academy for Performing Arts
