Could you comment on Wang Xiaobo's works?

Xavier Froment:I got to know Wang Xiaobo by watching the movie East Palace West Palace. I think it is a horrible movie in terms of shooting. But I found the script very smart, a lot better than the movie. It was then that I found Wang's name as the playwright in the credits.

Later, when I bought a book by Wang Xiaobo in a bookstore, it happened to have the script of East Palace West Palace. To my great surprise, I found three versions of it at the same time, as a short novel, a movie script and a play script. I felt the play script was much better than the movie script, which inspired me to put it on stage. I didn't change one word in this script. Wang's language is rich and meaningful despite its simple and colloquial style.

"In this sense, I think the Chinese are the same as the French ..."

Were you fascinated with art, literature and music at a young age? Does it have something to do with your family background? Can you tell us about your career in art in France?

Xavier Froment:My mother is a pianist, which nurtured my interest in music in my childhood. I studied literature in university and the title of my graduation dissertation wasRelationship Between Literature and Opera. After graduation, I worked at the Paris Opera House for one year before moving on to the Nancy Opera House. It was easier to do things in your own way in a smaller place. It was by pure coincidence that I came to China.

This is a broader question: please talk about the differences and common ground between Eastern and Western cultures.

Xavier Froment:Frankly speaking, I think it is the common ground rather than differences that matter for common grounds make communication possible. Take dining habits for example. Our cuisines might be different but both Easterners and Westerners enjoy spending time in dining. This is more important. I always believe in dining as the locals do wherever you go. Local people will offer you what they think is delicious. In the beginning you may find the taste a bit strange, but you will get used to it as time goes by. In this sense, I think Chinese are the same as the French. It is obvious that we have things in common in spite of different ways of observing and dealing with problems. It is like two people looking at two sides of one coin and quarreling. However, if we take a little time to exchange places, we end up understanding each other. In reality, we are both right and the question is whether we have the patience to look at the other side.

"We focus on man and his dreams."

Do you think Three Oranges is aimed at combining Eastern and Western cultures?

Xavier Froment:For me, it is more important to pass on the message to the audience that theater art knows no boundary. We have chosen plays with themes universal and common to all countries. Plays likeWho's on first,Les Mamelles de Tirésias, LaMère, all reflecting problems in communication that exist in all countries. We have staged a long play calledFeu la Mère de Madame. Although the author is French, the theme can be understood by people of all nationalities. Two years into the marriage, the couple starts to quarrel and get bored. The husband tells his wife, "Your bosom is too small, the woman next to you has a much larger bosom."This scene interests the Chinese as much as the French, for domestic quarrels exist in all countries. If someone claims that he never quarrels with his wife, he must be a liar.

What is your troupe's core?

Xavier Froment:We focus on man and his dreams. Man is a unique animal in terms of living for hope. All people wish for a better future. I think the people to be feared most are those who have never had dreams or whose dreams have been destroyed. I believe it is very important to have a dream, and it is reflected in our plays. TakeConfuciusfor example. Confucius himself was always nurturing a dream.

Confucius and the History of Chinese Thinking

Liu Yang, do you think your cross-talk on Confucius is a parody of the Analects of Confucius?

Liu Yang:It depends on how you understand it. I have read an article on Confucius, which says Confucius' favorite disciple was Zai Wo. The reason was that Zai Wo was relatively older and obediently wrote down everything Confucius said. Confucius loathed Zi Lu, a disciple who liked asking questions. Confucius always told Zi Lu that he should just write down everything that Confucius said rather than ask so many questions. Confucius said he would spend his time discussing with kings how to govern their kingdoms.