CONJUNCTURE OF SUCCESS Gao Xingjian’s Bus Stop at the Hungarian State Theater in Cluj-Napoca (1989)

Abstract

In this paper Gao Xingjian’s absurd drama Bus Stop (1981) is analyzed along with the factors to which this work owes its success on the stage of the Hungarian State Theater in Cluj-Napoca. In the first part of the paper, a brief biography of Xingjian is presented, with references to his plays shown in Chinese theatres, including the drama Bus Stop, as well as an impact analysis produced by them on the Chinese public. The paper explores the ways some elements and techniques of the traditional Chinese theater, and those of the absurd theater have influenced Xingjian, as well as the methods he used to incorporate them into his own works. The information achieved in carrying out this study may provide help in interpreting Xingjian's work as a playwright and offer a support in analyzing the stage success of his drama Bus Stop in Cluj-Napoca.