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On 24 June 2026, Rossella Ferrari gave an invited lecture titled “The Chinese Life of Gregor Samsa: The Metamorphosis and Other Imaginations of the Future in Contemporary Chinese Theatre“ at the China Institute of Goethe University Frankfurt.
ferrarir64@univie.ac.at
Performing Postsocialism: International Symposium at the University of Vienna on 9–10 April 2026
The international symposium “Performing Postsocialism: Cultures of Performance-Making in Twenty-First-Century China” took place on 9–10 April 2026 at the Jura Soyfer Saal, Hofburg. The event was organized by the Performing Postsocialism Project Team at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna.
The programme opened with a keynote by Sheldon Lu (University of California, Davis) on “History, Memory, Temporality in Postsocialist Performance in 21st-Century China.” Day One featured three panels—”Making Postsocialist Affect,” “Making Postsocialist Agency,” and “Making Postsocialist Ritual”—exploring interactive theatre, (post-)revolutionary dance dramas, transcultural resonance, performative silence, and urban ritual cultures.
Day Two focused on “Making Postsocialist Policy” and “Making Postsocialist (Eco)systems,” addressing diplomacy, cultural governance, institutions, and performance ecologies. The programme concluded with “Making Postsocialist Futures,” examining bodies, technologies, and artistic labour.
The artistic programme presented Qu Chang and Ye Hui’s “Linger In Sounds: The (For)getaway,” followed by a DJ set by Hotpotposse at BEK Forum.
Presentation: Performance and Postsocialism in Postmillennial China
On 8 December 2025, Rossella Ferrari delivered an invited presentation titled “Performance and Postsocialism in Postmillennial China” at the International Colloquium “Contemporary Chinese Drama” at the Center for Studies in Theatrical Staging and Dramatic Writing, Santa Catarina Federal University (NEEDRAM/UFSC), Brazil
Lecture: The Virtual Theatre of the Real: Bodies, Objects, and Technologies in Contemporary Chinese Theatre
On 2 December 2025, Rossella Ferrari delivered an invited lecture at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, titled “The Virtual Theatre of the Real: Bodies, Objects, and Technologies in Contemporary Chinese Theatre”