Young creators bring Chinese stories to Edinburgh

The monodrama "Old Drunk Dream" follows a modern proofreader who encounters Liu Ling, the ancient Chinese poet and one of the famed Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, known for his love of wine. Over drinks, the two engage in a poetic dialogue about anxiety, authenticity, and the tension between purpose and detachment in a fast-paced world. Presented as an immersive, multi-space promenade performance, the production invites audiences to move freely as scenes unfold around them, blurring the boundaries of past and present. Using drunkenness as a recurring motif, the performer explores profound spiritual struggles and soul-searching, encouraging the audience to look beyond fixed identities and confront and reconcile their inner selves. The production pushes its philosophical exploration of "drunkenness" and "sobriety" to an extreme, highlighting the pursuit of inner peace and spiritual freedom.