Chimerica

The opening scene of 'Chimerica' is set in Beijing in June 1989. An American photographer is observing events from his hotel room when he sees a man, shopping bags in hand, standing in the way of Army tanks proceeding to Tiananmen Square in response to demonstrations which have been embarrassing to the Chinese regime. Photographs of this actual event by an unknown, brave man made headlines around the world the time.

From this opening scene, 'Chimerica' time hops back and forwards between 1989 and 2012 when in the United States President Obama is standing for re-election. In this later time frame the photographer is attempting to determine what happened to that lone demonstrator and to track him down.

A cast of twelve actors, most playing multiple characters, combine with an ensemble of twenty theatre students from NIDA to deliver a memorable night of theatre. The staging, at once both simple and yet complex in its choreography, provides brilliant visual impact.

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