New Year's Eve Dinner
Writen & Directed by: Zhenyu Meng 

Jan. 17 - Jan 19
On New Year's Eve, an ordinary northern Chinese family gathers to welcome the arrival of the New Year. Yet, what lingers in the air is not celebration, but unspoken tension and heavy silence. The story unfolds within the close quarters of a cramped two-bedroom apartment, where every piece of furniture and every crack in the walls, bears the weight of lingering emotions and unresolved conflicts that bind and divide the family. Guided by the elder sister, let’s embark on this journey together through her memories and reflections, gradually unveiling the suffocating beauty and sorrow that define the fragile tapestry of the family.

Cast & Crew

Writer & Director: Zhenyu Meng
Artistic Mentor: Bethany Caputo
Artistic Director: Peter Eckersall
Physical Director: Jordan Le Bozec
Dramaturg: Yi-Ming Chen

Cast: Lan Jiang, Zhenyu Meng, Xiaoen Wu, Jiening Zhu

Producer(s): Xi Yu, Jiening Zhu
Production Stage Manager: Weiyu Tian
Presented by: SpArkling Theatre Studio.
Short Bio of the Director: Zhenyu Meng is a performance instructor, theatre director, and PhD candidate in Theatre and Film Studies at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. A researcher and practitioner of the Michael Chekhov Technique. She is temporarily based at the CUNY Graduate Center doing acting training method research. Her directorial works include Requiem, The Blue Bird, Forever Young, To Be Or Not To Be, and Classic of Mountains and Seas, among others. Frequently featured in the Shanghai International Arts Festival.
Introduction of SpArkling Theatre Studio (Production Company): Founded in January 2024 by Annora Dong (董语柔) and Sophia Zhu (朱婕宁), SpArkling Theatre Studio was born from the creative synergy and unique resonance between their distinct artistic sensibilities. The two founders first met at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the Experimental Theatre Wing. Drawing inspiration and creative energy from diverse places such as New York and Shanghai, SpArkling is dedicated to illuminating people and the world through avant-garde experimental theatre and physical theatre forms. The studio’s core mission is to transcend cultural boundaries through art, fostering profound human connections and advancing cross-cultural artistic exchange on the international stage.