Chinese Artists from Yale Bring The Mailroom to Arts & Ideas Festival

Contact:
Joy X. Chen
Producer, Yale-China Artist Residency Project
joy.xy.chen@yale.edu
(812) 837-7948

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (June 18, 2024) – The Yale-China Association proudly presents the 2024 Yale-China Artist Residency production, The Mailroom, at New Haven’s Off-Broadway Theatre, as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas from Saturday, June 22nd to Sunday, June 23rd, 2024, from 12-6 pm each day. The Mailroom is a designer-led, collectively devised experiential installation conceived by a group of Chinese artists from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale (DGSD). The production is also sponsored by the Mask Academy Network, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Yale University David Geffen School of Drama, and the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

The Mailroom creates a multi-sensory narrative space inspired by the artists’ collective memories of Chinese mailrooms (传达室), which played crucial roles in facilitating the exchange of information, stories, feelings, and experiences before the advent of digital communication. The artists gathered stories and memories from their surroundings and through workshops with local communities, using their skills as set, lighting, sound, and costume designers to capture these fleeting moments. Audiences will freely interact with the installation, delving into the intricacies of community formation and transformation by unveiling the unique stories and moments preserved in mailboxes.

The production marks the first-ever collaboration primarily featuring DGSD international students from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They worked closely together to create art that draws from their shared cultural experiences, offering their perspectives on community building through artistic expression from a different cultural viewpoint. In addition to their collaborative efforts, the artists conducted workshops with New Haven high school students, the elderly community at Mary Wade Home, and the AAPI community at CHATogether. A section of The Mailroom is inspired by and dedicated to these enriching workshops, fusing cross-cultural interactions into the installation.

To ensure an authentic atmosphere, 116 mailboxes for the set were flown in from China. This careful attention to detail enhances the immersive experience for the audience, allowing the artists to realize their vision of creating something truly unique and authentic.

The Mailroom is free to the public. More details of the event may be found at: https://www.yalechina.org/arts-residency