“An astonishing feat of compelling, economical storytelling.” —Toronto Star

The Kingdom of Jin, 612 BCE. The ruthless court minister Tu-An Ku orchestrates the annihilation of his rival, Chao Tun, and nine generations of his family. Only one survives: Chao Tun’s newborn grandson, smuggled to safety by the doctor Cheng Ying. When the state decrees the execution of every infant until the orphan of Chao is found, Cheng Ying makes an unthinkable sacrifice to save the sole descendant and deceive Tu-An Ku into raising the boy as his own. Years later, the orphan must confront the truth of his lineage to avenge his family’s bloodline.

Based on the thirteenth-century Chinese opera The Great Revenge of the Zhao Orphan by Ji Junxiang 紀君祥, Michael Man boldly adapts this legendary five-act revenge tale into a gripping, action-packed one-act with urgent contemporary resonance. Often called the “Chinese Hamlet,” The Orphan of Chao is a timeless story of survival, sacrifice, and the cost of preserving one’s values in the face of eradication.