By Huang Yuechen ,Wang Haolin and Ding Shuorui
On December 10th, the 18th"SIS Cup" English Textbook Drama Contestreached its final in CUC.
Group photo from the stage drama category of the English Textbook Drama Contest.
Six freshman teams from the School of International Studies (SIS) presented plays adapted from thought-provoking texts in their English textbooks—After 20 Years, The Nightingale, Who Shall Dwell, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, Hearts and Hands, and The Nightingale and the Rose—re-imagining the classics through youthful perspectives. By adapting texts into stage narratives in English, students practiced communicating stories to a broader, cross-cultural audience.
Performance stills from each competing team.
The First Prize winner, Who Shall Dwell by the Chinese-English Bilingual Broadcasting major, depicts a family making a sacrifice decision during a nuclear crisis. The parents in the family choose to shelter neighbors' children in their bunker together with their children at the cost of their own survival. Near the end of the drama, footage from current conflict zones appears on the screen. The cast then gathers with candles as the backdrop displays "May the worldbepeaceful" in multiple languages—an appeal for peace that resonates beyond language barriers.
Cast from Chinese-English Bilingual Broadcasting major gathers with candles.
The judging panel comprises faculty members of the English department. SIS leaders, faculty advisors, and student representatives watched the performances together.
The judging panel, SIS leaders, faculty advisors, and student representatives.
With creative reinterpretations, the student teams brought the audience through diverse historical and cultural settings—from late-19th-century New York and ancient Chinese courts to a community under threat on "Maple Street" during the Cold War, a 19th-century American train carriage, and a European garden.
By revisiting these stories on stage, students explored universal themes and human conditions—inviting reflection on cultural values and contemporary relevance across different contexts.
The "SIS Cup" English Textbook Drama Contest is held annually to blend text-based learning with live performances for all the freshmen. It has become a signature event of the SIS, enhancing students' bilingual communication skills, developing their effective teamwork and cultivating a new generation of international communication professionals.
Editor: Li Shuxuan, Fang Yiran
Managing Editor: Ding Shuorui
Editor-in-chief: Yu Ran, Yang Zhongtian
