Staged over two nights in March, the show was the result of a committed cast and crew of over 20 pupils working together, not only to reduce the original script by almost half whilst retaining the rhythm, emotion and cultural nuances of the uncut original, but also editing it into both Mandarin and English and presenting it to the audience with surtitles in both languages. For some of those involved, it was their first time performing on stage, and for others it was an opportunity to perform in their non-native tongue.

Written by Chinese dramatist Cao Yu in 1933, Thunderstorm tells the story of one wealthy family’s self-destruction, and the hypocrisy and traditionalism that leads them there. It was the School’s second bilingual production, following 2024’s Russian/English staging of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard — and again demonstrated how the use of bilingual theatre can widen audience accessibility by removing language barriers and creating a space for mutual observation.

Director and lead translator Jasmine (Remove, GG) said: “I took on this project because I wanted a story that everyone could enjoy — transcending language and culture through its sheer universal emotions. And it’s the cast and crew who truly made that happen. Their passion, their dedication, and their willingness to embrace every challenge turned this production into something bigger.”

Dramaturg and captioner, Eliza (Remove, RR), added: “Working as the dramaturg for Thunderstorm was an incredible experience. I loved collaborating with the team to pull everything together and seeing the audience genuinely connect with the show. Bringing a performance that reflected my heritage made it feel personal and special, and I’m truly proud of what we accomplished. While capturing the deeper meanings, tone, and emotions from the Chinese language was a definite challenge, the process was extremely rewarding!”

Teacher of Chinese at Westminster, Ms Haitong Wang said: “I was deeply impressed by Thunderstorm. It was not only a fantastic performance, but the impressive editing and translation work also stood out. Thunderstorm is a well-known play that typically lasts for three and a half hours, yet our students managed to convey the entire story in just two hours, demonstrating their exceptional editing skills and linguistic abilities. The performance required the actors to use two languages, meaning that for most of them, they had to perform in a non-native language. Despite this challenge, they delivered an outstanding performance! As a language teacher, I deeply appreciate the students’ dedication and feel an immense sense of pride in their achievements.”

Westminster’s Deputy Head (Community, Inclusion and Partnerships), Ms Soumia Arif said: “The Westminster translation and performance of Thunderstorm, was a moment that really showcased the essence of the community here at Westminster. Acting in both English and Mandarin, allowed pupils to encapsulate in their performance their identity as pupils of Chinese heritage, geographically varied and in some cases international sense of home, tied in with their current Westminster education in the centre of London. To see this intersectionality on stage was truly profound. Pupils who had never performed on stage before took on a new challenge to share a narrative that otherwise many in the audience would not have ever heard. Thunderstorm was a theatrical celebration of the diversity of our pupil body, particularly our pupils of Chinese heritage, their culture and literature, and the richness of variety this brings to school life.”

Westminster’s Deputy Head of Co-curriculum, Events and Planning, Dr Vivienne Horsfield said: “This was a powerful moment of theatre in the life of Westminster School, as the Chinese community came together to perform and to watch a classic Chinese play skilfully translated and adapted for the stage by Jasmine. The play’s challenging themes elicited a visceral audience response of shock and surprise, which was testimony to the power of the storytelling and the commitment of the actors, as they rendered their characters so convincingly and impressively in English and Chinese.”