Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代)

Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代) is a darkly funny, poetic comedy about the people we keep meeting — again and again, across centuries, across lives.

Three performers travel through six eras of Chinese history, from ancient dynasties to modern-day Melbourne, where past and present lives overlap in unexpected, hilarious, and heartbreaking ways.

Blending physical theatre, bilingual dialogue, and absurd humour, Eighteen Lives explores reincarnation, identity, and desire — how we love, lose, and find each other, over and over again.

Performed in both Chinese and English, with English surtitles throughout.
No prior knowledge of Chinese history required — just curiosity, and an open heart.