Courtesy of Yuen Ning Chang

Written by Yuen Ning Chang ’25, “Dance on My Grave” is a testament to the immortal nature of love. Inspired by her relationship with her uncle and Cantonese culture, the original play takes audiences on a journey through life, death and the surprises in between. 

When Richie dies before his granddaughter is born, he decides to remain on Earth as a spirit to haunt his niece Plum. They encounter a myriad of characters — ghostly and living — from a skeletal cat to an immortal postman. Together, Richie and Plum must figure out how to move forward in their respective lives. Or, in Richie’s case, death.

“We consider death when we’re alive, right?” said Chang. “In this situation, Plum is forced to think about life from the perspective of the dead.”

Chang wrote the piece in Deb Margolin’s course, “Production Seminar: Playwriting.” 

Despite the class name, Chang had never written a play before. As an English major, her previous work has mainly involved essay writing. However, prompted by Margolin’s encouragement, she decided to take the class.

During this course, Chang was inspired by the Chinese notion of Yuen Fen, or serendipity. Chang describes Yuen Fen as a magical, fateful energy that connects two people together. However, this energy is not without its constraints, said Chang. It is still at the mercy of time and death. 

Chang began to ponder the Yuen Fen that exists only in fractions, between parent and child, who only know each other for half of their lives. Chang further divided this notion, thinking about the quarter Yuen Fen between grandparent and grandchild. 

In this interstice, the story of Richie was born. 

“He misses this Yuen Fen that he should have had, and he can’t let go of that,” said Chang. “In the Chinese underworld, there’s a state of limbo. You have to drink the soup of forgetfulness, let go of everything in the current life, to cross over to the afterlife and reincarnate. He doesn’t drink the soup, and he comes back to earth as a ghost.”

Chang’s interpretation of life and death draws from her Chinese culture. To her, the two are cyclical. Contrary to Western ideas of death being a destination, she said, this play describes death as one step of a continuous journey.

Throughout the show, life and death are both present on stage. Differentiated by lights, color, and mesh drapery, the two are distinct yet coexisting forces. 

However, the show’s premiere last spring was without a set, costumes, or props. Selected for last year’s Yale Playwrights Festival, “Dance on My Grave” was performed simply with actors under the mentorship of a Yale faculty member and professional writer.  

It was after the reading that Chang decided to do a full production of the play. 

“Getting the chance to debut an original play and work so closely with the playwright has been a wonderful experience,” said director Tomás Fuchs-Lynch ’26. “The script has changed and developed organically through the rehearsal process as we work to translate Yuen Ning’s incredible script to the stage.”

Every little detail in the live production is carefully thought out, according to Chang. From the tea etiquette to the joss paper offerings directly from Hong Kong, the cultural features of the show are seamlessly integrated into the setting. 

The result is an immersive experience with verisimilitude.   

Chang was dedicated not only to the visual presentation of the show but also to the actors’ connection to their roles. She worked with the actors to gain insight on how they bring their own experiences into their interpretations of the characters.

“Our cast is wonderful and has really put their hearts into their characters,” said Joy Liu, ’26, assistant director.  

Tickets for the show sold out within five hours of release, but students still eager to see the show are encouraged to come to the theater for waitlist seats to open up.

“Dance on My Grave” will play in the Crescent Underground from Feb. 20 to 22.