七月半遗愿清单 Of Ashes And Souls

A world premiere play by Zijun (Neil) Wang and Zihe Tian reflecting on the contemporary crisis of truth in the digital age in the Gen Z influencer era. The comedic horror story is told entirely in Mandarin with English supertitles using the framework of a traditional Chinese Zhongyuan “Hungry Ghost” Festival.

Nine bodies. One haunted house. No escape. On the midnight of the Chinese Ghost Festival, nine influencers step into an infamous haunted house on East Mountain Island, hoping to exploit its bloody past for views. But when the clock strikes twelve, the signal cuts out, gas leaks, tapes rewind, and bodies collapse—only for their memory to reset, trapping them in an endless cycle of horror. A cursed calendar. A sunken boat. A missing gun. The spirits are waking, whispering of unfinished wills, and someone who never left. As the full moon fades, they have one last chance. Can they catch the echoes of the ashes and souls before everything is lost?

Wang directs a cast of nine, including Junhong (Andrew) Fei, John Jiang, Fiona Wang, QQ Xing, Kejun Zhou, Destiny Gong, Luna Peng, Zicheng Elain Zhang, and Peter Xiao. Four performances will be staged Off Broadway at The Same at The Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street in NYC from April 25-27, 2025.

“I write and direct Of Ashes and Souls because I was haunted. Not by ghosts, but by how easily we now accept fiction as fact, especially when it’s sensational or dark,” said Wang. “In a world flooded with viral narratives and algorithm-fed fears, I wanted to explore what it means to tell a story that resists cynicism. I believe today’s theater-goers, especially younger audiences, are hungry for something that confronts the chaos of our media-saturated lives, but also dares to end with sincerity, with grace, and with hope.”

The runtime is 90 minutes with no intermission.