From Gao Xingjian, a winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature, comes a "major drama about life. Snow in August blends Eastern and Western cultures. In form, there are elements of Shakespearean and Greek tragedy, but in spirit, it embodies a uniquely Eastern sensibility."—Gao Xingjian Snow in August is based on the life of Huineng (AD 633-713), the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in Tang Dynasty China. Packed with the myriad sights and sounds of both the Eastern and Western theatrical traditions, the play exudes wonder and mysticism. The many koan cases and the story of Huineng"s enlightenment afford the audience fascinating vignettes of Gao"s vision of life and existence ¢w an awareness of the Void and the need for a personal peace with oneself.