It was a performance held at the Blue Rider Theater, Chicago, in 1995, based on the book of the same title by Jonathan Spence.

The performance was designed in modules that could be performed in a different order every night. The public would be presented with a number of cards – each card representing a module – from which they could choose. Depending on the order in which the cards were chosen, the different sections would be performed.
 

Pablo Helguera

Pablo Helguera (b. 1971, Mexico City) is a visual artist living in New York. His work involves performance, drawing, pedagogy, installation, theater and other literary strategies. As a recipient of international grants and awards, he is often considered a pioneering figure in the field of socially-engaged art.

Helguera has been the recipient of many awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and Creative Capital Fellowship, as well as the first International Award for Participatory Art in Italy. Coming from a family of classical musicians, his work has frequently involved musical elements. He has performed and presented his works in many international biennials and venues.

He is the author of many books, including Education for Socially-Engaged Art (2011) and The Parable Conference (2014). Currently, he is the Assistant Professor of Arts Management and Entrepreneurship at the College of the Performing Arts at The New School in New York. He writes a weekly column titled Beautiful Eccentrics.