2021 is the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and a milestone historical node. This year, despite the impact of the new crown epidemic, the development of drama art still showed a strong internal driving force. In the drama creation, the typical red theme is gathered in many ways, the party history writing and hero shaping form the main theme of theater art, and the combination of online and offline theatrical performances, discussions and literary criticism are in full swing.
Continuing tradition and celebrating heroes
The century-old history of the Communist Party of China has left many heroic deeds and revolutionary historical legends, and these glorious achievements have become an important resource for literary and artistic creation. In recent years, the creation of dramas with revolutionary historical themes has been increasing, and the interpretation of historical documents, the strengthening of the awareness of party spirit, and the pursuit of revolutionary ideals have formed a new artistic breakthrough point on the drama stage.
In 2021, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism implemented the "Stage Art Creation Project to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China", which included three "100-year and 100-part" plan, which led and promoted the continuous heating, rehearsal and performance of red-themed plays. From April to July, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles jointly held the "Excellent Stage Art Exhibition and Performance celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China"; in October, the 17th China Drama Festival was held in Wuhan, "Deep Sea", "Teacher Gui mei", "Going North", "Retrograde", "Chang'an Second Bowl", "Where is the Mother of the Little Butterfly"? and other dramas participated in the exhibition.
Around the centenary celebration of the founding of the party, a large number of red theme dramas were staged throughout the country, such as "Night of Fragrant Mountain", "Red Starting Point", "Live Broadcast of the Founding Ceremony", "Wave", "Outpost", "Windless Zone", "Rain Flower Terrace", "Survivor", "Red Rock Soul", "Lu Yao", "Shangganling", "Eight Hundred Miles of High Cold", "Three Bays, That Night", "Branch Built on Lianshang", children's drama "Stars in the Fire", "Information That Cannot Be Sent", etc. These plays are based on historical documents from various periods such as the founding of the Communist Party of China, the establishment of revolutionary base areas, the struggle against the Kuomintang, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Socialist Revolution and Construction, the New Period of Reform and Opening Up, and the New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.
On March 25, the 72nd anniversary of the official entry of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China into Xiangshan, the drama "Xiangshan Night" (written by Li Baoqun and directed by Ren Ming) jointly produced by the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and Beijing Renyi was premiered, which showed the night after the Chinese People's Liberation Army occupied Nanjing 72 years ago, mao Zedong in Xiangshan was full of emotions and thinking about the way to win; while Chiang Kai-shek, who was in Xikou, was sleeping and eating and thinking about the reason for failure. Xiangshan and Xikou are juxtaposed on the stage, and the two key figures in the change of history have a soul dialogue, historical review, spiritual contrast and will contest.
Drama "Live Broadcast of the Founding Ceremony" (Photo by Tian Yufeng)
The National Drama Theatre of China's "Live Broadcast of the Founding Ceremony" (written by Tian Qinxin, Liu Jinni and Jiang Wenliang, directed by Tian Qinxin) performed by the National Drama Theatre of China on October 1 was the first drama to be performed by Beiping Xinhua Radio, the predecessor of the Central People's Radio. It selected the important historical event of the 1949 Xinhua Radio Station to prepare and broadcast live the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, and accurately arranged and launched the live broadcasting procedure under the circumstances that the smoke of war had not yet subsided, the hostile forces had not yet been eliminated, and the broadcasting equipment was in short supply, so that the voice of New China could spread throughout the north and south of the great river and announce to the world the story of the founding of New China. The theme of this play is well-intentioned, there is suspense, there is dramatic tension, there are many characters, the main line is clear, and the tension is orderly.
The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center's "Wave" (written by Han Dani, Xiao Shiyao, directed by He Nian) shows the struggle and sacrifice of the five martyrs of the Left League in 1931 from the perspective of contemporaries, and the pursuit of death and the pursuit of ideals in the play illustrate the theme of the play - the emergence of the wave is "the law of nature and the inevitable of renewal". Shanghai Theater Academy's "Outpost" (written by Huang Changyong and directed by Ma Junfeng) takes the turbulent society of the early 20th century to the 1930s as the background, uses the dialogue between the past and the present to show the hardships and firmness, bravery and progress of the five martyrs of the Left League in the face of the choice of life path, and through ingenious drama structure and conflict, unfolds the dialogue between contemporary youth and the youth of that year, showing their pursuit of ideals and beliefs from multiple aspects such as family affection, friendship and love.
Red-themed dramas not only dig deep into the spiritual value of history in terms of performance content, explore reasonable structural methods in terms of screenwriting skills, but also innovate and dare to practice in stage performance means. For example, "Deep Sea" (written by Zhou Zhentian and Chen Xuan, directed by Huang Dingshan) of guangdong Provincial Drama Theatre takes Huang Xuhua's extreme diving experiment with nuclear submarines as the vertical line, and Huang Xuhua's extraordinary life and struggle course as the weft line, weaves a plot network full of suspense and dramatic tension, vividly and delicately showing Huang Xuhua's extraordinary life of nuclear submarine undertaking. Anhui Provincial Drama Theatre's "Tonight Stars" (written by Tang Dong and directed by Fu Yongfan) features Guo Yonghuai, the founder of "two bombs and one star", and his wife Li Pei as the protagonists, showing their touching deeds of selfless dedication and heartfelt service to the country in many time and space and from multiple perspectives. Briefcases and roses are the focal point of stage design and a symbol of their holy and beautiful personality. "Waves" uses video technology to show the historical atmosphere, enhancing the metal texture of the stage and the scene of the gathering of furious waves in the overall tone of red and black. The three-dimensional steel frame in the format of the nine palaces on the heavenly screen builds up the stage space, and the actors use body language to express the plight of captivity, the tragedy of bloody sacrifice, and express the ideals, original intentions, blood and youth of the martyrs.
Realistic themes and national styles
The artistic creation with the theme of poverty alleviation has led to the production of a large number of drama repertoire. The rural dramas staged in 2021 mainly include "Song of Immigrants in Minning Town", "Love Helan", "Good Days in Qingsongling", "Golden Poplar", "Eight Steps of Sand" and so on. A number of plays that reflect the important achievements of socialist construction since the beginning of reform and opening up, and reflect the improvement of the people's living standards and the improvement of the spirit, have not only shaped the image of new people in the new era, but also showed the rich content of real life.
In February, Xi'an Drama Theatre's "Chang'an Second Bowl" (written by Chen Yan and Chen Mengfan, directed by Cha Mingzhe and Zhai Weiguo) was staged in Xi'an, which is the epitome of China's social development in the new era through the development of the Gourd Head Steamed Bun Hall run by the old Qin family under the old city wall of Xi'an in the past 40 years of reform and opening up. The play not only has a profound revelation of the inevitability, reality and rationality of reform and opening up, but also reflects, examines and analyzes the social habits of people's hearts after a prosperous life. In March, the Shanxi Provincial Drama Theatre set up a rehearsal of "Right Jade" (written by Ma Lianlun and directed by Wang Xiaoying), which tells the story of the cadres and masses of Youyu County in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, in the early days of the founding of New China, in the early days of the founding of New China, and changed the harsh natural ecology.
In May, Hebei Chengde Repertory Theatre performed "A Good Day in Qingsongling" (written by Sun Demin and directed by Liao Xianghong), a drama that shapes a new image, expresses a new life, and heralds new hope. It uses the "Qingsongling" as a hot spot to arouse people's memories and concerns. Qian Guang's granddaughter Qiu Ge returned to the village after graduating from university to become a village official, shut down the starch factory that polluted the village, and led everyone to common prosperity. This drama allows people today to know where they have come from and what they are going to go, with the meaning of historical reflection and realistic speculation.
In October, "Happy Encounter" produced by Beijing Municipal Federation of Literature and Literature (written by Lin Weiran and Wang Renfan, directed by Li Bonan and Han Qing) showed the upgrading project of the Tiantongyuan Community by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, reflecting the ruling concept of the people's government in the new era, and interpreting the life of emerging communities with a grounded life and a sense of truth. In this drama, Zhao Dahe, a migrant worker, takes the search and discovery of the crush object as the main line, connecting a series of new and old neighbors who are enthusiastic and able to work hard, and the central event is the transformation of the Tiantongyuan drinking water project, which reflects the improvement of the living conditions of the community residents, the strengthening of the sense of belonging in life and the change of mental outlook. Daqing Repertory Theatre's performance of "Long Voyage" (written by Xin Caiping and directed by Zhang Jindi) shows the situation of doctors and patients in the last part of his life. There is a love between life and death in the Hospital, and there is also the true feeling of returning to the original self and liberating the voyage.
These newly created plays are based on a variety of materials and styles, and the images they create are real and moving, with wind and bone, and grounded. "Voyage" has a modern philosophical consciousness and humanistic feelings, giving the departure of life a poetic rhyme. The stage style of "Good Days in Qingsongling" pursues the timeless poetry based on the reality of life, making the performance characteristics of realism more distinctive.
With the power of literature, the wings of drama are spread
"Dedicating Everything to the Party" (adapted by Yang Jinfeng and directed by Wang Xiaoying) performed by dalian repertory theater is based on the autobiographical novel of Wu Yunduo, "China's Paul Kochakin", which on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the party, is an ode to the ideals and beliefs and lofty spirit of the party's outstanding sons and daughters, as well as an ode to the revolutionary tradition that has been inherited in the century-old party history. The play makes full use of hypothetical artistic techniques, allowing Wu Yunduo and Paul Kochakin to conduct dialogues and exchanges across time and space, and processes part of the plot of the novel "How Steel is Made" into interspersed stage scenes, enhancing the expressiveness and lyricism of stage art.
"Activity Takes Human Form" is a novel written by Mr. Wang Meng in the 1980s. In August, the drama of the same name, adapted by Wen Fangyi and directed by Li Bonan, was staged in Beijing as the opening drama of the 5th Lao She Drama Festival. This drama put aside the veil of the warm pulse of the traditional family, showed people the pitiful and terrible mutual harm between family affection, and from the perspective of cultural and historical reflection, it unfolded the helplessness of family life, the sadness of people's situation, and the pain of human nature resisting and tearing in the special historical situation during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and created a series of successful artistic images such as Ni Wucheng, Jiang Jingyi, Jiang Jingzhen, and Jiang Zhao.
"Wild Bee Flying" is a youth drama adapted by Ouyang Yibing based on Huang Beijia's novel of the same name, directed by Zhong Hao and produced by Jiangsu Grand Theatre. Through the spiritual image of wild bees flying, the vast heart of the waterfall cloud, and the vigor and desolation of the old ginkgo tree, this drama shows the innocence and innocent love between the young girl Yellow Orange and the teenager Shen Tianlu, and also shows the fate of the home country and the innocent yearning of the cardamom years under the background of the War of Resistance. The "Fire Seal" performed by Xi'an Children's Art Theater is based on Cao Wenxuan's novel of the same name, directed by Wang Xiaoping. This children's drama with a sense of historical vicissitudes and national consciousness takes a rural child Powa and a pony Xueer as the protagonists, and structures the relationship between teenagers and his horses. Cher is a horse of humanity, and during the war, it was forced to be the war horse of the devil, and was branded with the fire mark of shame, but its heart always stayed by Powa's side, staying in its hometown next to the Great Lake. Powa eventually returned to his homeland with his horses, and there were great vicissitudes of the return of heroes.
Adaptations, recapitulations and interpretations of classics
In 2021, while the newly created repertoire continues to refresh its achievements, a number of plays with historical commemorative significance and classic quality have been rearranged and staged, such as the Tibet Repertory Theatre's "The Man Who Is Not Allowed to Be Born", the China Children's Art Theatre's "Ma Lanhua", the Zhejiang Repertory Theatre's "Who Is the Master of Ups and Downs", the Shaanxi People's Art Theatre's "Another Dawn", the Xi'an Drama Theatre's "Communist Manifesto", the Daqing Repertory Theatre's "Geologist", and the Henan Provincial Drama Theatre's "HongqiQu". In 2021, Beijing Yanghua Times Cultural Development Co., Ltd. rehearsed and performed "Like a Dream" in Wuhan, Qingdao, Changsha, Beijing and other places to complete nearly 30 tours.
In April, the Chongqing Drama Theatre rehearsed and performed the drama "Fog Chongqing" (Song Zhi's screenwriter and director Cha Mingzhe) during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Several young people from Beiping fled from the enemy-occupied areas to Chongqing with dreams of resisting the enemy and saving the country, and each of them had two selves in their hearts: one flying in the ideal utopia, and the other rolling in the quagmire of real life. This drama shows people in wartime, people's situation, helplessness, confusion, confusion and pain. A group of women in the play have the virtues of traditional Chinese women's kindness and forbearance, and have the self-pursuit of women's consciousness liberation and independent personality since May Fourth.
Children's Drama "Newsboy"
In September, the China Children's Art Theater rehearsed and performed "Newsboy", an excellent children's drama created in 1978, which was widely acclaimed and made into a film of the same name. On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Party, the rehearsal of this drama shows the quality of its cultural accumulation and the charm of the long-lasting renewal. After the drama revolved around the incident in southern Anhui, the newsboys of Chongqing's Xinhua Daily, under the leadership of Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai, fought with Kuomintang agents and policemen to find ways to expose the truth about the Kuomintang army's suppression of the New Fourth Army. This drama shows historical events through the perspective of children, with distinct themes, complete structures and vivid images.
In the autumn, the eastward expansion project of the Capital Theatre was successfully completed, the Beijing International Theater Center was completed, and the Caoyu Theater was located in it. On September 2, director Feng Yuanzheng premiered his opening drama "Sunrise". The new version of "Sunrise" does not reproduce the existing performance style, but wants to show new artistic creativity in the new theater. This version of Chen Bailu does not deliberately show the cheerful persona, but has a little more sobriety and calmness. The stage does not deliberately create a luxurious scene of a grand hotel, but focuses on setting off a cold and eerie dramatic atmosphere. In September, "Thunderstorm" directed by Pu Cunxin and Tang Ye was also staged at the Cao Yu Theater. The play strives to discover new character relationships and inner poetry, and to open up new expressive spaces for classic texts. The new performance adds a prologue and epilogue to unearth the inseparable feelings between people in tragic conflicts. In November, the new version of "Wilderness" directed by Yan Rui and performed by Beijing Renyi was performed. The stage of the new version of "Wilderness" is low, the clouds are turning, and the enemy tiger, whose mind is distorted by hatred, will eventually be buried in the tangible and invisible heart prison, and the gold dressed in red looks so flamboyant and dazzling in the wilderness. The play uses drum sounds, eight human figures, human silhouettes, etc. to show the connotations of mystery, darkness, fear and other situations.
In 2021, the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the China Writers Association were held, and the Chinese Drama Festival, Wuzhen Drama Festival, Daliangshan Drama Festival, Lao She Drama Festival, China Original Repertoire Invitation Exhibition, China Campus Drama Festival, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Chinese Drama Festival were carried out in an orderly manner in an online and offline manner, which played an encouraging role. In 2021, dramatic performances have made great strides, but some creative problems still need to be solved. Telling Chinese stories well on the stage of drama and vividly embodying the party's centennial journey requires not only political consciousness, cultural self-confidence, narrative strategy, and artistic conception, but also the charm of art in a typical image. Stage art still has a long way to go from the plateau to the peak, and we still need to constantly explore and innovate and push forward.
(The author is the director and researcher of the Drama Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts)