COSMO Exclusive Dialogue with Actor and Artist: Chen Minghao.
The first time I saw Chen Minghao was on a sleepy-eyed morning, at six o'clock, just in the middle of the day, he was roasting whole sheep on the beach. It's not the story of a star's down-and-out stall, but rather the fact that he's finishing up his early play "Galileo by the Sea I.+II.+III." at the Aranya Theater Festival, like an aunt in a university cafeteria. Theatre lovers, curators, and art advisors from all over the country and even from all over the world are surrounded by well-known actors.
If someone had said five years ago, "Chinese theatre will create a huge storm among young people." "Probably you don't believe it.
To this day, drama seems to be really alive and popular in China.
The key plays of major theater festivals are often sold out on the day of ticket opening. Whether it is the passing of the torch of the Chinese Theatre Festival, the full swing of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, or the resonance of art and community set off by the Aranya Theatre Festival, "watching opera" has long become a topic and lifestyle that young people cannot avoid.
A discerning person may say that "drama" is only a clear eye, and the drunkard does not mean to drink.
More often than not, tourism companies or real estate companies want to use the influence of theatre and art to create a unique brand label for the local area and add value to the brand image.
That's true, but it's a good business for cultural tourism. If you want to create China's own top theater festivals such as the Avignon Theater Festival in France and the Berlin Art Festival, the road ahead is also bright.
2023 Wuzhen Theater Festival Character Parade ▐
The breadth of the audience also means the controversies that ensued. What exactly is drama about? What can be expressed? What to pass? Who can get what kind of empathy? With questions, COSMO has a special conversation with Chen Minghao, a representative figure of contemporary Chinese theater.
Most of the audience's impressions of Chen Minghao are still in the stage of movies and TV series, and there are many familiar scenes with his shadow. His fascinating performances in "Sand Sea" and "Restart the Extreme Sea Listening to Thunder" under the IP of "Tomb Robbery Notes" are called by the audience: the best version of Wang Fatzi.
Excerpt from the TV series "Sand Sea".
Lu Ziye, a bankrupt wealthy businessman in "Becoming Famous", Harvey, who is serious and funny in "This Killer is Not Calm", and Captain Ma Desheng, who came out of the circle with his amazing acting skills in "The Long Season", all made him brush his face in front of audiences of all ages. As everyone knows, in fact, Chen Minghao's fate with drama has long been foreshadowed, after the graduation drama "The Marriage of Figaro", he has been focused on drama for a long time.
Excerpt from the movie "This Killer is Not Calm"▐
not only participated in many famous dramas such as "Teahouse", "The Seventh Day" and "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Spring", but also became a drama screenwriter and director himself. His films "Romeo and Juliet by the Sea", "Red", and "Galileo by the Sea I.+II.+III." were hard to find as soon as they went on sale.
As the director of the Aranya Theater Festival who has attracted the most attention and is the most good at playing gimmicks, he said bluntly: "I enjoy all the uncertainty, it is dangerous, but danger has sparks." ”
Chen Minghao is passionate about the uncertainty brought about by experimental theater, which comes from human and natural.
In the first year of the Aranya Theater Festival, the first performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Sea, which started at 3 a.m., was a big hit, and the next day the performance was controversial. The play is the same play, the cast is the same, the only difference is that the next day it rained heavily and there was no sunrise.
"Romeo and Juliet by the Sea" Little Red Book @ Elsa Sha▐
The climax of "Hai Luo Zhu" comes from the fact that the play faces east, with the beach and the sea as the curtain, and the performance ends at exactly 5:30. With the phrase "That's the East, Juliet is the sun." The sun slowly rises over the sea. At this point, it doesn't matter whether the play itself is wonderful or not. Only when the sun rises at the moment when the actor reads the line is crucial for the audience.
When the natural environment becomes an important part of the drama, the creator also has to accept the unknown brought about by uncertainty. Xiaohongshu @ Elsa Sha▐
After this year's "Galileo by the Sea I.+II.+III." announced that the venue would be an indoor theater, many viewers thought that Chen Minghao had learned the "lesson" of the previous rainstorm. Unexpectedly, this person "knew his mistakes and did not change" and started a rally famous for his drama.
A drama is divided into three sections by Director Chen, following the ups and downs of the protagonist's life, which starts in the early morning, noon, and evening of the day, also known as the "triptych drama". Looking at the aftermath on the Internet, no one seems to be able to tell what this play is about, everyone only remembers watching the play and managing three meals a day and Jiang Sida, the god of beauty who can't be ignored.
Xiaohongshu @ Yu Boya▐
Roasted whole lamb in the morning, noodles at noon, beer and roast goose in the evening have become a unique scenery of the theater festival.
Some people say that the drama that only makes people remember the gimmick is doomed to failure. Chen Minghao said bluntly: "Whether it is a surprise or a bad can be judged by yourself, and the unique feeling is the meaning of drama." What I want to convey is that I hope you can enjoy life and enjoy the charm of food. This is what Galileo longed for the most, and in the process of enjoying it, you have become the character itself. Drama is no longer important. ”
Swipe to see more: When the morning sun spills into the drama, romance and divinity are on the verge of blowing. The picture comes from Xiaohongshu @ Xiao Dingchen, Chen Minghao ▐
Even if you can't understand the play, it doesn't matter, the audience can enjoy these three meals, and Chen Minghao will be satisfied.
Some people say that Chen Minghao will of course be satisfied, because he has earned enough gimmicks. Jiang Sida's addition made the discussion gradually increase in "seconds", catching horses, grotesque, and crazy......
"Jiang Sida is a person who likes to embrace danger, and every scene incorporates his own improvisation, and each performance is different. His improvisation, his 'madness', including the gimmicks he brings, are all part of the play. Chen Minghao said.
Some of Jiang Sida's bizarre behaviors at the scene brought huge traffic to the entire theater festival. The GIF is taken from Xiaohongshu @小黑mk▐
He calmly accepted the matter of relying on God's mood to enjoy food, and in the face of traffic and public opinion, he also tried his best to show indifference: "I admit that it is dangerous to hand over the stage to "God". But the creators of avant-garde theater must be people who like to embrace danger (and uncertainty). ”
When we think about how to describe Chen Minghao, we suddenly realize that "art" and "director" do not seem to be appropriate.
Director, a profession that requires planning and constant planning, Chen Minghao likes danger and improvisation. In 2019, he played Wang Lifa in Meng Jinghui's drama "Teahouse", and he had an improvisation that said: "I don't want to act anymore, it's boring." Do you know what I'm playing? Don't pretend, I don't even know what I'm playing? ”
"The Seventh Day" is a drama directed by Meng Jinghui and adapted from Yu Hua's novel of the same name
It was difficult for the audience to judge for a while whether he was still in the play.
When you want to talk about art and imagination, he talks to you about pragmatism.
"The audience's experience is the most intuitive. They don't go too far into what goes through behind a play and how many people's efforts have been gathered, they only pay attention to what the play and this festival wants to show them, whether it's good or not. He said, "I still want to make art that can be understood, and it is more important to find logic first than anything else." ”
Soon after, Chen Minghao participated in "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Spring", which will meet you again▐
Chen Minghao is obviously contradictory to art that is pretentious and mysterious, and "art" dominated by capital, traffic, clichés and philosophy, and a deliberately full of guilt and pain.
It is this contradiction that also attracts a group of "Chen Minghao" audiences.
They express their boredom in disappointment in the routine, and curse God for not being beautiful when the exception comes.
They can also celebrate without a cause, at four o'clock in the morning, at the scene of Galileo. Why, I don't know, it's most important to be happy! How is this not the charm of Chen Minghao-style drama?
Image source: Douban / Xiaohongshu / Internet