Original title: Maintaining the vitality of innovation and living up to the audience’s expectations. Cantonese opera actors perform on the water stage of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Art Museum. Published by Xinhua News Agency [Narration] Narrator: Zeng Xiaomin, Director of the

Original title: Maintain the vitality of innovation and live up to the audience's expectations

Cantonese opera actors perform on the water stage of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Art Museum. Xinhua News Agency issued

[narration]

Narrator: Zeng Xiaomin, director of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theatre.

In recent years, I have noticed with joy that many young faces have joined the audience who come to watch Cantonese opera. Not long ago, our Cantonese opera spring class at the Guangdong Cantonese Theater went to Maoming, Guangdong to perform in the countryside. Theater fans born in the 1990s and 2000s came from Shanghai, Hebei, Hong Kong and other places, as well as college students from surrounding areas who came to watch the show.

As the director of the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater and a Cantonese opera actor who has been performing on the front line all year round, I know that in order to attract the younger generation of audiences and rejuvenate the ancient traditional art of Cantonese opera, we must "take the initiative." In the accumulation of practice, we have formed a core innovative concept - combining the traditional essence of Cantonese opera with modern aesthetics.

In the past few years, we have re-arranged and re-performed many classic traditional plays, focusing on finding details in traditional plays that resonate with the times and deepening them, and "purified" the essence of the play. In terms of performance, atmosphere music, The goal of meticulous creation in terms of costume styling and other aspects is to be closer to the aesthetics of modern audiences without losing the traditional charm of Cantonese opera. In the creation of some new works, we will conduct some cross-border cooperation and integrate arts from different fields such as pop music, hip-hop music, symphony, modern dance, etc., to highlight the diversified expression and expression of Cantonese opera.

Among the cross-border fusion works, our exploration of Cantonese opera films has been fruitful. Over the years, there has been no shortage of opera films in various genres, but they are often put into inventory after the premiere as a data collection. Letting opera movies into the eyes of young people has become our goal of innovation in Cantonese opera movies. We have a clear consensus - Cantonese opera films should not only have fascinating storylines and retain the essence of Cantonese opera, but at the same time, they should also try to be cinematic and precise in visual expression, rather than a film and television presentation of stage operas.

The first film in our innovative Cantonese opera trilogy, "The Legend of White Snake: Love", successfully broke the box office record in the history of Chinese opera films. When it was first released, the promotion of the film was relatively weak, and the film schedule was not ideal, but in the end the box office was still It has reached more than 30 million yuan, and also received more than 19 million views and a rating of 9.9 on station B. This is mainly due to the spontaneous and enthusiastic promotion of young people. The success of "The Legend of White Snake" made me see the huge potential of Cantonese opera movies. Currently, our second Cantonese opera film "The Lady of Qiao" has been produced and is about to be released, and our third Cantonese opera film "The Red Turban" is also being planned. These three plays were adapted and filmed on the basis that the stage version was well received by the audience.

In addition to these explorations, in recent years I have been advocating the development of Cantonese opera in small theaters. The experimental and intimate nature of the small theater provides us with a free and innovative space to explore new performance forms and repertoire content in an eclectic way. For example, the classic Cantonese opera "Flower of the Emperor" is a classic that is familiar to Chinese people all over the world. Its plot is well laid out and the whole play lasts three and a half hours. I have been thinking about how we can use the vision of our generation to reshape "The Flower of the Emperor" and pay tribute to the classics with our understanding and expression, so the small theater Cantonese opera "The Flower of the Emperor" was born.

In order for traditional art to enter the daily lives of young people, education and popularization activities must become a normal state. Over the years, the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater's "Cantonese Opera in Schools" program has been in full swing. More than 100 activities are held every year. We bring different styles of plays to universities, middle schools and primary schools to perform and teach the profound historical and cultural connotations behind opera; in 2022 and In 2023, the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theater also held two "Guangdong Youth Cantonese Opera Summer Camps". Nearly a hundred campers not only learned Cantonese opera knowledge, but also experienced singing, reading, acting, fighting and costume performances, immersing themselves in the charm of Cantonese opera.

In terms of communication methods, traditional opera was once relatively closed. My colleagues and I are well aware of the importance of using new media for communication.We actively use social media accounts to share behind-the-scenes footage of makeup, practice, and performances, etc. from time to time. We also upload our latest works to share our experiences with netizens. Through these flexible channels, more people have seen the beauty of Cantonese opera art.

Young people's love for opera is not something that can be achieved through unilateral efforts, but is something that happens over time and subtly. The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the inheritance and development of China’s excellent traditional culture. Governments at all levels have many supporting policies. If we have themes and works we want to create, we can realize our dreams by applying for support. The operation and market of Cantonese opera are becoming increasingly stable. I am very interested in it. The future development of Cantonese opera is very optimistic.

I think that only by constantly innovating and improving creative standards can we meet the continued expectations of the audience. I encourage my team to boldly explore new performance forms and content, and strive to present every work with high-quality artistic standards. It is hoped that these efforts will contribute to the inheritance and development of Cantonese opera and provide a reference for the innovation of other traditional arts. I believe that as long as we continue to explore and try, traditional art can shine brilliantly in modern society.

(Compiled by our reporters Tang Yige and Wu Chunyan)

(Guangming Daily)