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play "Crocodile" book and film.
Poster for the drama "Crocodile".
Mo Yan (second from right) at the creative press conference.
"Crocodile", produced by Yanghua Drama and written by writer Mo Yan, will premiere at the Suzhou Bay Grand Theater on May 3, 2024, and will tour in more than 10 cities across the country. Recently, the stage creation conference of "Crocodile" was held at Beijing Normal University. Screenwriter Mo Yan, director Wang Keran, and many experts in drama and literature shared the highlights of the play and analyzed its significance in drama, literature, society, culture, etc.
In recent years, we have continuously introduced new original drama works, frequently appearing in the audience's field of vision, and continuing to bring vitality to stage art. How original dramas produce high-quality masterpieces and how to promote high-quality creations have also attracted attention from all parties.
Explore profound themes
"I want to learn from Shakespeare and become a playwright to distinguish myself from the two around me." Mo Yan made this vow when he visited Shakespeare's former residence with Yu Hua and Su Tong in 2019. Mo Yan's earliest literary work before becoming famous was a play. In recent years, he has successively participated in the creation of dramas such as "Our Jing Ke", "Farewell My Concubine" and "Red Sorghum".
"I have been a loyal drama enthusiast since I was a child. I have seen many dramas and opera works through various opportunities, and even played some small roles, leaving a deep memory of the drama stage. Therefore, I think I should write Several drama works repay the kindness of drama in nurturing literature." Mo Yan shared his love for drama with the audience at the creative press conference.
"Crocodile" was conceived and carefully created by Mo Yan for more than ten years. The story uses an infinitely growing, talking crocodile to unearth the secrets of human nature and deeply explore the theme of "desire". The work combines imaginative dramatic conflict design and unique "Mo Yan-style magic" to deeply interpret the complex psychology of "people" sinking in desire and hoping for redemption in the sinking.
Zhang Qinghua, executive director of the International Writing Center of Beijing Normal University and president of the Chinese Contemporary Literature Research Association, believes that "Crocodile" runs through the expression methods from Shakespeare's great drama tradition to O'Neill's modernist drama, and connects Molière's comedy tradition and Chinese classics The tragic tradition of Yuan Zaju is a play that combines tradition and modernity, tragedy and comedy, solemnity and humor, reality and magic.
Regarding Mo Yan’s transformation from novelist to playwright, Chen Jun, director of the Department of Drama at Shanghai Theater Academy, pointed out that Mo Yan’s plays retain the characteristics, strengths, experience and wisdom of his novel aesthetics, and his scripts have rich humanistic value. Full of redemption, repentance and help. "I think there are two lives in drama: literature and stage. I hope that "Crocodile" can have a superimposed effect."
The stage presentation is exciting
This time "Crocodile" is produced by Yanghua Drama and directed by Wang Keran, artistic director of Yanghua Drama. Serve as director. As a first-class private drama production team in China, Yanghua has produced works such as "Thunderstorm", "After the Thunderstorm", "Beijingers", "Love Letter" and "Dream Like a Dream" in recent years. "This is a very good script that I have rarely encountered in the past 20 years of drama work. It is a drama with complex and exquisite action." Wang Keran said, "There is something in the play that seems to be nothing on the surface, but the core is extremely The powerful and profound 'protagonist' - light. Every character is chasing this 'light' in his heart."
In order to create this annual drama, Yanghua Drama specially invited many senior actors to participate, including actors Zhao Wenxuan, Zhang Kaili, Deng Cuiwen, etc. .
Taiwanese actor Zhao Wenxuan plays the protagonist Shan Wuxian. He said that he was puzzled by the image of crocodile at first, but he became more and more fascinated and searched a lot of information on the Internet.
Actor Zhang Kaili plays Shan Wuzang's wife "Qiao Ling" in the drama. She said that compared to her previous performances in the TV series "The World" and "In the Name of the People", the wife in "Crocodile" is a bigger role for her. challenges.Hong Kong actor Tang Cui-man said that it was even more difficult to figure out every line written by Mr. Mo Yan. "I had to know what she said on the surface and what she was thinking in her heart; what can be expressed and what cannot be expressed."
Vice President of the Central Opera House Mo Hong, crosstalk actor Bai Kainan, actors Li Zonglei, Fu Xing, Lin Zihao, etc. will all participate.
The actors explained their understanding of the script and characters at the creative press conference. "Grotowski said that actors have to show the audience what they are most afraid of showing in their hearts. We have to face this fear and dig it out." Li Zonglei said.
The narrative method of "Crocodile" is very rare in traditional drama creation. This narrative method requires the creator to use detailed and rich techniques to depict the characters, so as to deeply describe the complex "gray" behind human nature and explore the depth of human nature. Yang Zi, associate researcher at the Shanghai Art Research Center, believes that the characters in "Crocodile" are enough to break the audience's presuppositions, thereby bringing freshness, difference and aesthetic impact to the audience.
Mo Yan's novels are usually composed of numerous characters, multiple spaces and long time spans, which shock people. Different from this, the scene of the drama "Crocodile" is very concentrated, the characters only appear in one living room, and the time span is relatively short. "This is a very dramatic treatment. It can be said that this play uses a beautiful story and a weird stage to explore a profound theme." In the view of playwright Li Jing, this will be a perfect collaboration, and Yang Hua The stage presentation of the drama, especially the design of the "crocodile", is very exciting.
Adhere to high-quality creation
In recent years, a series of original drama works have been welcomed by people, expanding the vitality of stage art.
Many people in the industry and experts pointed out that excellent original dramas must carefully polish the scripts and tell good stories. Thick and profound stories are not only fascinating, but also able to withstand the wear and tear of time. Yanghua's version of "A Dream Like a Dream" begins with a new doctor listening to the dying "Patient No. 5" telling his life story, with stories and dreams nested layer by layer. The closely linked characters and plots travel through hundreds of years, the story line spans from the Republic of China to modern times, and the background of the story blends China and the West. Life and death, freedom and restraint, illusion and reality interweave and collide, allowing the audience to touch the complex texture of life and history. While watching the play, the audience also saw a metaphor for themselves and the fate of mankind.
Poly Cinema's "Tribute to the Masters" series has successively launched works by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Cao Yu and other masters in recent years, and now it is about to welcome works by Mo Yan. Zhang Chaohui, deputy general manager of Beijing Poly Theater Management Co., Ltd., said: "While building theaters in various places, we strive to build each theater into a cultural living room of the city, so that artistic works can nourish the audience."
In addition to fascinating stories, original dramas also need Constantly innovate, apply new aesthetics and new technologies to stage design and plot arrangement, deeply feel the pulse of the development of the times, and present the contemporary value of drama. In Wang Keran's view, original dramas cannot simply sell skills, let alone simply use stars. All skills and stars need to serve the core of the drama.
"The core of drama is to form a spiritual help plan for the audience through theater means." Wang Keran said, "Excellent original drama cannot simply tear apart life, nor can it shout and abuse. Its important direction is to warm people's future life. Hope encourages people to have all their great and lofty dreams, which is the direction forward for drama."
In addition, rooting China's excellent traditional culture and enhancing exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are also the essence of the development of original Chinese dramas. With international tours, international art festivals, and Sino-foreign joint productions, in recent years, the exchanges between Chinese and foreign dramas have become increasingly diverse and in-depth. Chinese original dramas have gained a broader perspective in exchanges between China and foreign countries, helping to spread Chinese culture.
Industry insiders pointed out that only by adhering to high-quality creations and continuously launching drama works can we inject a steady stream of vitality into stage art.
Wang Chunmei, member of the branch party group and deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Dramatists Association, said that Mo Yan is a literary giant and a good friend of the Chinese drama community. Yanghua Drama is a drama art group that the drama community has long contacted and paid attention to. We hope that this powerful alliance will It can leave a contemporary classic for Chinese drama.
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