From March 27th to 29th, the 2024 World Theater Day series of activities was held in Langfang City, Hebei Province, China. This event is jointly organized by the International Theater Association (iti) and the Chinese Theater Association (cta), and hosted by the Langfang Silk Road International Art Exchange Center. The speaker of World Theater Day 2024 is Norwegian dramatist and novelist Jorn Fother, winner of last year’s Nobel Prize for Literature.
This year’s World Theater Day celebration returns to China after eight years and will be held at Menglangfang International Theater Park.
It is reported that World Theater Day was founded by the International Theater Association in 1961. Every year on this day, many countries will hold corresponding celebrations and carry out rich activities, including event meetings, celebration performances, seminars, and workshops.
Dialogue between Chinese and foreign dramatists: Theater Without Borders
"World Theater Day 2024 - Dialogue between Chinese and foreign dramatists" is one of the important activities of the 2024 World Theater Day celebrations. The event includes two major sections: "Keynote Speech" and "Roundtable Dialogue". Pu Cunxin, Chairman of the Chinese Theater Association and drama performing artist, World Theater Ambassador of the International Theater Association, Messager of the 2016 International Dance Day of the International Theater Association, Lemi Ponifasio, Founder of Mau Art Troupe, Messager, Director, and Actor of the 2011 World Theater Day of the International Theater Association , drama educator Jessica A. Kaahwa, writer and playwright Chen Yan, vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association and vice chairman of the Chinese Drama Association, etc. made keynote speeches.
This year’s Drama Day’s Messager, Jon Fother, wrote a message titled “Art is Peace”, which explores the relationship between art and peace and has become the theme of this Drama Day.
Pu Cunxin first extended holiday greetings to theater people around the world, paying special attention to theater people in areas suffering from war and social unrest. He believes that drama can reveal people's indomitable spirit and overcome national crises and their own difficulties. He called for peace and wished his foreign counterparts could overcome the difficulties and return to the stage. He emphasized the importance of drama education to the development of drama, and wished that drama art would prosper and develop and continue to produce excellent works.
Pu Cunxin spoke.
lemi ponifasio believes that today's cultural conflicts and crises need to be resolved by exploring and understanding the concepts of human nature in different cultural backgrounds. Theater has the potential to inspire change, provoke thought, and challenge the status quo, but artists need to overcome personal and external barriers, social expectations, and pressures to self-expression in the pursuit of impactful and transformative art. Artists should courageously embrace their roles as courageous agents of change, insight, and resistance, transcend traditional limitations and norms, explore existential inquiries, push boundaries in creative pursuits, and embrace a spirit of audacity, defiance, and ethical devotion. Dr
Jessica A.Kaahwa said: “Recognizing and embracing the complex nuances of various cultural contexts plays a central role in shaping engaging and impactful theatrical interventions. By digging deep into the richness of cultural influences, practitioners can skillfully weave to create narratives and performances that resonate deeply with diverse audiences and foster meaningful connections and conversations.” She emphasizes working with local communities to gain valuable insights into the incorporation of different cultural elements into productions to create performances that deeply touch audiences. . She also highlighted the benefits of the anthropological approach as it promotes mutual understanding and respect, transcends cultural boundaries and fosters genuine connections.
In his speech, Chen Yan emphasized the important role of drama in telling the story of human civilization. Drama is one of the earliest art forms to tell the story of civilization. It conveys the value of human civilization by telling the various challenges and conflicts faced by mankind and how mankind solves these problems through cooperation and communication. Drama has unique advantages in communicating the common spiritual emotions and ideological values of mankind. Therefore, dramatists should use the communication skills of drama to explore the "holding hands" that can eliminate barriers and enhance mutual understanding and trust. In his speech,
also mentioned two drama stories, one is the traditional Chinese opera classic "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" and the other is Shakespeare's drama "Romeo and Juliet". Both stories emphasize the importance of communication. importance in human life.Finally, Chen Yan called on dramatists to use the advantages of drama to tell stories that have both personal characteristics and universal human values, and continue to open the curtain of performances for ideals, justice, freedom, and peace.
Live
The roundtable dialogue session of the Drama Day has three forums. The topics are: drama is a bridge to connect people's hearts, drama is a medium for multicultural integration, and drama is a stage for youthful vitality. Chinese and foreign guests exchanged and discussed the above topics.
Vice Chairman of the Chinese Drama Association and Qinqiang performing artist Liu Ping hosted the dialogue - drama is a bridge that connects people's hearts. In this dialogue, participants and speakers discussed how drama can inspire emotional resonance between people and how to succeed It enables people from different backgrounds to establish profound spiritual connections across cultural and language barriers.
Hao Rong, professor and doctoral supervisor at the Central Academy of Drama, chaired a roundtable discussion that focused on the role of drama as a medium for multicultural integration and its important role in promoting cultural understanding and integration.
Drama is a stage where youthful vitality bursts out - this forum was hosted by Jin Opera performing artist Xie Tao, vice chairman of the Chinese Drama Association, and focused on the positive role of drama on the young generation. Chinese and foreign speakers shared their insights on how theater can become a stage for youthful vitality and promote creativity, self-expression and social participation.
Round table dialogue session
Chinese and foreign drama performances: entering the grand ceremony of drama
In the 2024 World Theater Day celebrations, Chinese and foreign theater troupes and art troupes brought rich and versatile performances.
"Town Cleaners" by the Chilean La Verilla Theater Company tells a story very much in the style of Chilean drama: a long time ago, on a mountain, there was a town composed of invisible beings, who were connected to each other through natural cycles. . These beings do not allow themselves to be seen, and occasionally they display actions that are energy cleansing for the town and its inhabitants.
"Town Cleaner"
The play "Adu Song" comes from Liangshan Cultural Tourism Group Wucai Yunxia Performing Arts, telling the story of "Adu Song" (Adu Gaxing) in the Adu area of the Yi ethnic group in Liangshan. The humorous, interesting and intelligent antiphonal songs of the young men and women here fully demonstrate their talents in the process of meeting, pursuing, dating and falling in love, showing their love for each other and the pain of missing each other, showing their world view, Outlook on life and values, as well as the denunciation of traditional concepts that restrict free love and the yearning for a better life.
The performance of "Adu's Ballad" was very contagious. The singer Jili Moziza's voice was ethereal and loud, making the audience in the theater hall feel like they were in an empty valley.
"The Ballad of Abdul"
"Send You a Little Plum Blossom" is a special performance of excerpts from classic traditional Chinese operas presented by the Chinese Drama Association's Little Plum Blossom Art Troupe, including: Peking Opera "I am a Peking Opera Little Plum Blossom" and "Jing Xing Xin" A collection of many classic traditional Chinese operas such as "Rui", Pu Opera "Lin Chong Runs at Night", Chu Opera "Watching Cake and Parading the Streets".
"Send You a Little Plum Blossom"
"Memory of Flowers" by Wild Ass Theater Company tells the memory of a man who is about to reach the end of his life. In his last dream, by meeting a mysterious person, he will have a chance. Seeing again the most beautiful love of his youth, she will lead him to his final path.
"Memory of Flowers"
French actor julien cottereau brought the play "Out of Nothing" and carefully created an artistic journey. The actor built a fantasy world full of vitality using only his body, voice and stage. The play "Kailos" produced by the Grotowski Academy in Poland and Wachowicz/fret Studio in Poland tells the story of the world of Kailos: there is no difference between day and night, no difference between earth and sky, no white and black, rich and poor. , the gap between strong and weak, and there is no distinction between appropriate and inappropriate; the Cuban modern dance company micompañía's play "Easy" visually and conceptually deeply explores the contemporary world and what humans need to rediscover or what is essential. The most important thing was questioned.
"Simplicity"
Zhejiang Wu Opera Art Institute's play "Broken Bridge" tells the story of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, who after fighting Fahai Sea at Jinshan Temple, walked to the West Lake in despair, and met Xu Xian escaping down Jinshan Mountain. "Broken Bridge" is a combination of literary and martial arts, serious drama and comedy. The stage movements are large and numerous, and it uses a variety of opera performance skills and kung fu to produce many thrilling and hilarious scenes. The stage is full of falls and falls, which is very interesting to watch. .
"Broken Bridge"
People's Drama
The core point of Mr. Fother's Drama Day speech is: Art is peace. This is a grand narrative. Whether it is an individual or a group, whether it is a race or culture, art needs to find It is a method and path from individual expression to universal expression. This is a function or even a tool. It is an instrumental rationality that is different from the spiritual level of creation itself. The Menlangfang International Theater Theme Park, the venue for this year’s World Theater Day, is also a full expression of the rationality of this tool of art. It has chosen drama art as a direct means to find commonalities in personality and seek commonality in a cultural background—— People’s drama, this is also the direct reason why Langfang was chosen for the 2024 World Theater Day Central Celebration.
The Chilean La Vella Theater Company performs for the crowd.
"Common People's Drama" is a kind of "drama for the whole population". Ordinary people "can participate, watch and co-create" and "enjoy, share and spread" with the masters. Drama cannot just be performed in the theater, but must be close to the audience, the community, and the campus. Drama creation should not only pursue grand themes and luxurious productions, but also be close to life.
In order to reflect the theme of "People's Drama", three workshops were set up in this World Theater Day celebration. They are: "Exploring the Interactive Relationship between Drama and Music", "Modern Dance Workshop", and "Body and Drama: An Actor's Inner Exploration". Participants in the workshop came from qfuntheater Children's Experimental Theater, Jinfan Art Troupe, Beiguo Drama Club and the Only Dream of Red Mansions·Drama Fantasy City performance team. The workshop was held in only three theaters of Dream of Red Mansions·Drama Fantasy City: Reader Theater Sixth Space, I Don’t Like Red Mansions Theater, and Sishui Guitang Theater.
French cross-border theater artist matthieu rauchvarger revealed the beauty of the integration of theater and cross-border art. Cuban choreographer Susana Pous led participants to experience the unique charm of Cuban choreography in depth, while Polish directors jarostaw fret and monika wachowicz deeply explored the skills of Polish directors. Essence.
In line with this, this celebration has specially arranged youth drama performances presented by folk children and youth drama groups, including "4.16km" performed by Beiguo Drama Club of Beijing Normal University and Jinfan Theater Troupe of Beijing Haidian Continuing Education Experimental School. It consists of excerpts from "Xianheng Hotel" performed by Beijing Qfun Children's Experimental Theater and "Compendium of Materia Medica" performed by Beijing Qfun Children's Experimental Theater. The performances of these three folk children and youth theater troupes will be performed in the specific theater of Dream of Red Mansions·Drama Fantasy City. This is why the Fantasy City Theater, as a specific drama space, is open to and performs "people's drama" represented by different groups and performance contents. The first pilot of reinvention and integration.
workshop
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