Beijing News (Reporter Liu Zhen) Recently, two small theater plays "Bench" and "Hamlet" produced by Beijing People's Art Theater have appeared on the stage of Beijing International Drama Center People's Art Theater and Beijing People's Art Experimental Theater.
Stills from "Hamlet". Photography: Li Chunguang
In the past year or so, the new stage play "Hamlet", which was the first to be performed by the Beijing People's Art Theater, has not only been performed for two rounds, but also went to Macau to participate in the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University in April this year. The Bay Area Chinese Drama Culture Festival received high praise from Macau audiences. The youthful cast, creative interpretation, and interesting interactions make this ancient work closely connected with the current audience.
In 2023, Beijing People's Art Institute hatched this brand-new work from the assessment of young actors. Feng Yuanzheng serves as the artistic director and Yang Jiayin directs. The play changes the traditional revenge story, removes Hamlet's princely halo, and focuses on expressing his inner hesitation and struggle, thereby projecting everyone's growth and confusion, and the courage to find their own way out. There are only four actors in the whole play who play many roles in the play. Wei Jiacheng, Zhang Yezi, Wang Junqi, and Fang Yangfei each play multiple roles. On the stage, there is the more life-like Prince Hamlet, the emotionally delicate Ophelia and the contradictory Queen, the inner struggling King Claudius and the funny actors, and the father and son Polonius and Laertes who have their own missions. These role transformations do not rely on external costumes, but are completed through a symbolic prop in the actor's hand, or a turn or head in the actor's actions. The audience can be brought into new characters through the emotional changes of the actors on stage.
Stills from "Hamlet", the "work style" costumes worn by the actors bring a modern image. Photography: Li Chunguang
Entering the theater, the "underground city" composed of pipes, cement walls, etc. allows the audience to break the impression of the original scene; the "work clothes style" costumes worn by the actors bring a modern image; throughout the performance The song is always original, creating a contrast between the sharpness of the lyrics and the warmth of the melody; a play-within-a-play full of game-like transplantation of passages from the original work with a more modern feel, and the game-like live atmosphere and interactive form make the audience Participate in the situation of the play and become part of the performance. Such imaginative stage performance conveys the thinking of the creators while being interesting. It leads the audience to have a dialogue with their own hearts while having a dialogue with classics. It is reported that this round of performances of the play will last until August 11.
Another work, the play "The Bench" is a masterpiece by the Russian playwright Geliman. It is often used as a classic teaching piece in acting classes in major art schools. In 2022, Beijing People's Art Theater will put this work on stage to commemorate the "40th anniversary of small theater drama" in my country. Feng Yuanzheng serves as the artistic director, young actor Yang Jiayin directs, and Yu Zhen and Xin Yue co-star. Such a small theater work with only two people, through the closeness and testing of two characters, a man and a woman, reveals the dilemma of the sexes and touches the truth of life.
Stills from "The Bench". Photography: Li Chunguang
Although the two characters in the play have typical Russian character characteristics, they do not have the sense of distance brought by foreign dramas, "because our creation does not limit the focus to the problems of men, women, or middle-aged people." , but focus on human issues," director Yang Jiayin said. During the interpretation process, the director and actors used the discussion of human nature as the starting point to give the work practical significance, allowing the audience to follow the lies exposed one after another, feel the dramatic conflicts, see the human heart, and find the truth of life that they understand together. .
Stills of "The Bench", the open ending of the play gives the audience endless reverie. Photography: Li Chunguang
After the previous two rounds of performances, "The Bench" has received positive feedback from experts and audiences, especially the open ending of the play that gave the audience endless reverie. "He and She in the play are like two mirrors, reflecting society, and have something to do with each of us. "The Bench" leaves the position of thought to the audience, and what you want may be an extension of the drama."This time it will be staged again. In addition to the further improvement of the actors' performances and the delivery of more refined lines and rhythms to the audience, there is also a new surprise, which is the open ending of the whole play, which will bring a new twist to the audience. “In this round of performances, we have a bold attempt. Director Yang Jiayin said, "Who is lying?" Maybe a play from a man's play, directed by a woman. "The creators hope to leave such suspense to the audience and extend the thinking of this play beyond the theater.
It is reported that this round of performances of "The Bench" will last until August 4.
Editor Wu Longzhen
Proofreading Yang Lee
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