Author: Hao Rong (Dean of the Central Academy of Drama)
The National Arts Foundation’s 2020 stage art creation funding project-the large-scale original drama “Children of the Storm” was successfully staged in April, and the first round of performances was successfully concluded. In response to the enthusiastic response from the market, the second round of performances will be launched in June, and the tour during the summer vacation is also under active preparation. As the original play of the Central Academy of Drama Experimental Troupe, the first step has been taken, and the pace is steady, which is gratifying.
Stills of the drama “Children of the Storm” File photo
The gestation time of this play is exactly the same as the development pace of the experimental troupe of the Central Academy of Drama after the restoration of the organizational system, and the restoration of the organizational system of the experimental troupe is exactly the need of the development of the times. Drama art has played a vital role in the great moment of the rise and fall of a nation and the rise and fall of a country. Comrade Mao Zedong, a revolutionary of the older generation, was fond of opera, and Comrade Zhou Enlai was the backbone of Nankai New Theater Troupe. During the Yan’an period when wars were raging and food and clothing were scarce, Yan’an Luyi opened a drama major, formed a troupe, and created and performed a large number of drama works. After the founding of New China, the Academy of Drama was first established in 1950. Comrade Mao Zedong personally appointed dramatist Ouyang Yuqian as the dean and wrote the name of the school in his own hand. Soon after the establishment of the school, a drama troupe was established, which merged with the Beijing Renyi Drama Troupe to form the Beijing People’s Art Theater. In 1956, with graduates as the main body, the Academy established the Experimental Theater of the Central Academy of Drama, which is active in social performances…
The well-known movie “Children of the Wind and Cloud” was written by Tian Han. It tells the story of young people based on Tian Han from the study to the cross street, from the ivory tower to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War. The drama “Children of the Wind and Cloud” actually started a new one, telling the story of Tian Han’s own life. The course of struggle not only writes about the relationship between children and children in the age of prosperity, but also highlights the aspirations of the family and the country, emphasizing the values and life choices of a generation of people with lofty ideals. In the play, the passion, love, friendship, husband-wife relationship, and mother-daughter relationship in the revolution all have a strong appeal.
Tian Han’s love affair is the true expression of his poetic temperament. The reason why he and An’e’s emotions can collide is because they have very consistent pursuits in educational background, revolutionary ideas, and life ideals. They have long since grown from a small love to a great love in the world, and they have closely linked their personal emotions with the destiny of the country. Connected, their love is romantic and sublime. Walking out of the love of children and raising clothes and climbing hills is not only the general spiritual outlook of revolutionary literary and art workers of that era, but also reflects the important tradition of Chinese classical literature-“strength of character”.
The friendship between Tian Han and the young and promising Nie Er, and the chivalrous and tender Minister Pan and others are also very touching, showing us a three-dimensional Tian Han who is surrounded by love and writing about love and passion.
In order to strengthen the theme of “value choice”, the main creator of the drama “Children of the Wind and Cloud” made an overall display of Tian Han’s life in the form of a biography; for the sake of integrity, he abandoned the way of the plot from the beginning to the climax, and finally broke out , using a narrative drama, which laid a poetic tone for the style of the whole play. This period of changing historical clues is complex and there are many characters. How to structure is a test of the main creator. The play chooses more than a dozen scenes to be narrated in fragments, and each fragment is highly condensed. The play also uses a considerable number of monologues and narrations, and uses the role of narrators and choirs to tell the story, which not only has a sense of history and logic of reality, but also provides more for the connection of plots and the richness of expression techniques. Space also achieves Brecht’s “alienation effect”. This kind of presentation makes the scene numerous, but not messy, and makes the amount of information larger, but the context is clear.
The performance of the actors pays more attention to poetic expression and sense of form, and the solid basic skills of drama actors are reflected in the processing of vocal cavity and line performance. And the matching stage, lighting, music and sound are also harmonious and unified in the whole director’s conception, making the performance complete and smooth.
“Children of the Wind and Cloud” seems to be a work that goes back to history, but it undoubtedly has distinct reality. At the historical node of the world‘s major changes unseen in a century, we are still facing complex and severe challenges. , an inevitability to integrate militancy and revolution into life and career choices. As a path to open up the soul, literature and art take on the important mission of gathering spiritual power. From these aspects, the practical significance of the play is particularly important.
The rehearsal of “Children of the Wind and Cloud” promoted the display of the teaching achievements of the integration of industry, learning and research, and played an active role in exploring the socialization function of campus performances. Looking back, Ouyang Yuqian ran a drama school and a drama research institute, established a theater troupe, and built a theater while acting. Tian Han ran an art academy and organized drama performances. Many drama seniors longed for a theater troupe and theater all their lives It is a four-in-one drama institution of , research institute and school. The restoration of “Children of the Wind and Cloud” and the experimental troupe is the process of realizing these dreams one by one.
The premiere of the drama “Children of the Wind and Cloud” can be regarded as a starting point for the original drama of the experimental theater troupe. The young oriole’s first crowing inevitably has immature and jerky features. For example, the ending scene can be more closely linked to the main line and theme of the whole play. , Light and dark rhythm changes can be richer and more flexible, and so on. As a living art, stage art will become more and more perfect if it has a good foundation.
“Guangming Daily” (version 16, June 7, 2023)
[
责编：张悦鑫 ]