The art of Peking opera, embrace young audiences (decoding, cultural heritage and colorful life)
Core reading
Incorporating modern stage art in performances, attracting fans on short video platforms, rooting in campuses to promote opera art... The innovative performance methods of Peking Opera troupes in various places not only respond to the needs of young audiences, but also add new impetus to the inheritance of Peking opera art.
Beijing Tianyuan Grand Theater tries to cross-border integration
Fashionable Peking Opera Performance
Our reporter Wei Wei
On August 22, Tianleyuan Grand Theater in Dongcheng District, Beijing opened its doors for business, and many young people came here to take pictures specially.
In order to prepare for the replay, Ma Yingying, the founder of Beijing Appearance Culture Media Co., Ltd., often responds to work information at four or five in the morning.
"Tian Le Yuan Grand Theater has a history of more than two hundred years, and Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu have both performed here." When it comes to the history of Tian Le Yuan, Ma Yingying is a treasure.
Starting in 2019, Beijing Show Culture Media Co., Ltd. will transform it into a Peking Opera Experience Hall, and become a Peking Opera themed space that includes resident performances, Peking Opera Museum, Peking Opera cultural and creative derivatives, and Peking Opera interactive experience.
Ma Yingying used to be a drama program director.
She believes that to allow Peking Opera to embrace young people, one can try to combine Peking Opera with modern elements to develop fashionable Peking Opera.
On the basis of inheriting the essence of Peking Opera performance, the cross-border integration of Peking Opera with rock, opera, ballet, and street dance from multiple perspectives such as stage beauty, lighting, costumes, and decorations, allows the art of Peking Opera to enter the lives of young people in a new way.
The fashionable Peking opera "Thirteen Must-sees" promoted by Tianyuan Garden combines the wonderful content of classic Peking opera repertoires such as "Guan Gongtai", "Farewell My Concubine" and "Drunken Concubine", while using modern music, special effects and other performance techniques.
A post-00 viewer who watched a Peking opera performance for the first time said: "The lighting effects are very good. It is similar to watching a 3D movie in a movie theater, with the taste of an immersive performance."
It has been closed for 8 months, and now it has re-appeared. In addition to the original Peking Opera collection exhibition, the Tianleyuan Grand Theater has also added non-genetic inheritors' live broadcast and live interaction.
Next, the theater will also collaborate with brands that young people like to launch related cultural and creative products.
Tianyuan also opened a youth experience program, allowing children to experience the quintessence of Chinese beauty, increase their knowledge of Peking opera, and experience the charm of Peking opera in the process of "seeing, listening, appreciating, learning and knowing".
In Ma Yingying's view, the inheritance of Peking Opera culture is a prerequisite for a successful business model.
"By incorporating new elements, Peking Opera can embrace more audiences and adapt to market needs. At the same time, the business model will also feed back Peking Opera and let it bloom the glory of the times." Ma Yingying said.
Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre operates social media to attract young fans
Open new space for inheritance
Our reporter Cao Lingjuan
On Douyin, Shanghai Peking Opera actor Li Jun is interacting with netizens.
On the short video platform where young people gather, this old student of the Yang school popularizes opera knowledge, demonstrates performances, demonstrates and rehearses daily...
The actors of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre are no strangers to online performances.
During the epidemic prevention and control period, “we work at home, practice exercises at home, and'see you on the cloud' with netizens to popularize the art of Peking opera, increase the popularity of actors, and cultivate new audiences.” said Zhang Fan, director of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater.
Chen Shaoyun, 72-year-old Qipai veteran and winner of the Shanghai Literature and Art Award "Lifetime Achievement Award", sang the excerpt of "The raccoon for the prince" during the live broadcast, while the apprentices interacted with netizens.
Mei Pai Tsing Yi Shi Yihong demonstrated basic skills training on Douyin, playing a beautiful sword flower, attracting netizens to applaud.
Young actor Wang Peiyu also tried to launch a personal Peking opera talk show, opening up a new position outside the theater.
In addition to live interaction, the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre has also moved its rich theater image resources online.
Previously, the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre spent 4 years repairing more than 14,000 photos of famous artists, including group photos of Peking Opera masters such as Mei Lanfang, Ma Lianliang, and Cheng Yanqiu.
Currently, these precious photos are being released on the Internet.
At the same time, the "House Family Appreciation of Opera" series of videos updated daily, released a large number of wonderful performance clips of famous Peking opera artists.
Among them, "Four Five Flower Caves" is the only work that the four famous artists have collaborated. The version performed at the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre in 1987 is particularly precious.
Equipped with subtitles and guided tour texts, not only will the old fanciers feast their eyes, but also let more people understand Peking Opera.
From online concerts to the "Wandering" Peking Opera Museum, from special martial arts shows to the Secret Theater, from a single platform to multiple platforms at the same time... the number of fans of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater, which is a new media of "learning and training", is increasing. It opens up a huge space for interaction between traditional opera and youth groups.
On the Bilibili video website, 70% of the fans of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre are young people under the age of 30, and the "House Family Appreciation Drama" series of videos have been played a total of 2.53 million times.
The number of Weibo fans of the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre has also increased from 20,000 at the beginning of this year to 110,000 today.
"Artists are very thoughtful and willing to change themselves and adapt to the current cultural communication ecology." Zhang Fan said: "Our goal is to open up new spaces, connect with the aesthetics of the times, promote Peking opera, and inherit excellent traditional culture. We also hope that through action , So that more audiences can walk into the theater and feel the charm of Peking Opera."
Tianjin University Peking Opera Union promotes opera art
Nourish love on campus
Our reporter Zhu Hong
The wind of early autumn is comfortable and cool.
When passing by the Friendship Lake of Tianjin University, Liu Kun likes to listen to the hanging voices of Peking opera brought by the breeze.
The teacher of the Academic Affairs Office of Tianjin University, although only in his early 30s, has been an old fancier for more than ten years.
When I was a child, I listened to Lu Opera with my father, and then slowly became fascinated by Peking Opera. His spare time in college was also used by him to learn Chengpai's performance.
In 2014, Liu Kun served as the president of Beiyang Qiushi Peking Opera Club of the Peking Opera Troupe of Tianjin University.
There is a saying in Liyuanxing: "Beijing learns opera, Tianjin sings popular, Shanghai earns money."
Beiyang Qiushi Peking Opera Club is also not simple-it is one of Tianjin's first top ten Peking Opera box office winners, with nearly 20 core members.
For many years, Beiyang Qiushi Peking Opera Club has insisted on weekly rehearsals.
The long rhyme of the song and the crisp sound of the sandal board attracted many teachers and students to wait and see.
At the time, Zhang Jincheng, a student of the Department of Management and Economics of Tianjin University, was attracted by Jinghu.
He had studied Jinghu from elementary school, and the Peking Opera Club felt that he was good at it, and specially asked the teacher of Tianjin Peking Opera Theater for special guidance.
The Peking Opera Club performs many repertoires every year, and all classic repertoires of major genres have been performed.
"As a Peking Opera club in a university, we don't pursue how professional singing is. We hope that more and more teachers and students will like Peking Opera through observation, learning, and experiential performance." Liu Kun said.
On May 23, 2018, Tianjin University Peking Opera Alliance was established in Tianjin University. Tianjin University is the base school of the alliance. Its member units include Tianjin University, Nankai University, Tianjin Normal University, etc.
The alliance has repeatedly invited Peking Opera artists to give tutoring or lectures to teachers and students.
The love of Peking opera attracts more fresh blood to join the inheritance team.
At the end of 2018, Peking Opera Union staged "Red Mane Horse" at the China Theater, with nearly 80 teachers and students on the same stage.
More than 900 tickets for performances were issued in league colleges and universities, and one ticket is hard to find.
In 2019, the alliance teamed up with Tongji University, Capital Normal University and other universities to stage "Dragon and Phoenix" at the China Theater. Zhang Jincheng, who has already worked at Tianjin University, served as the accompaniment.
Because of his fascination with Peking Opera, Tianjin Normal University student Han Jiawei has changed from an audience member to an actor on stage, from a supporting role in "Red Mane Horse" to Zhao Yun in "Dragon and Phoenix".
For many years, whenever he heard students practicing Peking Opera by the Friendship Lake, Liu Kun felt relieved, "With the company of Peking Opera, life will be more colorful."