China News Service, Beijing, March 28th: What kind of sparks resulted from the exchange of dramas between China and France?
——Exclusive interview with Wang Keran, winner of the French Order of Arts and Letters and founder of Yanghua Drama
China News Service reporter Kong Renyuan
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France 60 years ago, the cultural exchanges between the two countries have been remarkable. In recent years, China and France have made many innovations in drama exchanges. Wang Keran, the founder, artistic director and production director of Yanghua Drama, gathered top directors, scripts and actors from China and France to cooperate and launched "Saigon", "Ponzi Scheme", "Thunderstorm", "Thunderstorm Queen" and "Les Misérables". Several theatrical works. These works not only achieved breakthroughs in artistic techniques, but also achieved commercial success. In 2021, the French Ministry of Culture awarded Wang Keran the French Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of his achievements in the field of drama and his outstanding contributions to the exchange of dramatic art between China and France and the friendship between China and France.
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. Wang Keran's team teamed up with French artists to bring the French literary classic "Les Misérables" to the Chinese stage. Recently, Wang Keran accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" and talked about the sparks created by the exchange of dramas between China and France.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: The stage play "Les Misérables" that your team collaborated with French artists will tour across China this year. How will the French literary classics jointly performed by China and France be different? Will there be Chinese elements in it?
Wang Keran:
The stage play "Les Misérables" that we collaborated with French artists will tour across China this year, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. It is our infinite honor to be able to contribute to the cultural exchanges between China and France.
A still from the stage play "Les Misérables" co-produced by China and France. Photo provided by interviewee
"Les Misérables" is a French literary classic. This time, Chinese artists, Chinese production teams and French artists have jointly injected a new interpretation into this literary work that has influenced the world, presenting a new form of expression. This is the Chinese element. Chinese elements are not necessarily a specific symbol. It is not just Peking Opera or calligraphy that are called Chinese elements. I think that if the production system of the entire work is Chinese, it can present something different, which is our contribution to human culture.
China News Service reporter: You mentioned that you would choose some actors from Kunqu opera, cross talk, and Suzhou Pingtan when making "Les Miserables". What were your considerations?
Wang Keran in the rehearsal hall of "Les Miserables". Photo provided by interviewee
Wang Keran:
I hope to be able to show all the faces of people in one play. Most drama actors have received professional training from drama schools, and their states have consistent characteristics. I hope my plays break out of this consistency. Choosing actors with different backgrounds means preparing different qualities for the characters in advance. Therefore, we are willing to select actors from a wider range. As long as they fit the characteristics of the characters in the play, we can place them in the work. I hope that stage plays can’t just be one tone, but that plays should reflect the diversity of people. For example, the role of the bishop in "Les Misérables" is played by the famous Chinese Kunqu opera artist Mr. Lin Jifan, while the crosstalk actor Li Jing plays important roles such as the hotel owner. His performance is vivid and unique.
China News Service reporter: How did you get involved with French drama? What is your greatest experience working with French colleagues?
Wang Keran:
I met the French artist Anaïse Martin while making "Jewish City". Afterwards, he began to try to cooperate with the French theater circle.
In 2017, I started cooperating with Anaïse Martin on an international theater project and introduced the French clown show "Mr. B and Mr. P" to the domestic market for the first time. In 2018, we jointly planned and introduced the French play "Saigon". In 2019, French director David Lescoe was invited to China to direct "Ponzi Scheme". In 2020, we invited top French theater director Eric Lacaskard to come to China to co-create the drama series "Thunderstorm" and "Thunderstorm After", which received a very good response.
A still from the Sino-French stage play "Thunderstorm". Photo provided by interviewee
I have always hoped to find better learning and reference standards for theater work techniques to serve the theater stage. France has world-class theater artists and theater creation concepts. Cooperating with French theater artists will be helpful to my team and the development of theater in China as a whole. Everyone has noticed that the entry of foreign brands of cars into China has brought about earth-shaking changes in the Chinese automobile industry. I hope that the dramatic exchange with my French colleagues will have a similar effect.
The language communication between my team members and their French colleagues is not completely smooth, but we have a tacit understanding in our cooperation. This is based on our mutual recognition of the language of the drama stage.
China News Service reporter: From the French director's "Thunderstorm" to today's Chinese version of "Les Misérables," how does your team interpret classics in a cultural collision?
Wang Keran:
Neither "Thunderstorm" nor "Les Misérables" is just a Chinese story or a French story. They represent the compassion and confusion of all mankind. When seeing the bishop give the candlestick to Jean Valjean, everyone will see the broadness of human nature, regardless of region or nationality.
A still from the stage play "Les Misérables" co-produced by China and France. Photo provided by interviewee
Another example is "Thunderstorm", we gave it a modern expression plan. We agree with director Eric's bold innovation in artistic creation for "Thunderstorm". For example, the Zhou family's living room is no longer an antique Chinese-style living room, but adopts a modern minimalist design. The entire stage space is made of white marble. Except for a few tables and sofas, there are no unnecessary decorations to set off the atmosphere. The repression of patriarchy and the indifference of family affection in the Zhou family. I think this interpretation is very different from the previous version, but it further proves that "Thunderstorm" is a classic. There are hundreds of thousands of interpretations of Shakespeare's works. If there is only one version of "Thunderstorm", how can it be called a classic?
Reporter from China News Service: China and France are both cultural countries with rich cultural heritage and artistic creation soil. What role do you think artistic and cultural exchanges play in promoting relations between the two countries?
Wang Keran:
France is a very proud country. Their pride comes from their cultural contribution to the world, and culture will inevitably affect the world pattern. To them, China is a major oriental civilization that influences the world. They believe that the two civilizations appreciate each other. Many French people I have met are full of curiosity about China. This stems from the charm of Chinese culture and their respect for the contribution that Chinese culture and history have made to the world.
I personally feel that as long as there are exchanges and interactions between China and France in terms of humanities or art, each other's audiences will be able to see that we are consistent in terms of emotions, cultural values, and the delicacy and love of human nature, and all misunderstandings will be overcome by these Consistency ablation.
China News Service reporter: What are your thoughts on the future cultural exchanges between China and France, or on the Sino-French drama cooperation you are engaged in?
On January 11, 2024, the stage creation conference of Mo Yan's drama "Crocodile" was held in Beijing. Photo by Tian Yuhao
Wang Keran:
The next stage play we collaborate with our French colleagues is "Crocodile", adapted from Mo Yan's work. The director is me, the stage design and lighting are all by the French team, and the music is Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi. This will also be an interesting time. cultural collision. If possible, I hope to create a Sino-French "Spring of Actors" theater festival in the future. I believe that through the drama festival, it will not only promote the progress of works, but also drive the rapid transformation of the theater working methods and working concepts of China and France, promote the exchange and integration of artists from the two countries, and promote the understanding of China in France and even Europe. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Wang Keran, founder, artistic director and production director of Beijing Yanghua Times Cultural Development Co., Ltd. has been engaged in the theater industry for nearly 20 years. A representative of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, he was named "The Leader in Expanding the World Pattern of Chinese Drama" by "Children of China". In 2021, he was awarded the Knight Medal of Literature and Art by the French Republic. He has produced, supervised, produced and scripted more than 50 works, including "Watch TV with Me", "Treasure Island Village", "Like a Dream", "Let Me Hold Your Hand", "The Seagull" and "Winter Journey" ”, “Village”, “New Wilderness” and many other classic works, reaching an audience of more than 4 million people.