Group photo will be held
The drama "Love! Chekhov was formally organized and a provisional party branch was established on March 4. Zhuge Yanlan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the National Theatre of China, Ge Dali, Artistic Director, Bai Xuefeng, Vice President, Wen Guojiu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, heads of business departments and main creators of the crew attended the meeting. Artistic director Ge Dali presided over the establishment meeting, Party Secretary Zhuge Yanran announced the list of main creators, and Wen Guojiu, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, announced "Love! The Provisional Party Branch of Chekhov was established. The play was launched on the 160th anniversary of chekhov's birth last year, the "father of modern drama", and as the first newly created play to be established in 2021, it will premiere at the Theater of the National Theatre of China on April 14.
Chekhov was an outstanding representative of the Russian realist literary genre at the end of the nineteenth century, and drama was a dazzling jewel in his creative achievements. "Fall in Love! Chekhov mainly selects his three one-act comedies "Stupid Bear", "Marriage Proposal" and "Wedding", and reconstructs and innovates with a contemporary perspective and a new structure, exploring the meaning and value of the eternal life puzzle of love.
"Stupid Bear" tells the story of a man and a woman who involuntarily fall in love from their hostility to each other, humorously showing the unguarded sense of happiness when love occurs; "Marriage Proposal" tells the ironic quarrel between the man who came to propose and the girl who was proposed, and finally the power of love overcame the difference; "Wedding" is a story that takes place at a wedding of a middle-class family in Russia, which triggers a series of absurd chain reactions due to the dislocation of the characters' identities, and also satirizes the "profitable" concept of marriage and love.
The three short plays have the commonality of lightness and humor, and have the characteristics of satirical comedy, echoing each other and forming intertextuality. At the same time, the play also integrates Chekhov's "Teasing", "The Man in the Set", "The Bride", "About Love" and other classic novels, and various highly distinctive characters are interspersed and integrated in the plot, forming a parallel time and space of love in Chekhov's literary world, just like a set of symphonies that echo each other, playing Chekhov's wisdom music about life and love to us today.
"Fall in Love! "Chekhov" is a new interpretation of Chekhov on the Chinese drama stage, and it is also a sincere tribute to Chekhov, the "great man of eternal life" by young Chinese theater artists. The play translates Tong Ning, director Cha Wenhao, adapted screenwriters Cha Wenhao and Liu Jinni, stage design Xu Haidong, lighting design Huang Yi, starring Hou Yansong, Chang Yuhong, Jiang Jiaqi, Zhang Jie, Zhou Chuanjie, Xue Fei, She Nannan, etc.
Translate Tong Ning
Translator Tong Ning expressed great surprise and joy at the bold adaptation of the Mandarin. She is in favor of "Love! Chekhov's love theme, she said: "Chekhov's works show all aspects of love and marriage life, including classical rational love and romantic passion, and more profound insights and reflections on the weaknesses of human nature in real life. ”
Director/Adaptation Screenwriter Cha Wenhao
Cha Wenhao, a young director of the National Drama Theatre of China, has directed the one-man play "The Joker with a Heart", starred in the drama "Forbidden Game of Youth" (2017 edition), "Monument", "Dead Place", "Long Night", "Beauty of Linan Mountain", etc., film and television dramas "The Age of Awakening", "River God 2" and so on. After four months of meticulous preparation, Cha Wenhao made a bold adaptation of Chekhov's original work, creatively using parallel cross-narratives in an attempt to present a different Chekhov on the theatrical stage. Cha Wenhao said: "As early as 2004, the National Drama Theatre held the first international drama season, 'Chekhov Forever', which led the national Chekhov trend. Chekhov is a world-renowned playwright, a holy hand of the short story, and an 'unparalleled artist'. As a young director, being able to rehearse Chekhov's works is a rare opportunity and an extremely difficult challenge. How to innovate while inheriting, finding the symbolic meaning of Chekhov's works, and finding the fit point of Chekhov's contemporaryization are the problems I focus on thinking about. This creation takes 'enigmatic love' as the starting point, integrates the details of the novel on the basis of Chekhov's plays, parallel cross-narratives, and constructs Chekhov's love parallel time and space. ”
Cha Wenhao hopes that "Love! Chekhov became a popular work among contemporary young people. He said: "Compared with the previous performances that are mainly restored and realistic, this time it will be a small subversion. Let the audience experience a wise and humorous, optimistic and warm Chekhov in the background of sadness and joy, and strive to create a classic work to make a good start for the theater in the new year! ”
Stage design Xu Haidong
Xu Haidong, a graduate of the Stage Art Department of the Central Academy of Drama, believes that writers and artists are one of the best professions in the world, and although they will leave one day, their works are like a continuation of their lives. Those great works of art are also beautiful because of the brevity of life. As a member of this Chekhov theatrical performance, we were able to live with Chekhov on a spiritual level to perfect the expression of our lives, in a sense that we and Chekhov co-created this work, which is a fortunate thing. He said he would try to cooperate with the director to present Chekhov with a different feeling on stage.
Lighting design Huang Yi
Huang Yi, a young lighting designer at the National Theatre of China, is very grateful to the theater leaders for their support and the director's trust. While studying at the Central Academy of Drama, he participated in the lighting design of "Seagull" and "Three Sisters". This time, in the theater, working with director Cha Wenhao, Huang Yi read a lot of materials and had a different understanding of Chekhov.
Actor Hou Yansong
(Image courtesy of the actor himself)
Hou Yansong, a national first-class actor of the National Drama Theatre of China and winner of the Plum Blossom Award, has starred in the dramas "Fusheng", "The Orphan of Zhao", "Four Generations Together", "Wasteland and People", "Maid", and this time played a director, Luka and other roles in the play. He was unable to attend the group meeting due to the incident, and said that every time he received a new creative task, he was both excited and nervous, and hoped to do more work for the theater. In the face of classic plays, we must be in awe, strive to be honest and innovative, and everyone will collide with new sparks, and pay tribute to Chekhov with a new artistic appearance.
Actor Chang Yuhong
Chang Yuhong, a national first-class actor at the National Theatre of China, has starred in dramas such as "The Gate of the Great Mansion", "The Witch of Salem", "The Soul of Red Rock", "Departed", "The Blind City", etc., and this time played the female landlord Popova in the play. She is happy to participate in the creation, rehearse carefully, complete the role tasks, and let her performance achieve a sense of humor in the joke-style popular comedy, embodying a kind of well-intentioned laughter.
Actor Jiang Jiaqi
Jiang Jiaqi, a national first-class actor of the National Drama Theatre of China, has starred in "The Forbidden Game of Youth" (2003 version), "Dead without a Place to Die", "Chopin", "Leaning Tower of Pisa", "People First", etc., and this time played the elderly leftover woman Nadalia in the play. She felt that the script was very innovative, and it was very difficult to create a second degree. She appreciated the drive of director Cha Wenhao, and when rehearsing, she had the feeling of rehearsing in college. She said that this drama restores part of Chekhov, has a solid text foundation, and hopes to integrate more modern and international things into the back, showing the understanding and innovation of contemporary young people on the classics.
Actor Zhang Jie
Zhang Jie, a national first-class actor at the National Drama Theatre of China, has starred in "The Forbidden Game of Youth" (2003 version), "Rhinoceros", "Red Rock Soul", "Departure", "Ming Dynasty Those Things", "War Horse", etc., this time playing the vulgar and greedy Aplompov in the play. He was very happy to see young directors like Cha Wenhao grow up and pick up big beams to independently direct large dramas. For myself, this is the first contact with Chekhov's comedy, so this rehearsal is also a process of learning and discussion, the current working atmosphere in the group is particularly good, is in the script reading stage, everyone is very active, hope to slowly ponder, discuss, research, present good works.
Actress and secretary of the provisional party branch She Nannan
She Nannan, a national first-class actor at the National Drama Theatre of China, has starred in the dramas "Si Fan", "Salem's Witch", "Physicist", "Fusheng", etc., and this time played the snobbish and greedy Nastasia in the play, and also served as the secretary of the provisional party branch. She said excitedly: The time is shallow, the years are beautiful, as the eldest person in the group, I want to say: It is good to be young! In this rehearsal, director Cha Wenhao made full preparations, and his enthusiasm and diligence in creation touched me. As a senior with certain stage experience, as the secretary of the provisional party branch, I will assume my due responsibilities, obey the director, strengthen the cohesion of the crew, and work with everyone to create a good work of ideological and artistic quality. ”
Zhuge Yanlan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the National Theatre of China
Zhuge Yanlan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the National Theatre of China, on behalf of the leading group of the theater, told "Love! Chekhov congratulated the establishment of the group. She put forward three hopes for the crew: First, she adhered to the creative concept of "Chinese originality, world classic, experimental exploration" of the National Drama Theatre of China, and presented the world's classic stage works to the audience. Second, the crew concentrated the talented artists of the three generations of the theater's old, middle-aged and young generations, and they wanted to treat this play as the first play of their lives, interpret the role with their hearts, and strive to create fine products. Third, the temporary party branch should play a leading role and strive to make progress, growth, and improvement of the whole group from top to bottom. We must strictly abide by political discipline, strictly abide by the discipline of epidemic prevention, and present people, dramas, and fine works to present the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China!
Text: Spring Snow
Photo: Wang Haochen
Source: National Theatre of China