At a time when the global stage is in a shutdown or a trough due to the impact of the epidemic, Shencheng Stage has relied on strict and orderly epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic measures to make the performances proceed in an orderly manner. In 2021, 18 municipal-level state-owned literary and art academies in Shanghai actively overcame the impact of the epidemic, completing 6,865 performances throughout the year, an increase of 81.4% year-on-year, and the performance revenue was 328 million yuan, an increase of 75.4% year-on-year, an increase of 8.25% over the pre-epidemic 2019.
Pictured: The dance drama "The Eternal Radio Wave" by Guo Xinyang
This afternoon, the 2021 municipal state-owned literary and art academy group "one group, one policy" assessment was held at the China Art Palace. The assessment adopts the mode of "self-talk, peer evaluation, expert points, and judges' discussion", focusing on the three major assessment index systems of creation, performance and management, and taking stock of the annual work of the municipal state-owned literary and art academies and troupes.
2021 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the beginning of the "14th Five-Year Plan", and various municipal state-owned literary and art academies have launched a number of high-quality works. Practice the important concept of "People's City", adhere to the "performance as the central link", take the initiative to assume the responsibility of the main force of the Shanghai performing arts market, accelerate the construction of the Asian performing arts capital, continue to polish the "Shanghai culture" brand, and help enhance the soft power of Shanghai.
Exhibition strength: The centenary of the founding of the party has been continuously created and performed
In the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, a total of 11 works in Shanghai were selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as "Stage Art Creation Project celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China". Among them, 6 large-scale works such as symphony "Ode to the Red Flag", Shanghai opera "Dunhuang Daughter", acrobatic drama "Battle Shanghai", drama "Shang Martingale", dance drama "Eternal Electric Wave", ballet "White Haired Girl" and other 6 large-scale works have completed stage acceptance; the short play "Mobile Phone Rings Again", the group dance "Our Field", erhu and piano "Fifth Erhu Rhapsody - Hymn", symphony "Bethune in Jinchaji", Peking Opera "Liberation Day" and other 5 small works have been created.
Pictured: "Ode to the Red Flag" Photo by Guo Xinyang
In the city's two batches of "centenary of the founding of the party" and "comprehensive well-off" key literary and artistic creation projects, a total of 20 stage art projects, a number of works selected for the national annual important exhibition, creative performance level continued to improve. The folk music work "Drinking Rivers and Rivers Together" won the "Best Repertoire Award of the Sixth National Ethnic Minority Literary and Art Performance Dream Award", the Kunqu opera "Own Descendants" participated in the 8th China Kunqu Opera Arts Festival, the Peking Opera "Red Agent" and "Changing People" participated in the 9th China Peking Opera Arts Festival, and the opera "Morning Bell" participated in the 4th China Opera Festival.
The "Centenary of the Founding of the Party" exhibition and performance activities came to an end. A total of 5 works of state-owned literary and art academies at the municipal level were selected for the "Outstanding Stage Art Exhibition and Performance Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China" organized by the Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. After the performance of "The Eternal Radio Wave" and "Battle shanghai", it received a warm response; during the exhibition and performance of "Mountains and Seas", "Ode to the Red Flag" invited foreign anchors in Shanghai to observe the performance, interview cast members, assist in the production of short videos for international promotion, and tell Chinese stories and Shanghai stories to the outside world.
All theaters and troupes actively revitalized their families, held the "Red Classic Repertoire Exhibition Season celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China", launched 12 red classic repertoire produced in Shanghai, performed a total of 23 performances, and sang the "Four Acuras" in a classic retelling way, so that the red classic works could rejuvenate the vitality of the times.
Photo: "Battle of Shanghai" Photo by Guo Xinyang
Strong brand: to expand the "source" and "dock" of performing arts
Promote the construction of the "big world of performing arts" to improve quality and efficiency, and further strengthen the role of Shanghai as the "source" and "dock" of performing arts.
In 2021, the Shanghai Grand Theatre Art Center, the Shanghai Opera Art Center, the Shanghai Wenguang Performing Arts Group and the municipal state-owned literary and art academies and troupes will adhere to the "performance as the central link" and gather high-quality performance resources to the core demonstration area of the performing arts world. In the whole year, 1723 performances were performed in the performing arts world region, doubling year-on-year, an increase of 10.07% over 2019. Shanghai Grand Theatre, Majestic Theater and other performing arts world region 11 state-owned professional theaters performed 2764 times a year, introduced 328 domestic excellent plays, performed 1284 performances, premiered 32 plays, and basically established the status of the premiere of the "Asian Capital of Performing Arts".
The three centers and municipal theaters and troupes have made every effort to launch the brand of resident performances. Take the resident performance as an important carrier and grasp to launch the "Shanghai culture" brand, and help comprehensively enhance the soft power of the city. Since May 2021, new resident performance projects such as the dance drama "Eternal Electric Wave" and "Crested Ibis", the Guofeng Music Scene "Sea Folk Music", the Yue opera "Dream of the Red Chamber", and the acrobatic "Time and Space Journey 2" have been launched. The dance drama "The Eternal Electric Wave" and "Crested Ibis" grossed more than one million on the first day of ticketing, with a 98% attendance rate in the first week, and completed 84 performances in half a year, with a box office of 34.52 million. The Guofeng Music Scene "Sea Folk Music" gives full play to the advantages of Shanghai culture and Jiangnan cultural resources, organically integrates national music with excellent historical buildings, empowers traditional folk music with new technologies, and creates a new landmark of Shanghai cultural tourism. Shanghai Xiqu Art Center launched the "Beijing-Kunming Heroes" performance season, launching the performance brand of "Watching Beijing-Kunming to Heavenly Toad", and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra further optimized the content of the performance season and cultivated the habit of audiences listening to symphonies at the "Wonton Skin Concert Hall" every weekend.
Pictured: "People's Music on the Sea" Xinmin Evening News reporter Wang Kai photographed
Seeking a new chapter: Deepening the reform of the academy and starting again
Planning ahead for the creation of new topics in 2022 is a new challenge for state-owned literary and art academies. In order to greet the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and focus on the theme of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, a list of key creative projects has been released, and the repertoire creation plan has been scheduled.
Adhere to the principle of "attaching equal importance to realistic themes, revolutionary themes, and traditional themes", sort out the gaps in themes, and strive to achieve breakthroughs in weak areas. Now it has formed works with shanghai urban themes, including sitcom "Baoxingli", Yue opera modern drama "Good Eight Lian", dance drama "Quiet Balagar River", drama "The Age of Awakening", children's drama "Song Qingling and Children" and other revolutionary and historical theme works.
Changing the development idea is the highlight of the new program of the performance. Municipal state-owned literary and art academies and troupes plan to "perform monthly calendar" for the whole year of 2022, released to the public in advance, so as to facilitate tourists in the Yangtze River Delta, the whole country and even overseas to take the high-speed rail, play "fly", and drag suitcases to Shanghai to chase the drama.
1989 performances of various types have been scheduled, and 8 music and dance performance seasons will be launched, including the Shanghai Ballet Haipai Ballet Season, the Shanghai Opera House 2022 Opera Performance Season, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall Music Season, 7 Opera And Opera Theme Performance Seasons such as the Beijing-Kunming Qunying Club, and 6 parent-child theme performance seasons, such as the Traditional and Contemporary - Haipai Puppet Show Season.
The implementation of reform requires optimizing the creation of new indicators. In accordance with the requirements of the "Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform of State-Owned Literary and Art Academies and Troupes", each academy and troupe has comprehensively revised the annual creation and performance task indicators. Under the premise of respecting the law of art and the law of the market, each theater group reasonably improves the performance indicators, faces the market and is close to the audience, and creates more original stage art works in Shanghai that can stand, spread and stay.
Benchmarking the construction of Asia's performing arts capital, the major state-owned theaters and troupes will help Shencheng to further strengthen the "dock" and "source" of performing arts, starting from the dimensions of holding large-scale performances to meet the audience's viewing needs, accelerating the construction of the performing arts world, and helping the development of the five new cities, and building a more scientific and systematic evaluation system. According to the requirements of the new indicators, in the future, the 18 municipal state-owned literary and art academies and troupes will complete at least 8,700 performances of various types every year. (Xinmin Evening News reporter Zhu Yuan)