Hefei, 15 Apr (Xinhua) -- Three months ago, when Liu Lihua, head of the Huangmei Theater Troupe in Huaining County, Anhui Province, decided to put the stage in the live broadcast room, all she wanted was to "survive," but she never imagined that this 66-year-old troupe would "counterattack" here.
From the rapid "circle fans" to the strength of "out of the circle", the 66-year-old "new anchor" has gained more than 600,000 viewers in just three months, and has received more than 3 million likes.
Screenshot of the douyin live broadcast of the Huangmei Drama Troupe in Huaining County. (Courtesy of Huangmei Drama Troupe of Huaining County)
Whenever the melody of Huangmei with gentle rhymes sounds, the vibrato live broadcast room of The Huangmei Drama Troupe in Huaining County can always set off a wave of climax.
Since the beginning of this year, almost every night at 7:30, the troupe has been live on time. From "Female Pony" to "Beach Farewell", classic singing sections and newly created songs are readily available.
"In September, jiuchongyang comes, chongyang wine chrysanthemum yellow..." The troupe's "post-00s" actor Fang Xiaoxiao is performing the classic song "Meng Jiang Nu December Tune" of Huangmei Opera. The beautiful finger flowers, the authentic singing voice, and the eye waves flow between the eyes, the Meng Jiang female crying Great Wall is vividly interpreted.
"Finally waited for "December Tune", when I was a child, I watched it with my grandfather and cried a lot" "I was a 'post-00' who actually fell in love with Huangmei Opera"... On the screen, netizens praised it like a rave.
"We try our best to satisfy the repertoire that everyone wants" "Young people sing traditional opera to young people is to inherit traditional culture"... In front of the screen, the actors interacted enthusiastically.
The scene in front of him made Liu Lihua, the leader of the regiment who was coordinating the dispatch on the side, feel excited.
On April 13, Wang Jinglei (right) and Fang Xiaoxiao (left), actors of the Huangmei Theater Troupe in Huaining County, prepare for a live broadcast. (Courtesy of Huangmei Drama Troupe of Huaining County)
From 30 years of art, for Liu Lihua, whether it is a rural village entrance, an auditorium theater, or an online live broadcast, every time she seeks change in difficulties, she is in order to guard this square inch stage.
Huangmei opera is one of the five major opera genres in China and the main local opera genre in Anhui Province, and like most traditional operas, it has faced the dilemma of inheritance in recent years. In 1991, After graduating from school, Liu Lihua entered the Huangmei Drama Troupe of Huaining County and has served as the head of the troupe since 2010.
The county-level theater troupe itself has a small market space, and after the restructuring and transformation of enterprises in 2010, the revenue pressure is large, the actors are not picked up, the development is difficult, and some people gradually change careers and leave.
In the process of wandering and declining, how to "save the life" of the troupe and protect the traditional opera to achieve inheritance and development? For more than a decade, Liu Lihua has been trying to innovate. She tried her best to attract outstanding young actors, led the troupe to choreograph original plays, and undertook cultural services such as sending plays to the countryside. In recent years, the troupe has grown to 40 people, and the "post-90s" and "post-00s" actors have become the main force, and the market has gradually been run "alive".
On January 30, the actors of the Huangmei Drama Troupe in Huaining County were broadcasting live. (Courtesy of Huangmei Drama Troupe of Huaining County)
Since 2020, due to the impact of the epidemic, the opportunities for troupe performances have been greatly reduced, and the revenue has once again been in trouble. During this period, some actors tried to broadcast live online personally, which received a good response, which also inspired Liu Lihua.
Since young people are recruited, we must let them have drama, and since they dare to innovate, then set up a stage for them. Liu Lihua decided to move the stage into the live broadcast room.
Just do it! Organizing a live broadcast team, purchasing live broadcast equipment, and working together to conceive live broadcast content, Liu Lihua vacated her office to arrange a live broadcast room.
In January 2022, the troupe officially began live broadcasting. In mid-February, the troupe's short video of "Playing the Emperor" suddenly caught fire, and the number of fans rose from 20,000 to 200,000 within two days.
During the first live broadcast, "post-95" actor Xie Huihui was nervous to speak "mouth scoop", and now she can host and sing again, and the broadcast is 3 hours.
"A lot of fans come every night to listen to the local dialect. A fan abroad said that she and we have a 13-hour time difference, but especially love to watch our live broadcast. Seeing these messages, I feel that I am particularly close to the audience in tiannanhaibei. Xie Huihui said.
The live broadcast out of the circle has allowed the troupe to gain a new audience, received performance invitations from all over the country, increased the income channels for live broadcast tips, and also gave young actors the motivation to continue to innovate.
In order to enhance the perception, they are ready to take out part of the income to buy equipment, try to build a live broadcast scene outdoors, and integrate the beautiful yellow plum play into the landscape.
"Our young literary and art workers must not only inherit and carry forward, but also dare to change with the times, and make traditional culture alive and fiery through innovation." Actor Wang Jinglei is full of hope for the future of traditional opera.
The "2021 Douyin Data Report" released by Douyin shows that the dissemination of traditional cultural content on Douyin has become a scale, and the coverage rate of 1557 national intangible cultural heritage projects has reached 99.42%.
"From offline theater to online stage, traditional culture has injected new vitality, presented in front of the audience in a younger and more dynamic way, and there are more opportunities to integrate, communicate and collide with the audience." Liu Lihua said.