Zhang Tong became popular because he played Li Dazhao in "The Age of Awakening", and recently, when interviewed by a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily, Zhang Tong, who appeared in the backstage of the National Centre for the Performing Arts with glasses, was thin again. Acting in two dramas at the same time is not easy for professional drama actors to win, not to mention that he has hardly acted in dramas before.
In the "Great Journey" literary and artistic performance celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Party in June this year, Tian Qinxin, the chief director of the theater, asked Zhang Tong: "What are you busy with?" Any plans for October? Zhang Tong said: "I am acting in a drama "The Right Way in the World is Vicissitudes". Tian Qinxin said: "You act in a drama, that is great, I also have a drama, do you want to participate in it?" The title of the play is "Live Broadcasting the Founding Ceremony". Zhang Tong said: "Yes, as long as time does not collide." It was such a origin that Zhang Tong became a special guest actor in the "Live Broadcast founding ceremony" jointly created by the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the National Drama Theatre.
The "Live Broadcast of the Founding Ceremony" was staged from October 1 to 7.
A drama "Xiao Bai" took over the task of "Tianzi"
In August this year, because the epidemic has been suspended for a while, the "Live Broadcast founding ceremony" finally started, Tian Qinxin called Zhang Tong, when he heard that the performance was scheduled for October 1 this year, Zhang Tong was worried that he would collide with the time of "The Right Way in the World is Vicissitudes". However, Tian Qinxin said, "Don't be afraid, you and Wu Fan are acting differently." At the press conference of the "Live Broadcast of the Founding Ceremony", Zhang Tong used "burning" to describe this script: "I have not been exposed to many dramas, it is from the perspective of the audience to see this script, and after watching it, it is really blood boiling." ”
The press conference was held at the Ningjun Wangfu of the National Drama Theatre, and it was not so much that Zhang Tong's speech was very impressive, but rather that his self-confidence and humility made him stand out. Knowing that this is the home of the Mandarin, he as a special guest actor is not only not noisy, but also with confidence to participate in it, expressing his honor to be able to participate in such a "Tianzi" troupe to create a "Tianzi" work, that day, almost everyone believes that although Zhang Tong has not acted much in drama, but the strength can speak.
Although the rehearsal on September 30 and the first four performances during the eleventh period were not played by Zhang Tong, the "burning" in his mouth was intuitive and perceptible. In Zhang Tong's view, "the most special thing about the script is not the founding ceremony itself in the usual sense, but from that historical event to the backstage, telling the story of how to complete the broadcast of the founding ceremony." Coupled with the urgency of time, and the contradictions and conflicts between them, it is very beautiful. More importantly, this is the work of director Tian Qinxin, and I want to participate in it against all odds. Although I am not yet a drama actor, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity cannot be missed. ”
From "The Great Journey" to "Live Broadcasting the Founding Ceremony", Tian Qinxin is a leader or marshal who never knows fatigue in Zhang Tong's eyes, "I have never seen her tired, and we also know that her work is not only drama, but also opera, and even CCTV's variety show "China in the Story", "China in the Classics" and so on, many details need her to set the tone. This kind of energy is also the one that I admire the most. Zhang Tong said that he was observing and learning with the mentality of a student: "The drama industry is relatively unfamiliar to me, and when I have the opportunity, I will often discuss with Director Tian and other actors to learn from the scriptures, and often ask why in the rehearsal hall?" From this point of view, following the tian director rehearsal is more like a student's return to the furnace process. I met a good teacher. ”
How bold do I have to take two plays in one go? It was a pure collision
Zhang Tong studied computer science at Nankai University, and then went to the Lyon Art and Drama Academy in France to study for a master's degree, and after returning to China, he shot film and television in a down-to-earth manner, tepid and not in a hurry, until the "Awakening Era", a performance that was not "like" Li Dazhao and "like" Li Dazhao made him jump up, but at this time he was still not in a hurry, and even acted in two dramas in one breath, which can be called the "retrograde" after the explosion.
In the Mandarin rehearsal hall where artists gather, Zhang Tong is even more with the truth-seeking mentality of the drama "Xiao Bai" and the science and engineering man, and does not give up any of the "do not understand". From the embodiment of the drama to the sense of proportion of how the film and television actor switches to the line of the drama performance, he is asking every day, learning every day, even in the synthesis stage, he is still asking the young artist Wu Pi, is it not good to speak in a voice on the stage? Wu Pi told him that as long as the audience can hear and understand it is not a problem, but always remind ourselves that we must not only communicate with the audience in the second row, but also with the audience on the second floor. In Zhang Tong's view, "the switch between the two industries of drama and film and television really has some skills to explore and make up. ”
As for the "boldness" of connecting the next two dramas, Zhang Tong said that it was purely a collision, "How dare I take two dramas in one breath? It's really a coincidence. The invitation of Tian Yuan (Dean Tian Qinxin), the theme of this play and the time of the performance, to be honest, there is no such shop in this village. This time you Zhang Tong does not act, the next opportunity happens to be when, but it is really not certain. I am greedy, I am not courageous. Some time ago, I was still thinking, "Beijing Fayuan Temple" I especially like, after the rehearsal of that play, it seems that Tianyuan has been busy with other things, it is difficult to have a whole time to rehearse a drama. So I think I'm too lucky to be able to seize the opportunity of this Wasada-in and mandarin teachers to learn the scriptures, I can't let this opportunity slip away, no matter how well I act, I must try it. ”
Zhang Tong properly seized the opportunity of the "Live Broadcast founding ceremony", but in life, Zhang Tong said that he is not a person who is good at seizing opportunities, "In fact, I am a particularly lazy person, but there are not many opportunities to improve myself and excellent performance teachers to learn, and I must seize this opportunity." Tao Hongjie said a sentence I especially agree with, in the drama stage to learn some, absorb some, and then go to the film and television, release some, output some, for themselves like a process of re-sorting. So which furnace you have to enter in this process of returning to the furnace, what kind of road to take, you may need to screen yourself. For a play like "Live Broadcasting the Founding Ceremony", I think it is an opportunity that no actor will miss. ”
Drama rehearsals repeatedly overturn the process of reconstruction, which is "painful and happy"
From "The Great Journey" to "Live Broadcasting the Founding Ceremony", Tian Qinxin tried to use the technology of instant shooting on the drama stage. On the stage of "Live Broadcasting the Founding Ceremony", four cameras clearly captured the actors' detailed expressions and transmitted them to the audience in real time. Zhang Tong said that he had never seen the application of this technology on the drama stage, and while performing a drama, the camera would capture some details and present it to the audience by casting the screen. In fact, TianYuan has begun to slowly try the application of this technology in "China in the Story" and "China in the Classics", as far as the drama stage is concerned, the distance determines this kind of viewing relationship, the audience cannot see more details, but if the means of instant shooting are added, the audience can capture some details in the plot, and will also enrich the audiovisual means of the drama. Drama is for the audience, how to let the audience better understand the plot, understand the story, the use of a means of communication that does not destroy its integrity, this new form I think is quite interesting. ”
The exploration of themes and forms also determines that every day's rehearsals are new. Zhang Tong said: "Our rehearsal is basically a process of overturning reconstruction. We first rehearsed at the Ningjun King's Mansion, and everyone lined up in full swing, every day until very late, and the entire story framework had been arranged. But after entering the theater, I found that many of them were not used, basically overturned and reconstructed, in addition to the lines, all the lighting scheduling and audiovisual means had to be reconstructed again with the theater, which was equivalent to rearranging another play, and countless versions were made in the process. ”
However, Zhang Tong said that this process is "painful and happy", "it is indeed a kind of torture, we have been relatively accustomed to scheduling, suddenly have to deny the restart, the previous complete overturned, but in fact, the previous effort is also a kind of mental work, is to invest emotions into it, and then throw it away." However, through the advancement of rehearsals, I gradually understood that this process of overthrow is actually looking for the most suitable expression for this theater, the pain is bound to exist, and it is tiring to use your brain, but the last thing left behind can really make you feel happy, after all, this thing is worth meeting the audience. ”
Basically every day is a goosebumps, every game is good
From the "burning" at the press conference to the theater synthesis, the high-intensity rehearsal not only did not consume Zhang Tong's impulse to this play, but became more intense. "If I were to comment on this play now, I would say it would be more burning, basically every day is a goosebumps." Each one is beautiful, and after polishing, it feels more compact and sturdy. ”
Zhang Tong's character in the play, Lu Haiyu, is the chief engineer of Xinhua Radio, "From the perspective of personality, he is a behind-the-scenes hero, but in fact, the group depicted in the play is a behind-the-scenes hero, they are just different in work and position." As an engineer, he first faced the problem of solving technical problems, how to complete the broadcast of the founding ceremony technically and on equipment, and these pressures all fell on the shoulders of engineers. At the same time, one of the main problems he faced was that his own technical ability was not enough, and he had to rely on his old classmates, of course, his old classmate had worked for the Kuomintang, and at that time he already knew that there was a spy lurking in xinhua radio, but who this agent was, everyone did not know. Therefore, in this contradiction, it is necessary to find out the other party and ensure the task, and at the same time to take an uncertain thing to play a guarantee vote, and his choice will be contradictory. Whether to keep the mission or to keep it safe, whether to choose to believe in you or believe in myself, these are all contradictions. But in fact, there is only one core logic in the end, that is, to live up to the national mission, which is the task of the Tianzi number shouldered by this group of people, and I think the process is quite difficult. ”
Whether there is a prototype for the character of Lu Haiyu, Zhang Tong explained: "He does not have a single prototype, he is a collection of many people, and he is a fictional character. In the play, Lu Haiyu graduated from Peking University, early into the revolution, Zhang Tong in life, is also from Nankai Science and Engineering, he and the character have a similar academic background, in his view, the similarity is that they are more "recognized death". "I have to interpret this character with my own character understanding, you yourself care more about what you care about, you don't care about what you don't care about, from this point of view, the role can't be separated from me." But in terms of realm and quality, I am still far from this group of heroes, they are a group of lovely people. Each of them deserves our understanding, and we also have the responsibility to tell the audience that there was once such a group of living people, a group of vivid people, who had flesh and blood and emotions, but in the face of the interests of the country and the interests of the people, they could sacrifice everything they had to complete a noble task. ”
For the two roles of Li Dazhao and Lu Haiyu, it is "the body cannot reach, the heart yearns for it"
From Li Dazhao to Lu Haiyu, Zhang Tong said that he was "unable to reach them and yearning for them in his heart." "I don't know what it would be like to be in that environment, and I don't know if I can make big life choices like those heroes, and I don't dare to make that assumption." I may not have that much energy, but I will definitely give it as much as I can. In fact, as an actor, although we do not have the kind of choice and responsibility in the context of the great era, we are also doing a inheritance of work, so that our next generation and even contemporary people will forget that there was once a group of fresh people, who have dedicated themselves to the republic, and the actor is actually a carrier, and needs to pass on this mission through his own role. ”
If Lu Haiyu is a fictional character, there is still some room for creation for the actor, then Li Dazhao is an extremely difficult role to be recognized through performance, in Zhang Tong's view, the so-called role is not flattering, depending on the parties themselves. "For example, the character is a blank book, and the pen is in my hand, and I can write down a paragraph to show other people, and at the same time I can erase it and rewrite it." Since I have the opportunity to write a text, I am soberly aware that it may be shown to others in the future, it may affect others, under such a premise, I will be responsible for what I wrote, I do not want to one day my descendants point at my nose and say that you once played a role to fool me and laugh at me. So I've always been humble about the role, which is probably the reason for my own personality, and in every play I've been in, I can proudly say that I may not have played some of the characters well, but I tried my best to carry something worth inheriting. Hit the little parents told me, Zhang Tong, you are not allowed to talk nonsense and deceive people, so each of us must be responsible for our own words and deeds, for the actors, words and deeds also include the spiritual content transmitted by your role, so when facing the audience, we must be responsible for our own performances, our own words and deeds, I dare not talk nonsense, let alone dare to speak indiscriminately. ”
Whether it is Li Dazhao or Lu Haiyu, in Zhang Tong's view, they have one thing in common, that is, they can do something for the country. "Human nature is connected, any dynasty can find heroes, can find literati, can also find villains, and what opens up everyone's ideological realm is nothing more than the arrangement and combination of human desires." Desires everyone has, I want to eat, I want to make money, I want to make my family's life better, I want to do something for the country, and we all start from this to decide our behavior. Although the times are different, the general logic of the seeds of human nature has not changed. I want to play him, I have to know him, this is shallow logic, deeper logic is that actors are very strange, every time I play a character, more or less will absorb the seeds of this character bit by bit, transform into an attitude to life. This is not to say that after I play Mr. Dazhao, I will retain some valuable qualities in others, I am too far behind. But I know that there are a group of sages who have paid in this way, and I will want to get closer, like Mr. Dazhao's golden sentence 'With the youth of me, create a youth nation, a youth country', I will also remember. ”
Drama creation is a process of pocket treasure, and the more you dig, the more excited you are, and the more you are afraid
For Zhang Tong, in recent times, it is also a process of gradually getting used to the way of drama creation, "after entering the theater synthesis, every time a new version collides, it is really better than before." But for me, this uncertainty will be vague and uneasy at first, but gradually it will feel like we put our hand into a pocket to take out a treasure, thinking that the mouth of the pocket is only so big, and then the hand reaches in and finds that the pocket is bottomless, and then the more you dig, the more excited you are, and at the same time more and more afraid, when is it a head? Drama creation is such a feeling for me. Maybe on October 1st, it may be the final draft, but not necessarily, it may be three or four days after a new version, I am quite looking forward to it. ”
On the day of the premiere, Zhang Tong was not only not on the stage, but even not on the scene, "What I am more anxious about now is my itinerary, I want to go to the performance of "The Right Way in the World is Vicissitudes", and I will not be able to come back until October 4. I may be absent from the rehearsal in the sprint stage, and Brother Yu (Wu Fan) is acting very well, and I am afraid that I will play it, so the pressure is particularly high. In fact, the idea of being afraid of acting and smashing once made me retreat, but Tianyuan encouraged me, and I came fearlessly as an ignorant person. Now there is no way back, only to grit your teeth and catch up. Maybe I will disappoint everyone, but be sure to come and see this play, because the play is very good! ”
Article/Reporter Guo Jia
Photo / Reporter Wang Xiaoxi