Text/Neil
Editor/Neil
Overview of theatrical action
Theatre is an action art. Hegel once said: "Actions can make a person's character, thoughts, and purpose most obvious, and the deepest side of a person can only be revealed in action." "All its activities are centered on "theatrical action", and it has always played a very key role in the performance of opera.
Chinese opera movements are the most fundamental language symbol of opera, and the rational use of opera movements will help people to have a comprehensive understanding of opera, thereby improving the quality of opera performances. The author uses language to narrate, describe the behavior of the characters, and portray the characters; In the drama, the actor uses his body movements to interpret the storyline, express the character, and portray the character. From this point of view, all theater activities are centered on theater activities, and theater activities occupy a pivotal and irreplaceable position in theater performances.
At present, from the perspective of drama, the behavior of drama can be divided into four types: external behavior, speech behavior, static behavior and sound behavior.
External physical movements mainly refer to the external actions that can be seen by the audience on the stage, that is, the physical movements and body movements performed by the drama actors on the stage. Verbal acts refer to dialogues, monologues, narrations, etc. between performers; The so-called expressionless means that on stage, there are no clear words and no clear body language; Acoustics refer to the music, sound, etc. used in stage performances to set off the atmosphere of the environment and set off the character of the characters.
In addition, Tan Peisheng also elaborated on the uniqueness of the external and internal actions of drama and its important role in "On Drama", and pointed out that internal actions include two levels: static actions and verbal actions.
The uniqueness of the dramatic action of the drama "Thunderstorm"
External movements refer to "the actions of the character holding things, walking, dancing, boxing, sword fighting, etc. that can be "seen" by the audience, that is, the "body movements" of the actors. First of all, from the perspective of drama, the action in drama is the basic element of drama and an indispensable part of the plot of drama.
External body movements, if properly applied to the performance, will in a sense stimulate the audience's interest in the plot and help them understand the plot.
In the second scene of "Thunderstorm", Lu Canghai directly accused Zhou Puyuan of insatiable greed, he allowed the river bank to collapse, drowned the small workers, and made money from each small worker who died. When Zhou Ping heard this, he slapped Lu Dahai without saying a word, and then Lu Pingping saw his eldest son beating his youngest son with his own eyes.
The setting of the above scene played a key role, showing the complex emotions in her heart, and at the same time re-provoking the grudge between the Zhou Lu family, making the existing conflict more intense. In this process, the private relationship between Zhou Ping and Sifeng, and the grudges and feuds of Zhou Lu's family, were gradually exposed in this process, and this external change is also the center of the contradiction in the play, and it is also an important link in the plot trend.
Secondly, the action comes from the spirit, and the external action can reflect the character's internal motivation and emotional fluctuations in a sense.
A colorful dramatic action can show the mental state of a character, which can present the complex mental state of a drama character to the audience with the external physical movements and body movements of an actor; In turn, let the audience think deeply about the meaning contained in this action, so that the audience's attention can stay on this action and increase their interest.
In a novel, the author uses language narration or character action description to tell the storyline, express the character's personality, and let the audience use their imagination to intuitively experience the protagonist's psychological activities.
In theater art, because its expression method is completely different from that of fiction, in many cases, theater art does not directly express the psychology of characters; Instead, an indirect method is adopted, often using dialogue between characters and body action performances to show the character's personality, explain the story background, and reveal the character's psychology.
In the previous scene of "Thunderstorm", Lu Gui just told Sifeng about his wife Fanyi and Zhou Ping, and his wife walked down the stairs and kept asking Sifeng about Zhou Ping. Sifeng thought of what Lu Gui had said to her just now, and answered his wife's question with some unease, and she stepped back nervously, afraid that his wife would find out about her relationship with Zhou Ping.
Si Feng's series of hurried subtle actions revealed her nervousness: she panicked about this love, panicked for her wife, worried and frightened in her heart, afraid of being blackmailed by her father, disagreeing with her mother, and so on. Her yearning for feelings, full of yearning for seeing Zhou Ping every day, and nervous, worried that she will be kicked out of Zhou's mansion after being discovered by her wife, and a series of actions vividly show her inner activities.
At the end of the second scene, Zhou Ping quarreled with Fan Yi, and Fan Yi said to Zhou Ping: "She is just an inferior woman" and "You should never force a desperate woman." Zhou Ping said: "I love Four Phoenix" "We are over." He pushed her aside, and then followed behind Si Feng, this external plan exposed her inner despair and helplessness; It exposes her pain of losing her lover, her hatred for the Zhou family, her betrayal of Zhou Puyuan, and also exposes her lies to Zhou Ping. This behavior also reflects Zhou Ping's ruthlessness towards Prosperity and her irritation and unwillingness to insult Sifeng, showing her ruthlessness and selfish personality characteristics.
In the third scene, Sifeng came out of Zhou's house, and Zhou Chong was obsessed with Sifeng, and with her permission, he went to Sifeng's home. At the beginning, when Zhou Chong and Sifeng spoke, Sifeng was very repulsive to Zhou Chong and always looked cowering, but when Zhou Chong said that he would send her to a world that was "truly clean and happy", "no oppression", "no hypocrisy" and "no inequality", Sifeng's face showed a longing expression, no longer the rejection at the beginning.
This change in external behavior reflects Siphoen's inner thirst for freedom and equality, his desire to detach himself from reality, his desire for a better life and sweet love. Later, finally solved Zhou Ping's secret, Zhou Puyuan said to Zhou Ping: "Your mother is not dead, Lu Gongping is your mother", Zhou Ping swayed, lost his soul, and the four phoenixes were paralyzed on the ground, unbelievable.
This series of external arrangements indicates that their lives have completely collapsed, and all the hopes of the four phoenixes are disappearing in an instant; At the same time, it also pushed the plot to a new height, with Sifeng being killed by electric shock on a high-voltage power line, and Zhou Ping picking up a gun to commit suicide, indicating that the plot is heading towards a tragic end.
Static action mainly refers to static actions such as pause and silence, and Tan Peisheng once said: "A pause is also an action." "In the novel, the author can use language to describe the protagonist's mental state, and the reader can experience the protagonist's mental state from these languages; However, in the drama, the screenwriter cannot use language to show the mental state of the character like the author, at this time, it is necessary to use static actions to express. Many people stop and do nothing, which is very extreme.
In fact, although this static performance does not have any external, physical movements, it is still a constant thought, with many thoughts. Static settings can not only help the actors control the rhythm of the performance, but also directly show the psychological activities of the characters and the character characteristics of the characters, so as to better portray the image of the characters.
Take "Thunderstorm", for example, it uses a lot of static action, which makes its characters fuller and its personality more prominent. For example, the description of the character of Zhou Puyuan, in the second scene where Zhou Puyuan and Lu Gongping meet, there are many contemplative plots, and the contemplative plot can be regarded as a pause plot.
Lu Pingping recalled her experience with Zhou Puyuan for more than 30 years, talking about Zhou Puyuan's abandonment of their mother and son, and Zhou Puyuan's mother's separation of the two, Zhou Puyuan fell into deep thought.
After some deliberation, he asked Lu Gongping step by step until the past experience of the two was fully displayed in front of the reader. From Zhou Puyuan's series of contemplative behaviors, we can see his domineering, selfish, cold and resolute character traits, as well as his character characteristics of never reflecting on himself even if he makes major mistakes.
Similarly, Zhou Puyuan's wife Fangyi also uses many static techniques in the portrayal, sometimes sitting downstairs alone, sometimes looking out the window, sometimes in a daze, all of which are still expressions. Through the use of a set of static shots, the reader can feel the loneliness and helplessness in her heart, as well as the longing for the world outside the "Zhou Mansion", as well as the various tribulations she has experienced in the Zhou Mansion that she has been suppressed by the "Zhou Puyuan" for a long time.
The act of discourse in the drama is an important driving force to break through the original silence and continue to advance the plot. According to the category of language activities, language activities can be divided into three types: dialogue, monologue and narration. Dialogue between actors plays a key role in character portrayal and character personality. In a complete drama, the monologue and narration play an important role, and the overall performance of the dialogue drama is of great significance.
When Zhou Puyuan forced Fangyi to take medicine, there were many repetitive episodes, such as "I'm not sick", "I don't drink" and the like, but Zhou Puyuan was "leading by example", "you are sick", "go up to rest" and so on; These plots are very simple, there is no doubt, just to let everyone in the Zhou Mansion know that he is the biggest authority in the family.
The more she refused to take medicine, the more Zhou Puyuan forced her to take medicine, and finally let her eldest son and younger son kneel in front of Fangyi and beg her to drink medicine. Such a scene exposed Zhou Puyuan's domineering, selfish, arrogant, and domineering side, but he did not because his behavior was "good" to Fangyi, but "good" to his family, but an unreasonable demand for Fangyi, so that he could not understand his intentions.
In the three scenes, Fangyi dared to go head-to-head with Zhou Puyuan, and Zhou Puyuan constantly emphasized that "Fangyi you are sick", "Go upstairs and rest", "I want to rest downstairs"; However, Fan Yi repeatedly emphasized that "I am not sick" and "I want to rest downstairs", etc., Zhou Puyuan saw that the situation was not good, so he sent Zhou Ping to stare at her secretly in an attempt to subdue her.
The use of language behavior deepens Zhou Puyuan's cold and domineering character, which also reflects her changes, from the previous obedience to Zhou Puyuan, to the current boldness to confront Zhou Puyuan. Through these stories, we can see her years of suffering, see her hatred for her father, and see the disappointment in her heart. In the intense emotions and repeated dialogues again and again, the contradictions in the script are gradually pushed to a climax.
epilogue
Drama is an action art, all theatrical activities are centered on "theatrical action", without which it is impossible to successfully perform a performance; It is impossible to successfully show the personality of the characters, it is impossible to successfully portray the characters, it is impossible to form a whole plot. A unique dramatic action that makes a drama present a unique charm different from novels and movies.
"Thunderstorm" is a classic work by Cao Yu, which is full of artistic appeal by performing various characters on stage; Each character in the play shows a unique personality, which causes fierce conflict and pushes the plot to a climax; Create a realistic environment that brings the intricate class contradictions of the old society to life. It is these profound plot arrangements that make "Thunderstorm" a popular play.
Bibliography:
[1] Hegel, Aesthetics: Volume 1
[2] Tan Peisheng "On Drama"
[3] Han Xiaoxiao, "The Charm of Dramatic Action: A Brief Analysis of the Dramatic Action Nature of the Drama "Thunderstorm"
[4] Guo Guangyun "On the Basic Characteristics of Dramatic Action"