Tokyo Talking Drama Art Association, May 6, 2024, Ginza
Central Hall Drama "Empress Wu Zetian"
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Unremitting hard work, fruitful results
"Empress Wu Zetian" interview with Ling Qingcheng
Series-02
Author: Wen Jia
Tokyo Drama Arts
Reporter: Hello Mr. Ling! I learned that you will perform the drama "Empress Wu Zetian" at the Central Hall in Ginza, Tokyo on May 6, and several of my friends have already bought tickets and are looking forward to watching the Golden Week. The script creation of "Empress Wu Zetian" has been reported by various media, and this time I would like to ask Mr. Ling to talk about the performance of the drama. I have seen your role as Zhou Puyuan in "Thunderstorm", Qi Donghe in "Silver Wedding", and Tan Haisheng and other roles you played in the drama "Love". These characters have left a deep impression on the audience with their "heavy affection". I read the script of "Empress Wu Zetian" before, and I think the script is very well written, which not only restores history, but also shows the delicate feelings of the characters, and the characters' personalities are also very plump, flesh and blood. Today, I would like to ask you to tell us about how it has been about performing drama for decades.
Mr. Ling: In the past, reporters interviewed from the perspective of screenwriters and directors, and you were the first to conduct interviews from the perspective of actor creation. After I left the National Theatre in the late 80s and came to Japan, I spent 10 years studying and making ends meet, and I only saw two plays in 10 years. By chance, I rekindled my passion for theater, and that year I met several old friends from Japan, and they gave me a lot of encouragement to return to the theater stage, and after that, I appeared on the Tokyo stage with theater lovers in Tokyo.
When it was difficult to read, I borrowed a book of "Romeo and Juliet" plays, secretly recited Romeo's lines, and acted alone in the house. In 1978, he was admitted to the Central Experimental Theater, the predecessor of the National Theatre of China, and finally entered a professional drama group. At that time, the teachers of the theater were the best teachers in the country, and the head teacher of the acting class was Mr. Zhang Shouwei, who was the director of the performance department of the Central Academy of Drama, and during the Yan'an period, he played Yang Bailao in the opera "The White-Haired Girl", and he was both strict and loving to us. The acting teacher is the famous actor Yao Xiangli, and the current popular teacher You Benchang is the counselor of our acting class. The study laid a good foundation for us, and we still benefit immensely today.
Reporter: Can you tell us about the drama performance?
Teacher Ling: When it comes to drama performance, some people think that drama is the easiest way to get started, just be able to speak, memorize lines, and take some stage scheduling on the stage to act in drama. In fact, drama can be said to be the ceiling of performance, and it is also the most difficult. First of all, drama is different from other types of drama, dance drama is dancing to music, and opera is singing to melody. The most difficult thing about drama is not only to say the words correctly and to say the lines well, but also to accurately express the subtext and inner monologue. So what is a subtext? The subtext in a drama has a much richer meaning than a line, and the subtext is the meaning hidden behind the line. The personalities, colorful emotions, and strong psychological actions of different characters are often hidden behind the lines. When we speak in our daily life, we often have two meanings: "inside and outside". I'll give you an example from the drama "Thunderstorm":
After 30 years, Lu Shiping and Zhou Puyuan met unexpectedly, and this dialogue has rich subtext.
Lu Shiping: She is not a young lady, she is the daughter of Mei's mother in Wuxi Zhou Mansion, her name is Shiping.
Zhou Puyuan: What's your last name? [How do you know so much and so exactly?
Kinship?)
Lu Shiping: My surname is Lu, sir.
Zhou Puyuan: Shi Ping, Shi Ping, that's right. The girl's body was said to have been buried by a poor man.
Can you find out where her grave is?
Lu Shiping: What is the old man asking about these idle things? [After so many years, she has nothing to do with you now.]
It doesn't matter, you don't have to worry about it.
Zhou Puyuan: This person is a bit related to us.
Lu Shiping: Relatives? [When did Shiping climb up to your relatives?
It was just one of your maids.
Zhou Puyuan: Well, we want to repair her grave.
Lu Shiping: Oh, that's not necessary. [She is not dead at all, and is standing before you now.]
Another important aspect is the inner monologue. The inner monologue reveals the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. For example, when character A speaks, what is character B's inner reaction? In a scenario set in a script, such as a battlefield, a fire scene, or a hospital, an inner monologue helps the actor express his lines accurately. In addition, the relationship between the characters can also affect the tone and attitude of speech. Therefore, actors must be able to "listen, observe, and make judgments truthfully" when performing.
In the thirteenth scene with Sun Ping, the elderly Wu Zetian was thinking about how to ensure the continuation of the Wuzhou regime she had established. Her two trusted nephews, Wu Sansi and Wu Chenghei, and her relationship with the descendants of the previous dynasty, Li Tang Dynasty, form the complex background for her choice of successor. In this process, she hopes that Di Renjie, who has worked with her for many years and is deeply trusted, will come up with a credible opinion.
Wu Chengsi advocated that he should be his successor, and in the course of this discussion, Hou Wei, who played Wu Chengsi, performed brilliantly and accurately, showing the psychological changes of the character through his eyes and body language. In the face of Di Renjie's questioning and Wu Zetian's decision, the dramatic conflict reached a climax.
Di Renjie's character is a symbol of loyalty and wisdom, and his calm response and final advice demonstrate the deep affection of a loyal minister for the country and the monarch. Wu Zetian's trust in Di Renjie and her final decision showed her foresight and decisiveness as a monarch.
He understood Wu Zetian with reason and moved with affection, so that Wu Zetian finally decided to establish Li Xian as the crown prince. In the end, Wu Zetian slowly walked to Di Renjie's side, pressed Di Renjie's shoulder with his hand and said, "You and I are both old, I know your loyalty, I will think about it again, and it is the overall situation to establish the crown prince." Wu Zetian and Di Renjie both knew that they would die soon, and at this time, Teacher Sun Ping and Di Renjie looked at each other with tears in their eyes, showing the friendship between the monarch and the minister. Although this scene is not too long, Teacher Sun Ping and I are very involved in the play, and we perform it vividly every time. Conveying the deep emotions of the characters through sincere performances, this heartfelt performance is not only a profound experience for us, but also provides a real artistic enjoyment for the audience.
During the rehearsal process, I kept emphasizing that the core of acting is emotional involvement. Whether an actor is professional or not depends not only on whether he belongs to a professional team, but more importantly, whether he can experience the real emotions of the character and move the audience through these emotions. An actor needs to interpret every line with his heart and deeply understand the inner world of the character, so as to create a character that touches people's hearts.
Reporter: Thank you, Mr. Ling, through today's explanation, I really understand the true meaning of becoming a qualified actor. Many people think that as long as they have a pleasant voice and a good image, they can play a good role, but through your sharing, I have realized that to create an impressive character, you not only need to interpret the lines carefully, dig out the meaning behind the lines, but also listen carefully to the other person's lines, feel and understand the other person's emotions in the play with the opponent. Only then can every scene on stage appear authentic and believable. Do you think I understand it correctly?
Teacher Ling: Your understanding is very good. I hope that in the future, more people who love theater performance will join us to jointly promote the development of theater art and contribute to the promotion of cultural exchanges between China and Japan.
Reporter: Thank you very much Mr. Ling for accepting my interview, I wish the performance on May 6 a complete success, and look forward to your creation of more and better works in the future. One more thing, I heard that the book "Drama Empress Wu Zetian" is about to be published, can you tell us when it will be published?
Mr. Ling: You are very well informed. The book has been in writing for some time and is now being typeset. We hope to share it with the audience during the performance in May.
Reporter: Can you briefly introduce the content of this book?
Ms. Ling: Absolutely. The book is based on the script of "Empress Wu Zetian", including Chinese and Japanese versions, as well as rehearsal impressions, interviews and drama reviews by the main actors of the crew. The book is 288 pages long, with color stills. In order to better shape the role, he visited the place where Chu Suiliang was born, served and important activities, collected a lot of valuable information through field visits and interviews, and wrote a series of articles that are both historical and readable. In addition, it is hoped that readers can have an in-depth understanding of the story of "Empress Wu Zetian" in the creation process through this book.
Tokyo Drama is an original four-act drama of wonder
Empress Wu Zetian
Empress Wu
Screenwriter & Director: Ling Qingcheng
Date: May 6, 2024
開場:16:30 開演17:00
Venue: Ginza Blossom Central Hall
Directed by: Tokyo Drama Art Association, Tokyo Repertory Theatre
Supported by: Cultural Affairs Department of the Chinese Embassy
The All-Japan Federation of Overseas Chinese and Overseas Chinese Social Security Association
All seats reserved: SS seats 4980 yen / S seats 3980 yen / A seats 2980 yen
* All plays with Japanese subtitles
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