9 years, 51 games, 50,000+ people...... When the spring breeze blows on the shore of Yuanxiang Lake, the annual Poly Public Welfare Cultural Carnival also arrives with the wind. Drama, dance drama, Yue opera, Shanghai opera, children's drama, concert...... The exquisite performances have accompanied countless audiences through 9 beautiful springs. The fares of 30 yuan, 50 yuan, and 80 yuan have remained unchanged for many years, helping elegant art to fly into the homes of ordinary people. The silent artistic edification of moisturizing things continues to shape the cultural tone of Jiading, and writes a new chapter for the city to be a cultural person.
"If I don't go to see one every year, I feel like I'm panicking"
"The Yue Opera "Dream of Red Mansions" is so beautiful, you who haven't watched it will regret it!" "I went to the cassette concert of the Pan Symphony Orchestra again, and the audience sang in unison, and I was very excited. "I watched three public welfare cultural performances in five sessions this year, and I will strive to come to every venue next year!" These passionate words come from Shu Ya's circle of friends, a loyal audience of Poly Grand Theater. From the moment she entered the theater during the first Charity Culture Week and was deeply intoxicated by the dance drama "Lotus", Shu Ya has formed an indissoluble bond with Poly. Drama, opera, cross talk, musicals...... Public welfare venues, Chinese New Year venues, limited venues...... She has a wide range of knowledge, and the ticket stubs she has collected and preserved over the years are spread out one square meter and stacked one foot high. On the yellowed ticket stubs, the inkblots of different plays have faded with the years, and the beautiful stage memories are still vivid and bright.
Shu Ya's 2015-2024 part of the ticket stub for watching the drama
Shu Ya said that she is a person who loves "beauty" very much, beautiful scenery, beautiful literature, and delicious food...... She tirelessly pursues all things beautiful. "When I was younger, I gave all my time to my love, my children and my work. After retirement, I just want to be myself, go out and feel and collect all the good things in the world. The Public Welfare Culture Week is like a "matchmaker", which led to her "fate" with drama, and since then, Shu Ya has unlocked a new field of "beauty" and started a beautiful retirement life.
It is better to be alone than to be happy, and Shu Ya's sharing of watching dramas in the circle of friends also infects the people around her. Many friends joined Shu Ya's "drama team", not only teaming up for drama, but also participating in various fan activities of Poly, making theater art an indispensable part of their lives. "Every year, we grab tickets in advance for the public welfare venue, the ticket price is discounted, the quality is not discounted, and I feel panicked if I don't watch it!" Shu Ya said, and when her grandson grows up, she will also take him into the theater to feel the infinite charm of art. "Why not watch dramas from the doll and cultivate sentiment?" Shu Ya said with a smile.
In addition to the audience, the staff has also grown over the past 9 years. Thousands of "Poly people" have a beautiful "theater dream", working hard, striving to grow, and jointly build and appreciate the prosperity of art. They have gained friendships, families, and valuable life experiences and wealth, and they have deeply integrated the spirit of the theater into their blood. "My partner and I became acquainted with the play, and my relatives and friends also walked into the theater under my influence, witnessing countless wonderful stages that cannot be replicated. The staff of the Poly Grand Theater said.
"Noble" is not "expensive", "viewing" and "experiencing"
"30 yuan, 50 yuan, 80 yuan", the public welfare ticket price that has not risen for 9 years is like a simple Jiading person, who receives every visitor warmly and friendly, and the culture benefits the people, the original intention remains the same, and there is no sloppiness in the repertoire arrangement.
Whether it is the intimate and authentic Shanghai opera "Confidential No. 1", "Dunhuang Daughter", the burlesque "Chen Hansheng's Eating Problem", the Yue opera "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Peacock Flying Southeast", or the magnificent Italian, Spanish and Russian symphony concerts, or the picture book adaptation of the children's drama "Guess How Much I Love You", the parent-child musical "Bakken Bear", the niche acrobatic drama "Youth Has Another Name", as well as "Taming the Shrew", "Five Years of Da Ming Chongzhen", "You and I, Seven Wonderful Steps of the Theater" All kinds of classic dramas and public welfare dramas are diverse, taking into account both young and old.
Burlesque "Chen Hansheng's Eating Problem"
"Tribute to the Tony Award - The Most Classic Melody of Broadway"
Yue Opera "Dream of Red Mansions"
In recent years, in addition to the repertoire of Huimin, the Public Welfare Culture Week has also planned and organized a variety of performance supporting experience activities such as post-performance talks, backstage visits, children's drama experience, and performance team interaction, and gave back to the audience in the form of "art gift packages".
This year's Yue Opera drama "Peacock Flying Southeast" not only brings the audience an audio-visual feast of traditional opera, but also opens a backstage exploration journey, allowing the audience to experience the unique charm of opera art at zero distance. From costumes and makeup to stage props, after the detailed explanation of the staff, the audience also had a deeper understanding of the cultural inheritance behind the performance.
The audience of "Peacock Flying Southeast" visited the backstage
From the stage to the stage, from the outside of the play to the play
After 9 years of precipitation, Poly Grand Theatre Charity Culture Week is like a seed, taking root and germinating in the fertile cultural soil of Jiading, growing into a towering tree, and more and more audiences have become theater fans because of the Charity Culture Week, enjoying richer artistic nourishment, and witnessing the growth of Poly as a cultural palace.
The noble but not "expensive" elegant artistic edification has imperceptibly cultivated groups of audiences who yearn for the stage. This year's 14-year-old drama fan Tan Cao Yi is one of them. Tan Cao Yi said with a smile that she is like a "child who grew up in the theater", and her parents will take her to watch dramas every year during the Public Welfare Culture Week, from children's dramas to dramas to musicals, with the growth of understanding, there are more and more types of dramas to enjoy. With a love for music and the stage, she joined the Poly Children's Choir and served as the team leader at the 4th "Poly Summer" Shanghai International Children's Choir Festival last year. "When I was younger, I looked at the actors on stage and felt as if they were glowing. Now I'm on the stage and have my own light. Tan Cao Yi said.
The 4th "Poly Summer" Shanghai International Children's Choir Festival
Poly Children's Choir performs
Cao Yu, assistant general manager of Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre, said that the Poly Charity Culture Week aims to lower the threshold for watching dramas, allow audiences to enter the theater at a lower cost, enhance the sense of cultural acquisition, and improve the level of art appreciation. "We hope to cultivate the audience to become the 'main body' of culture, so that they can change from 'outsiders' to 'people in the play', discover the beauty of life under the guidance of art, depict their own life scripts, and be their own protagonists. We will continue to forge ahead and bring more exciting art performances and cultural experiences to the audience. Cao Yu said.
Today, in addition to a richer repertoire of public welfare plays, a more mature stage, and more blockbuster performances, Poly Grand Theater has also gained the company of many "family members" - up to now, nearly 2 million people have entered the theater. Looking forward to the future, this stage will carry a richer connotation of Jiading culture, and bring infinite possibilities in cultural innovation and artistic creation.
Written by Liu Ruihan
Editor: Shen Yue