The front hall of the National Theatre of China was crowded, and before the performance began, the "mobile library" outside the theater and the different "school visit instructions" recorded by the various characters in the theater had already drawn the audience into the plot. The free house catalogue that has been carefully crafted into the "Zhiheng Middle School Admission Guide" is full of details, and it can always make fans gain all kinds of surprises. Under the dimming of the field lights, the controversy caused by a new school rule, five characters with their own opinions, and eleven loud debates made everyone on and off the stage fall into deep thinking.
From May 10th to 19th, the Mandarin version of the drama "Principles", authorized by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, produced by nine drama artists, written by Guo Yongkang and directed by Zhu Hongxuan, ushered in the first round of performances at the Mandarin Theatre as the repertoire of the 9th China Original Drama Invitational Exhibition.
Stills from the drama "Principles", taken by Fang Fei
In the past, every work staged by nine drama artists would arouse a flood of responses from the audience, and the strong speculative nature of the "campus fable" of "Principles" has stirred up endless heated discussions. How does a person become a "person"? This is not only the focus of attention of teachers and students on campus, but also the spiritual exploration of everyone outside the theater.
The pursuit of common ideals has led to the co-operation of the two places in adapting dramatic masterpieces
The creation of the drama "Principles" originated from a student assignment by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre playwright Kwok Wing-hong on the theme of "The Conflict between Law and Human Feelings" when he was a student at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Such an enduring problem has long been debated in the history of thought, but how to implement the abstract conceptual dispute on the theatrical stage? Kwok chose to return to the secondary school campus, starting with a new school rule. This is a past he experienced when he was a teenager, and many years later, as a creator, he put this old campus incident on the stage, so that the opposing concepts of "legal principles" and "human feelings" are incarnated into specific characters. The new principal arrived with the task of "improving the school's performance", but because of the style of "principle first, human feelings second", he was frequently blocked in the implementation of the new school rule of "wearing sportswear when playing on the playground". The vice principal, the director of teaching, and the young and ignorant students, everyone's "principles" are gradually revealed with the twists and turns of the story, which also makes this ideological meeting on campus a self-oriented exploration.
Stills from the drama "Principles".
The play has attracted strong attention and acclaim, and has won many awards such as Best Screenplay nomination at the Hong Kong Theatre Libre Awards, Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Drama Awards, Best Screenplay of the Year at the Jing'an Modern Theatre Valley One Drama Awards in Shanghai, and Best Screenplay in Hong Kong at the Asia Academy Creative Awards 2022. The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre also held an online live screening of "Principles", and the director of the nine-member play, Chu Hongxuan, became one of the countless audiences of the play.
Zhu Hongxuan believes that the most touching point of "Principles" lies in "truth": "'Truth' does not mean that it needs to correspond to which year or place in real life needs to be restored, and the sincerity and complexity that always exist in human nature transcend specific time and space. This eternal pursuit of "truth" has made "Principles" resonate with audiences of different ages and backgrounds, and has also made Guo Yongkang and Zhu Hongxuan "pen pals".
Stills from the drama "Principles".
After sincere communication with each other, the nine drama members were authorized by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, and Zhu Hongxuan personally served as the director of the Mandarin version of "Principles", bringing this work to the mainland stage with a new look and cast. For Zhu Hongxuan, who has always directed his own screenwriting works in the past, the reason why he likes "Principles" is because "the script is solid, full of speculation and exploration of the 'goodness' in human nature, and it is a good script with social care and construction significance, which is the most essential reason why we chose "Principles". ”
The mutual fit and respect, as well as the same pursuit of "truth" and "goodness", make the cooperation smoothly promoted. From the Cantonese version to the Mandarin version, the Principles have gained new vitality. Guo Yongkang was deeply moved by this: "The value of a screenwriter lies in whether the work can find a soulmate, which is the most important thing. Zhu Hongxuan also felt a strong resonance from this work. The core of the past works of the nine drama artists, I actually don't know how to summarize it. Now I find a phrase in the Principles, 'Choose the good and be stubborn'. ”
Zhu Hongxuan said: "In the future, we are willing and look forward to working with more outstanding screenwriters, directors and other creators to create mature works and promote a healthier industry ecology." ”
Choose a small theater where the audience participates in interactive expressions of attitudes
The news of the Mandarin version of the drama "Principles" by nine people has attracted attention from all walks of life, and after the tickets were opened, all 9 performances were quickly sold out, and an encorel was arranged, which was still hard to find.
With the current box office appeal of the nine drama players, it is completely possible to make a large theater repertoire that can accommodate more audiences, but Zhu Hongxuan still chooses to perform "Principles" in a small theater. She said, "The original performance of this work was completed by director Fang Junjie, and it was a small theater repertoire at that time, with a minimalist stage, but the expression was delicate, I liked it very much, and I also hoped to maintain the close sense of communication and interaction in the small theater and the feeling of watching the performance." ”
Zhu Hongxuan hopes that the whole performance will bring the audience a feeling like everyone sitting on campus and on the court together, breathing together and feeling each other.
Stills from the drama "Principles".
In this symbolic school, there are different concepts of school governance, colliding with different attitudes towards life, some people believe in "choosing the good and stubborn", and some people believe that "one cloud pushes another cloud"; Some people firmly shout that "the truth is in the chest and the pen is in the hand, and selflessness and fearlessness are freedom", while others pursue the dilemma of morality and the possibility of justice in the chaos. Macro topics such as "governing the school" and "educating people" are embodied in the daily events that teachers and students have to face every day, and the passionate debates give rise to vigor and sharpness, and the hesitant answers also hide the confusion of youth.
Different from the first few dramas of the nine-person drama of the Republic of China, which had huge stage sets and many detailed props, the stage design of "Principles" is very simple. At the beginning, there were only two chairs on the empty stage, and in this principal's room, which did not even have a table, but was full of different ideas, the characters appeared one by one and clashed again and again. The audience's focus is all focused on the conflict between the characters' language and concepts, so that they have more room for reflection and thinking.
In particular, during the hearing, the audience also became parents and guests on the hearing table, and they could raise their hands to express their support for the question of "whether Vice President Chen should resign".
Stills from the drama "Principles".
In terms of the script, Zhu Hongxuan made minor revisions and adjustments after full communication with the screenwriter, replacing some lines with local characteristics in the Cantonese environment with content that is more suitable for performance in the mainland, while retaining its humorous color and role in the play.
In some aspects, the play also continues the style and characteristics of the works of the nine drama people who like to quote classics, mentioning various classic thought experiments such as "tram problem", "strange cave case" and "shepherd's myth", and also involves a lot of philosophical, social science and even jurisprudence speculation. The ideological connotation of the work is not limited to the campus, and has a stronger universality and discussion value.
Adopt a variety of cast combinations to show rich humanity
The Mandarin version of "Principles" carefully selected 7 outstanding actors, many of whom are old friends of the nine members of the drama who have worked together before. Each of the actors wrote a "character biography" of thousands or even tens of thousands of words for the role they played, and recorded a "rehearsal log" in the rehearsal hall every day, fully devoting themselves to this emotional and rational creation.
Everyone in the play is real and multifaceted: Principal Yang played by Ren Yijie seems to be unkind, but he also has his own hidden history behind sticking to his principles; The students have a flamboyant personality, but they can't help but shed tears when they face the departure of Vice Principal Chen played by He Yufan; Teacher Cai, the teaching director played by Li Jialong, is like a sword shadow when he resists power, but he is full of warmth when facing students.
Stills from the drama "Principles", taken by Fang Fei
It is particularly worth mentioning that in the Hong Kong version of "Principles", Fu Mingzhen, the president of the student union who speaks uprightly, and Liang Jiawen, the editor of the student newspaper who is steady and thoughtful, are played by two actors, a woman and a man; The Mandarin version of "Principles" uses a more diverse cast combination - Ren Zhenhui, Luo Qiyue, Xu Wenxin, and Wen Ziqi play Fu Mingzhen and Liang Jiawen respectively in different scenes, and the gender and role are interchangeable, and each combination also brings a new chemical reaction. In this regard, Zhu Hongxuan believes: "People are rich, and I don't want them to be confined to a single gender portrayal. ”
There is no standard answer, and the power of speculation leads to multi-dimensional thinking
The most touching thing about the Principles is that they do not give the so-called answers. After the fierce exchange of views, the introspection and questioning about education, growth, and dilemma choices not only exist between teachers and students in the play, but also stimulate the audience's multi-dimensional thinking. Respect the rules or be considerate? Do you want to be safe or keep it safe? Different life experiences will have different perspectives and perspectives, and diverse discussions will also stimulate more mutual inspiration.
Speculation is to break down prejudices and sail towards greater goodwill, "not to lose hope, still less to lose faith in people." From this point of view, the topic of "Principles" is eternal, and the power of speculation flies like a shuttlecock in the wind, flying out of the campus and out of the theater, leaving the audience with more insights into life.
END
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Author and editor of this issue: Wang Run
Picture in this issue: Unsigned photo courtesy of Nine Drama Members
Producer of this issue: Zhou Nanyan