Chuanguan News reporter Xue Weirui
......On May 11, the Sichuan Art Fund's 2023 Young Artistic Talent Stage Incubation Project - Small Theater Sichuan Opera "Shadow Puppet Family" made its debut at the Sichuan Opera Theater in Sichuan Province. Interpreting intangible cultural heritage through traditional dialogue and intangible cultural heritage, "Shadow Puppet Family" depicts the story of the "Wang Shadow Puppet" family class inheriting the art of shadow puppetry, reflecting the persistence of generations of inheritors to traditional Chinese culture.
Stills from "Shadow Puppet People".
As a stage incubation project for young artistic talents, the play is created and rehearsed in the form of "passing on the band", with Chen Zhilin, chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and president of the Sichuan Opera Theater, as the artistic director, Zeng Haoyue, an outstanding young playwright of the Sichuan Opera Theater, as the screenwriter, Kang Xiaolin, Wu Yuan, outstanding young teachers of the Sichuan Vocational College of Arts, and young and middle-aged backbone actors Yang Kunhao, Zou Hong, Tan Hongmei, etc.
"Through the combination of Sichuan opera and shadow puppetry, "Shadow Puppet Family" shows the efforts and persistence of generations of inheritors for traditional culture." Chen Zhilin said that the play shows the contradictions and choices in the process of cultural inheritance, and the inheritance and development of traditional culture not only requires the inheritance of skills, but also the understanding and love of art from the heart.
Stills from "Shadow Puppet People".
Intangible cultural heritage interprets intangible cultural heritage
Show the perseverance of the "King Shadow Puppets".
The stage lights were lit up, and as the character Qiu Fool walked into the audience with a shadow puppet, leading everyone into the story of the "shadow puppet family" - Wang Yiming, the son of Wang Shadow Puppet, stood at the crossroads of life choices, experienced confusion and hesitation, and finally firmly embarked on the road of inheriting shadow puppet art.
"This is a small theater Sichuan opera that interprets intangible cultural heritage with intangible cultural heritage." Playwright Zeng Haoyue said that Sichuan opera is rooted in the Bashu cultural context and is a shining pearl in the treasure house of Chinese opera, and was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. The shadow puppet of the king of northern Sichuan has a history of more than 300 years, and has appeared on the international stage many times, and was included in the national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
"In 2019, paying attention to the theme of 'shadow puppet inheritance', I went to Langzhong to collect wind and visited the inheritors of the shadow puppets of the king of northern Sichuan, and was deeply touched by their stories, which also became the source of inspiration for "Shadow Puppet Family"." Referring to the background of the creation of the play, Zeng Haoyue introduced that the shadow puppet of the king of northern Sichuan was created by Wang Yuansheng in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and Wang Wenkun, the sixth-generation descendant of the king shadow puppet, is not only a master of shadow puppet carving, but also a master of singing shadow puppetry. With the development of modern culture, shadow puppetry has faced several inheritance crises, but under a series of protection measures by the local government and all walks of life, through the persistent efforts of the "King Shadow Puppets", this cultural heritage has been shining so far.
With an in-depth understanding of northern Sichuan shadow puppetry, Zeng Haoyue felt more and more valuable about this theme. "The inheritors and disseminators of traditional culture are worthy of writing, and interpreting the inheritance of this traditional art in the form of Sichuan opera is more characteristic of Bashu culture."
Stills from "Shadow Puppet People".
Presenting Bashu culture
Integrate shadow puppetry art into the Sichuan opera stage
"As an opera person, it's easy to resonate with this drama." Kang Xiaolin and Wu Yuan, directors who graduated from the China Academy of Drama, were deeply touched by the background and idea of the play, "We both started learning opera from a young age, and this drama not only tells the inheritance of shadow puppet art, but also reflects the development and challenges faced by other traditional cultures. At a time when intangible cultural heritage is becoming more and more important, it is timely to rehearse such a theme. ”
In the eyes of the two directors, Sichuan opera and northern Sichuan shadow puppetry have the same roots, both carry rich Bashu culture and folk tales, and reflect the local history, humanity and customs. In addition, in the performance of northern Sichuan shadow puppetry, Sichuan opera gongs and drums, singing, and performance are integrated, and the two have many common characteristics.
In the process of directing, the biggest challenge is how to integrate shadow puppet culture into the Sichuan opera stage. The northern Sichuan shadow puppet art has a unique charm, vivid shape, bright colors and fine carvings. In order to better show the art of shadow puppetry, the team specially asked Wang Biao, the seventh-generation descendant of the shadow puppet of the King of Northern Sichuan, to teach the actors to operate shadow puppetry, and tailor-made shadow puppet props for the play. The stage design also has a lot of light and shadow effects to show the artistic charm of shadow puppetry under light and shadow.
"Shadow puppetry is the soul, and Sichuan opera is the foothold." Kang Xiaolin said that "Shadow Puppet Family" cannot reproduce shadow puppet performances, and in the end, it is necessary to follow the expression techniques of opera and rely on Sichuan opera performances to present the stage. At the climax of the play, when the father and son performed "The Golden Gun Meeting" together, "Shadow Puppet Family" broke the restriction and transformed the shadow puppet into an opera character with a soul. "The highest level of shadow puppet performance is to bring shadow puppetry to life, and shadow puppets can also be 'lived' in the way of traditional Sichuan opera."
Stills from "Shadow Puppet People".
Sichuan Opera Artist "Passing on the Band"
"Post-90s" and "post-00s" take the lead
As the 2023 stage incubation project of Sichuan Art Fund for Young Artistic Talents, "Shadow Puppet Family" also reflects the achievements of Sichuan Opera artists and young actors.
In the play, the story of the inheritance of the shadow puppet class unfolds. Outside the play, "Shadow Puppet Family" adopts the form of "passing on the help", in terms of script creation, stage direction, stage lighting, as well as drumming, piano, and collar, etc., all of which are jointly created by experienced business backbones and young opera workers. From screenwriters, directors to actors, the main creative team is led by the "post-90s" and "post-00s".
"This time the script creation has received a lot of help from my predecessors, and it has undergone a complete overturn, rewrite and several changes." As a young screenwriter of the "post-90s", Zeng Haoyue said that at the beginning of the script creation, the play accepted the advice of Du Jianhua, a famous Sichuan Opera theorist and president of the Sichuan Opera Theory Research Association, and paid attention to the theme of "shadow puppet inheritance". In the process of script creation, the Sichuan Provincial Repertoire Studio also organized several seminars, convened opera experts to meet and discuss, and offered suggestions for the creation of the play.
"This is the fourth time I have put up a stage script at the Sichuan Theater, and it is also the one I feel has been helped with the most and the most improved." Zeng Haoyue said, "As a young creator, it is a particularly cherished opportunity to be able to encounter such a stage for learning and practice. ”
Both young opera workers, Kang Xiaolin and Wu Yuan have previously participated in the creation of Peking Opera, Henan Opera and other dramas, which is their first Sichuan Opera work directed as the main director. "The theater is not only willing to give opportunities and stages to young people who are just starting out, but also does its best to help us.
What impressed Kang Xiaolin was that as the artistic director of the play, Chen Zhilin repeatedly watched the rehearsals and put forward many pertinent suggestions. "Young people may always like to do additions, and we attach great importance to this stage, so we will use all our energy at once, but Dean Chen suggested that the stage should first ensure that the drama is smooth, so that the audience can pay attention to the performance, whether it is the stage or the lighting, it cannot dominate. This has benefited us a lot. ”
Stills from "Shadow Puppet People".
"I am very pleased to see the progress of the theatre team in the creation of modern Sichuan opera, and they are able to break the confines of traditional opera and present a professionally trained modern opera stage." Chen Zhilin said that this creation and rehearsal also made him feel the persistent spirit of young opera people, "Before taking the stage today, everyone is still grinding the details, and the team is twisted into a rope, and the combat effectiveness is particularly strong, which truly shows the artistic spirit of opera people." ”
Regarding the "passing on and helping" of Sichuan opera talents, Chen Zhilin believes that this is the unshirkable responsibility and obligation of Sichuan opera people. "I also came from a young actor, and I have received the trust and support of my predecessors in Sichuan Opera, and today I have the ability to help young students, and of course I will spare no effort to give them guidance and advice. This is the only way to pass on the theatrical heritage. ”
(Photo courtesy of Sichuan Theater)