Before today's official poster was released, many people had already noticed a new lightbox advertisement at the subway station. Instead of the infinite scenery of the stage in the past, the camera focuses on the picture of two young people in sportswear and skateboards. Look closely at their shoes and socks, the red and blue arrows of Shanghai's long-established brands "lead out" the slogan on their socks: China has a play. The slogan at the bottom of the skateboard shows the intention of doing so: "Not in the theater, on the way to the theater" - in the context of the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, compared with the previous promotion of high-standard performance content, the Shanghai Grand Theatre actively expanded online services, hoping to let everyone see what kind of new experience the online Tmall mall will give the audience.
Today is August 23rd, the Shanghai Grand Theatre has chosen to release the 21-22 season content online. The reason for choosing the 23rd is to echo the theater's upcoming 23rd birthday. Under the background of the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, after the announcement of the performance season plan for half a year twice, the Shanghai Grand Theatre once again launched the New Year's Eve performance season, showing the diversified face of the current vigorous development of the Chinese stage.
The theme of the new performance season is "China is having a drama", which is not only a portrayal of the orderly recovery of the current Chinese theater and the wonderful stage presentation, but also points to the future, with the duration of "there is a play", showing The Chinese culture and even The strength of China, which is showing more and more vigorous vitality and self-confidence.
It is worth mentioning that in order to encourage domestic original innovation, this performance season has specially set up a new "debut premiere" unit, bringing together a number of new works in various stage art forms such as Peking Opera symphony, Chinese music, dance poetry, drama, and musical. Along with the new performance season, there is also the renewal and upgrading of the theater brand, from the visual VI system, the experiential art education brand, to the theater cultural and creative products that can be "taken home", and the characteristic lifestyle experience that can "walk in", so that the excitement of the theater can extend from the stage to daily life, and the vision of "dreams, not only the stage" is practiced. Debut online and offline "double-line" operation, excavating stage "masterpieces" belonging to contemporary China
Focusing on the theme of "China is having drama", "Produced in China" has become the main role of the 2021-22 performance season, and many of these works have premiered and debuted in Shanghai.
What the Shanghai Grand Theatre hopes to present is the vigorous creativity of China's performance industry in the context of epidemic prevention and control. Through stage works, we examine and tell the Chinese story born from the excellent traditional cultural genes, show the dynamic and innovative stage frontier style, and excavate the stage "masterpieces" that can represent contemporary China.
In the "Debut Performance" unit, the original Peking Opera Symphony Suite "Beijing Grand Canal", the Chinese music "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy - A Audible Silk Road", the dance poetry drama "Only This Green" - dance painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", the stage drama "Thunderstorm", "Thunderstorm After"... These stage works, which are rooted in the genes of Chinese culture, will unfold a profound historical picture for us. Chinese the original musical "Human Disqualification" and the Chinese version of the musical "Matilda" will be premiered at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, integrating the world-class creative and production team and showing the youthful atmosphere of the contemporary Chinese stage.
Two Peking Opera symphonies and Chinese music works, praising the beauty of Chinese culture. On October 18th, the large-scale original Peking Opera Symphony Suite "Beijing Grand Canal", co-produced by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Opera House, composed by Yang Nailin, and composed by Weng Sizai and Li Dongcai, integrates traditional Chinese opera with Western symphonic music, and through the artistic language of Chinese and Western, lyricizes the unique style of the Grand Canal in Beijing, leading the Shanghai audience to approach the past and present life of the Millennium Grand Canal; in 2021, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra commissioned international music master Tan Dun to create and perform the epic masterpiece of national orchestral music, "Dunhuang Ode to Mercy—— A Audible Silk Road", based on the story of Dunhuang murals, through the combination of Dunhuang murals and musical melodies, the spirit of Dunhuang art from ancient times and present to dialogue with the audience of this era.
Presented with dance and drama, it explains classic Chinese stories and aesthetics. The dance poetry drama "Only This Green" - dance painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" invites "Chinese dance gemini" Zhou Liya and Han Zhen to join hands as co-choreographers, dialogue with the northern Song Dynasty genius painter Xi Meng, connect the thousand years of stillness and movement, and reproduce the fantasy color of the peak of green landscape painting. The stage drama "Thunderstorm" and "Thunderstorm After" will be Cao Yu's classic work "Thunderstorm" and his daughter and the mantle heir Wan Fang's "Thunderstorm After" in one day and night, making it not only a dialogue between father and daughter, but also a dialogue between two generations and two eras, inviting the audience to harvest their own life experience in the ritualistic viewing process. In October, this drama work and the stage play "Love Letter" starring Zhou Tao will appear together in the Yanghua Drama Season of the Shanghai Grand Theatre.
In addition, Chinese original musical "Human Disqualification" gathered an international first-line luxury creative team, inviting American Broadway star composer Frank Wildhorn and British stage design master Leslie Travers to join, presenting Chinese musical theater creation at an international level. In 2019, the original musical "Matilda" in London's West End caused a sensation in the Chinese musical theater market, and after three years, the Chinese version of the musical "Matilda" will be actively debuted in anticipation. The Chinese version will not only restore the original immersive choreography and live band, but also be escorted by Cheng He, the top translator of domestic musical theater, to create a unique new theater experience for Chinese audiences.
In the "double-line" operation, online channels, which are reserved for overseas dramas that have not been able to come to China due to the epidemic. Following the successful launch of the first season in 2020, the 2021-22 performance season of the Shanghai Grand Theatre's online performance season "Tour Station Zero" continues to bring a wealth of online performing arts content to the audience. The new season of "Tour Station Zero" will focus on the rapidly changing social, economic and living environment in the post-epidemic era, and borrow art to heal people's hearts. In addition to continuing to introduce the world's latest and best online performing arts repertoire and documentaries, the "Online Immersive Drama" project will be launched for the first time. Among them, the second season of the Shanghai Grand Theatre's self-made original short film "China Has Drama" will focus on hip-hop street dance, immersive drama, comedy talk show, two-dimensional culture and other fields, explore in-depth interpretation of young audiences, and imagine the future development goals of the performing arts industry.
Coming to the theater to see the play is out! Cultural creation, catering, live broadcasting, "immersive" new urban life is waiting for you to experience
In the post-epidemic era, China's theaters are quietly changing, cross-border innovation is more diversified, performing arts spaces are more flexible, and performing arts derivatives are more textured. In this context, how can a Shanghai entertainer who has always dared to think and dare to do break the situation? The Shanghai Grand Theatre takes the renewal and upgrading of the theater brand as the guideline, and through the practice of the concept of "open art palace", the theater space is incorporated into more life carriers and presents a richer life outlook.
What is an "open palace of art"? This can be seen in the newly upgraded Visual VI system of the Shanghai Grand Theatre: the white dome bends into the sky, outlining the architectural concept of "between heaven and earth", and the gradient colors reflect a sense of immersion and integration. Therefore, connecting a broader living space and integrating more rich experiences into the performing arts is the "open" solution given by the Shanghai Grand Theatre.
The person in charge of the theater said that he hopes to combine new consumption and experience scenes such as cultural and creative products, art education activities, theater spaces, and online programs, so that the audience can feel the "immersive" new urban life inside and outside the theater.
Enjoy space: The art education brand that has lasted for many years and accumulated a large number of parent-child audiences will have its own small space - the parent-child reading hall "music reading space". In it, starting from the classic art picture book story, integrating music, chorus, dance, drama and other art forms, carrying out three major workshops of parent-child reading, parent-child drama and music games, with vivid and interesting parent-child interaction and artistic experience, working with parents to let children "enjoy in the art", so that children who cannot enter the theater due to height restrictions have the opportunity for artistic enlightenment. In addition, the "Grand Theatre Art Tour" is a theater experience project for primary and secondary school students in Shanghai, aiming to enlighten students' artistic perception and enrich students' spiritual and civilized life, with "theater tour + art experience" in one, through the organic combination of open visits, backstage experience, architectural knowledge, art popularization, theater etiquette, art lectures and workshops, public rehearsals, etc., the classroom will be moved into the theater to complete the students' "first experience of art".
Buy cultural creativity: The Shanghai Grand Theatre plays the national tide in cultural and creative research and development, and the "China Has Drama" joint canvas shoes jointly launched with Dafu Feiyue presents the current young people's "don't go to the theater, just on the way to the theater" life attitude, presenting it as a "drama" national tide lifestyle. The product name "China Has Drama" originated from the original documentary short film "China Has Drama" launched by the Shanghai Grand Theatre in 2020. The four words "China has drama" began with the performing arts, but they moved towards a broader and more revealing new look of a national tide of young people - all China, there is drama!
Watch live broadcast: August 27 is the 23rd birthday of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, for this reason, from the 23rd to the 27th, the Grand Theatre will continue to launch a series of activities for the Celebration Of the Academy: On the afternoon of August 24, "See the Classics, See the Fate, See Yourself" Shanghai Grand Theatre Yanghua Drama Performance Season Stage Drama "Thunderstorm" and "Thunderstorm • After" Sharing Meeting Live Event, will invite "Thunderstorm" Literary Editor- in Charge, "Thunderstorm After" Screenwriter Wan Fang, actors Liu Kaiwei, Tong Ruimin, He Saifei, Kong Wei, Xu Deliang, Zhang Heqin, Shi Wanchuan, Luo Yongjuan, etc. Online exchange with the audience on contemporary interpretations of classic texts.
Eat this dish: From the 23rd to the 27th, during the performance of the Shanghai opera "Chen Yi in Shanghai", the audience can taste the "Literary and Art Canteen" red classic special package - "Four Stars Looking at the Moon Starry Sky Package" at the Wangxing Sky Restaurant on the eighth floor, which is composed of steamed pork ribs, dried fish, minced pepper stinky tofu, salted water edamame, pumpkin and other ingredients + bamboo steamer set, which fully embodies the revolutionary optimism spirit of remembering bitterness and never forgetting this...
Through a series of activities around food, clothing, housing and transportation, the Shanghai Grand Theatre period strives to expand the cognition and imagination of the theater experience, and open its own "China is having a play" stage in this space.
The classic background color is rejuvenated and the diversified interpretation is inclusive, and the "Grand Theater Production" is ready to go
Of course, the Shanghai Grand Theatre has not abandoned the original "classic" positioning features. Continuing the tradition of taking opera as the opening performance, the 2021-22 performance season of the Shanghai Grand Theatre invites Xu Zhong, president of the Shanghai Opera House, famous conductor and pianist, together with the famous soprano singer He Hui, to perform the long-standing "Twin Stars" "Country Knight" and "Clown" on the world opera stage, and from September 3 to 5, they will present a world-class opera feast for the Audience in Shanghai.
In the music section, the Shanghai Grand Theatre will also present two large-scale concerts, the Verdi & Wagner Opera Collection Concert and the Symphony concert of the Light of France, for opera and classical music lovers. The "One Man Classical" series, curated by the Shanghai Grand Theatre, will bring three high-quality performances: the MedeYang Viola Recital Concert, the Guo Xiang Trumpet Concert, and the Yin Cunmo Piano Recital Concert. On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, violinist Wang Zhijiong will also bring a "Fun New Year Concert" with the Times Ensemble.
In the new season, there are also many dance, drama and opera works that show the youthful atmosphere and the classic background. On September 19th and 20th, dance lovers cannot miss the high-reputation dance drama "The Grand Hotel", which gathers star dancers such as Li Xing and Xie Xin; the ballet "The Nutcracker", which is performed by Shanghai Ballet and "one session and one meeting" every Christmas, will be re-debuted this year, and will meet the audience of the Grand Theater again with a new multimedia stage production. In addition, from August 27 to 29, the original children's light and shadow music theater "RingRing "Ring" Travels" inspired by Wagner music and jointly created by Chinese and Dutch artists; the drama "Crush on Peach Blossom Garden" created and directed by Lai Shengchuan from November 5 to 7 and starring stars; the first part of the large-scale original musical drama "The Pretender" adapted from the TV series of the same name from November 24 to 28 - Willing to Get This Long Life to Serve the Country; November 6-14, "New National Style" The musical "Southern Tang Dynasty Lord" and the Drama "Pillow Man" made by Gulou West from December 1 to 5 will bring continuous excitement to theater lovers. The original large-scale Shanghai opera "Chen Yi in Shanghai" and the classic Shanghai opera "Thunderstorm" brought by Shanghai Shanghai Theatre will present a fresh look of traditional art in the fusion of red genes and modern texts.
Following the independent production of the contemporary Kunqu opera "Six Memories of Floating Life", "Grand Theatre Production" is poised for development in 2022. In the new season, the Shanghai Grand Theatre plans to create two plays: the musical "Positive Youth" and the musical "Brothers Karamazov" Chinese version.
2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China and the year of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. From the First To the Twentieth National Congress, "ZhengQingchun" interprets the life experiences of communists at the beginning of the founding of the Communist Party of China from a female perspective through the revolutionary road of several women, focusing on the connection between small people and the fate of the country under the big events of the big era. The Chinese version of the musical "Brothers Karamazov" uses the way of musical theater to extract the essence of the original work, dig deep into human nature and beliefs, guide people how to live and grow, and the creation of the Chinese version will be more infectious to the audience and trigger social thinking.
Author: Huang Qizhe
Editor: Xu Yang