Providing Budding Actors with a Sense of Direction
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18 | Wednesday, November 4, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY YOUTH Success flowing like water Director changes mind and reaps the benefit of a new course as play hits the big screen, Chen Nan reports. irector and playwright popular host of the TV show, Happy Stan Lai, in one regard at Camp, produced by Hunan Satellite least, is old school. He TV Station, theater was the start of firmly believes that for his career. He gained attention in Dtrue theater fans, there is no substi- 1994 when, as a student of Arabic at tute for gathering together and Beijing Foreign Studies University, watching talented performers act he wrote, directed and performed out a compelling story in real time. sketches for the stage. Theater is life and should be live, he He launched a career as a TV host argues. the following year, landing a spot on So, it’s perhaps no surprise then, a children’s TV show at China Cen- that, when he was asked by stream- tral Television. Until 2015, he was ing services to digitalize his plays, also an Arabic teacher at his alma Lai said no. A resounding no. mater. However, in light of recent events, “Sine 2006, we have given over he has changed his mind and for the 600 performances of Secret Love in first time, Lai allowed his play, Writ- Peach Blossom Land. However, ing in Water, to be screened in cine- compared to movies screened in mas all over the country. cinemas, the number of audience Premiering on Oct 23 at Tianqiao members in theaters is limited,” Performing Arts Center in Beijing, says He Jiong, from Changsha, the play will be screened in more Hunan province. “With this new Chinese cities, including Nanjing take on Writing in Water, more and Suzhou, Jiangsu province, people will be able to enjoy the play along with Xi’an, Shaanxi province, and some people may be interested later this year. in watching the play in theaters Writing in Water revolves around someday.” a man named He Shi, who returns to Huang Yici, 14, plays the role of China to teach lessons on happiness Shui’er in Writing in Water. When after finishing his studies in the the play was first remade and staged United Kingdom. However, his busi- in Shanghai in 2016, she was about ness partner keeps pushing him to Above: Writing in Water, a 10. make more money, which frustrates play directed by Stan Lai, As the eldest daughter of veteran He because he cares more about starring He Jiong (left) and Chinese actor-director Huang Lei teaching people how to feel happy Huang Yici, is staged at and actress Sun Li, Yici grew up rather than about expanding their Tianqiao Performing Arts watching her parents working in business. Center in Beijing on Oct 23. theaters. One day He, who never knew his Right: The play is about a “My parents have taken me on parents, receives a message about man named He Shi (He tour with them since I was only a inheriting a seaside house from his Jiong), who returns to year old. When they take their bow mother, and he embarks on a myste- China from Britain to teach during a final curtain call, I often rious trip that changes his life. He lessons on happiness and bow with them while standing in meets up with a little girl, named meets a girl, Shui’er (Yici), the wings. I feel excited and dream Shui’er. The girl, who grew up by the at the seaside, who lives a about acting onstage myself one sea, has never been to a city. She is simple life but is happy day,” says Yici. happy and lives a simple life, watch- naturally. Since her parents play leading ing the sunrise, sunset and playing PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY roles in Lai’s Secret Love in Peach near the sea every day. Blossom Land, Yici wanted to make The first version of the play was her stage debut by one day playing staged in March 2009. Directed and the same role as her mother. “But I written by Lai, it was performed by would have to wait for a very long the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre. time to play the role like my mother, The story of the play took inspira- When I watched so I played in Writing in Water,” she tion from Lai’s experiences, along says. with those of his wife, Ismene Ting, the play on the was founded by Lai in 2015. Partici- beyond those two art forms, which I the most challenging parts of mak- Broadcasting theatrical produc- who is also a playwright and stage screen for the first pating in the process were the film cannot define by my own language,” ing this happen — broadcasting the tions in cinemas isn’t breaking new director, when translating the book, crew behind Les Miserables in Con- says Lai, 66, who was born in the play on screens in cinemas — was to ground for Chinese audiences. In Happiness: A Guide to Developing time, I felt cert: The 25th Anniversary, an United States and began his creative convince Lai, as he “loves and 2012, Britain’s National Theatre Life’s Most Important Skill, written intrigued. It’s online theater production celebrat- career in Taiwan. respects theater so much”. Ting is Live, or NT Live, first came to China, by French writer and Buddhist ing the hit musical’s milestone at the “I worried if the audience could happy that they finally made this when it broadcast Frankenstein monk Matthieu Ricard. not a theatrical O2 in London. Big names involved enjoy the new art form of digitaliz- happen. “I’m sure theater and tech- starring Benedict Cumberbatch at In 2010, Lai rewrote the play and production, nor included American costume designer ing a theatrical production, but nology are experimenting on new Beijing’s MOMA Broadway Cinema. created a new version based on Sandra Woodall, Chinese-American during the screening, my attention methods of performance that we Tickets sold out within hours. Bei- Writing in Water, titled Happiness a movie. It is composer Du Yun, who won the 2017 was undivided and I think that it’s wouldn’t ever be able to imagine jing-based ATW Culture Media Ltd, Lessons. The new version premiered something Pulitzer Prize in music for her opera an achievement,” Lai says. until we actually did it,” she adds. co-organizer of filming and distrib- in Taiwan that same year. Angel’s Bone, and Xiao Lihe, one of “At its essence, theater is what uting Lai’s Writing in Water, was In 2016, Lai decided to change the beyond those two the lead lighting engineers of the Bei- happens when strangers physically An early start also NT Live’s sole distributor in the name of the play back to Writing in art forms, which I jing Olympic Games opening cere- come together to enter a shared TV host and actor He Jiong has country and has been bringing live Water and restaged it in Shanghai, cannot define...” mony in 2008. space and to share a story told by been working with Lai since 2006 theater programs to China since featuring TV host and actor He “When I watched the play on the the actors onstage. Thanks to the when he starred in Lai’s classic play, 2015. Jiong in the leading role. Stan Lai, director screen for the first time, I felt technology, we have a new way of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, In July 2018, the play was filmed at and playwright intrigued. It’s not a theatrical pro- enjoying theater.” a piece which made its debut 20 Contact the writer at Theatre Above in Shanghai, which duction, nor a movie. It is something Lai’s wife, Ting, recalls that one of years earlier. For the 46-year-old, a [email protected] Providing budding actors with a sense of direction By XING WEN production process. Thus, actors [email protected] lack a favorable atmosphere to hone their skills that enable them Fame is more easily achievable in to better play a role. a multimedia environment but then He believes directors should again, so is criticism. Social media is exert themselves more to guide the not for the faint-hearted. In the not- performers. too-distant past, actors and actress- Chen says: “We are here to deliver es found fame, or had fame thrust a serious approach toward acting.” upon them, by successfully portray- He adds that the show, with its clas- ing a character in a popular film or sification effort, helps actors and TV drama. actresses realize what a qualified, Then came the digital age. With good performer is and aim toward the increasing ubiquity of social that goal. media, one can become well-known Yang Zhigang, a 43-year-old actor by ways other than an impressive who has starred in around 30 TV performance. These include but are series since 2003, was highly not limited to, exposing details of approved by producers on the show one’s private life, shaping an engag- and initially he got into the top class. ing public persona on reality shows, Young actors and actresses participate in the online reality show Action! to hone their performing skills by acting out some scenes from However, after his onstage perform- wearing eye-catching makeup or movies or TV dramas, including (from left) Sun Qian and Zhang Haiyu, in I Am Somebody; Ma Su and Ni Hongjie in The Bad Kids; and ances, his stereotypical expression dresses at red carpet events and Patrick Shih and Ren Min in Better Days.