China Overseas Chinese Network, December 26 Topic: Regain his old profession and see how he builds a Chinese drama culture community
All three of our theater majors work in non-theater jobs in the United States. Later, when we put it together, can we use our professionalism and influence to set up a drama club or similar organization?”
Zhao Rui is a "post-70s" expatriate living in California, USA. For nine years in the United States, he has been engaged in ** work. Before coming to the United States, Zhao Rui was the secretary general of the Shenzhen Dramatists Association, and studied acting when he was a student.
In his opinion, there are a large number of overseas Chinese in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the theatrical and cultural activities that satisfy the "appetite" of overseas Chinese are relatively poor. Some Chinese also want to be able to perform on stage and experience different character lives, including Zhao Rui's sister Wang Lu and sister Yang Yi.
Photos of the members of the drama club. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
In this way, a ** person, a children's educator and a full-time mother hit it off and formed an amateur drama club.
It's exciting to get back to your old ways. However, how can the production of a play be supported by the strength of only three people?
The first is the choice of script. The first play of the Amateur Drama Club "The Spoiled Queen" is adapted from the work of the same name directed by He Nian. The younger sister Yang Yi once played a role in the play.
The three of them felt that it would be easier to start with a familiar script for the first play. So, through Yang Yi's connection, the Amateur Drama Club obtained the script authorization of "The Spoiled Queen". Due to the lack of staff in the drama club, the three of them cut the script and only retained the core roles. Zhao Rui and Yang Yi played the male lead and female lead respectively. The remaining 6 actors were determined through program recruitment, friend introduction, etc.
While balancing work and family, the actors of the drama club also have to resist the risk of the new crown epidemic and complete the play together.
We were mentally prepared at that time, even if no one came to see us, we were not discouraged, and we had the right to practice. As three professional theater people, we rehearsed a play in San Francisco, USA, and we are worthy of our profession. ”
The results were unexpected. The originally scheduled four performances, at the request of the audience, were finally added to the performance. From the first 30 audiences, to the second 40, and then to the full seats in the next two performances, Zhao Rui and the actors have increased their confidence, and they have also seen the demand of Chinese people in the Bay Area for Chinese dramas.
Some of the audience members who came also joined the amateur drama club. Some of them are students and some have worked for many years. Most of them have no experience in theatre, but because of their love for theatre, they want to be bold and try their hand at it.
What Zhao Rui didn't expect was that the performance also attracted local *** and his friends. The actors read the dialogue on stage, and the local ** used a translator to listen to the real-time translation to understand the plot. After the performance, the ** also said that he was willing to provide a venue for the drama club to rehearse.
This experience made me realize that art is interconnected, and it can cross the boundaries of language. Our polishing and pursuit of good dramas will also attract more audiences from different cultural backgrounds to take the initiative to understand our culture. ”
Zhao Rui feels that although there are differences in cultural customs and living habits between people from different countries and nationalities, there are commonalities in their understanding of love, family and social responsibility. Retaining the characteristics of Chinese culture and telling stories about these issues in a language that is more relevant to modern young people can also appeal to different groups.
With a love for drama, Zhao Rui and the members of the club have successively produced "Goodbye" and "Happy Receiving Letters".
I hope that through these repertoire, we can not only build a Chinese cultural community, but also attract more overseas Chinese young people to understand our culture and shorten the distance between hearts and minds. Zhao Rui said.
Manuscript**: China Overseas Chinese Network WeChat***ID: qiaowangzhongguo;Author: Liu Yang).