At the end of 2023, 12 and 8 characteristic performing arts venues in Chaoyang District and Xicheng District of Beijing will be awarded the "New Performing Arts Space", and the familiar Happy Twist Immersive Performing Arts New Space - Flower World, Fanxing Drama Village, etc.
The new space for performing arts is "new".
The "newness" of the new space for performing arts is first of all the newness of the place. Such new venues can be new spaces expanded by traditional performance venues, such as the New Space Theater of Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center; It can be a new space in a city block or cultural and creative park, such as Shanghai Sinan Mansion; It can be restaurants, teahouses, bars, etc., such as the Pipa Pingtan Teahouse in Suzhou, Jiangsu; It can be a bookstore, a museum, an exhibition hall, etc., such as a Shenzhen drama on show art bookstore. In addition, the new performing arts space is also constantly moving closer to the daily life of the people, such as Beijing Philharmonic Art Space, Hubei Wuhan Wuyi New Space, etc., which have opened performing arts venues into business districts, Shanghai Asia Building Star Gallery and other commercial buildings and office buildings, and Shanghai Jinchao Lane 8 has boldly opened up outdoor spaces for performing arts ......
The "newness" of the new performing arts space is also reflected in breaking the relationship between spectators and performers in traditional theaters and theaters, breaking through the limitations of mirror-frame stages, and emphasizing immersion and participation. The first-class drama "Apollonia" staged in the Star Space of Shanghai Asia Building will build the performance venue into a real-life bar, with the setting of four platforms, open up the stage and the audience, and the audience is no longer a simple person, but a participant in the performance. In order to perform the environmental-style drama "Border City", the original 260 seats in the theater were demolished and replaced with nearly 200 seats placed around the theater. Li Jing, the manager of Beijing Damai's "Of Course Opera" label, said that the experiential performance is very attractive to the audience, especially young audiences, making everyone feel that the drama can be "played", and the willingness to enter the new performing arts space again is also stronger.
New space drives new business forms
The innovative performance methods of the new performing arts space have stimulated people's interest in watching performances, expanded the audience, and enriched people's imagination about theater and performances. Traditional theatre spaces are usually forbidden to eat and drink, but in new performing arts spaces such as Blue Note Beijing, audiences can order a few dishes, a glass of wine, and enjoy a jazz performance while eating. This atmosphere is very much in tune with the slightly laid-back style of jazz freedom with a strong emphasis on improvisation. As a result, in addition to performances, the new performing arts space has also driven the gathering and development of other business formats.
With a total area of about 4,000 square meters, Beijing Wangjing Happy Twist Immersive Performing Arts New Space Huahua World is composed of multiple spaces, integrating immersive drama, script killing, bar, and children's drama experience center. Walking into the "Flower World", you will be greeted by a public space with the "Drama Town" as the core - a drama-themed block dotted with characteristic elements related to stage performances, which immediately pulls the audience into the cultural atmosphere of the theater. Xiao Jiang, who lives in Wangjing, said: "'Huahua World' has brought a wealth of viewing options, especially the programs suitable for children to participate in, providing us with an ideal place to go for the 'family carnival' during the New Year's holidays." ”
The new performing arts space meets the needs of different audience groups with rich formats and is deeply integrated into urban life. Tao Qingmei, a researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that performing arts venues should not only be the geographical coordinates of the city, but more importantly, they can continue to create performances related to the people in the city in the unpredictable performance market, guide urban cultural consumption, and shape the city's cultural image.
Good content for new spaces
Starting from "performing arts", the new performing arts space adheres to the ontology of performing arts in the process of integration and innovation, and content is still the "last word". The new performing arts space project needs to establish a connection between novel forms and popular IPs and local culture, which is not only conducive to making characteristic and differentiated brand projects, but also conducive to the long-term healthy development of the space in the local area. The immersive interactive drama "Player the Life" launched by Shenzhen's local youth theater group Jaw Ma Drama has been performed in the local performing arts new space for a long time, which integrates elements such as theatrical performances, board games, and offline socialization, and every audience member is set as a virtual gamer, actively participating in and even determining the direction of the plot, and the "game currency" used by players is time, wisdom, health, appearance, etc. This kind of setting can provoke the audience to think, echo the modern, fast-paced urban life of Shenzhen, and also extend the boundaries of the concept of "performing arts". The person in charge of Jama Theatre said: "We are not only facing traditional theater audiences, but also entertainment consumers and tourists, and from this level, the new performing arts space is closer to a cultural tourism product. ”
Lin Yun, a cultural critic, believes that as a product, actively meeting the needs of users should be the first priority; As a work of art, it is necessary to emphasize the creator's sense of expression, and emphasize the value of the work to infiltrate the mind and enlighten the mind. "How to balance the relationship between works and products is a test of the wisdom of creators and operators. Some projects in the new performing arts space have broken the wall and made bold breakthroughs in the form of performances, bringing a beautiful experience to the audience. In the long run, in addition to form innovation, unique creativity and high-quality content are the core competitiveness of the new performing arts space. In addition to the hustle and bustle, the story, characters, and emotions can exist in the hearts of the audience for a long time. Lin Yun said.
January 30, 2024 China Culture Daily
A special report was published in the second edition.
A new space for performing arts to integrate art into daily life
Editor-in-charge: Chen Chen.