Top Ten Great Drama Directors in China

Author: Liu Liexiong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Chinese theater has gone through an extraordinary century of history, from the West to the East, from the establishment of the "School of Chinese Directors" to today's seamless integration of Eastern and Western theatrical arts. All of these have poured the hearts and souls of countless theater artists, especially director artists. The ten director artists described in this book are among the finest, and they and their works constitute a splendid cultural tapestry of contemporary Chinese theater. The selection of the "Top Ten Master Directors of Drama" is based on "academic merit, representation of their era, and stylistic presentation." This selection may not be authoritative, but we hope our paper reflects part of the research achievements in contemporary Chinese theater art. In a sense, modern people love and need theater more than any other era, and they hold in higher esteem the great and enchanting theater! Therefore, contemporary times need theater masters more than ever! Throughout the history of theater, numerous masters have contributed magnificent and brilliant theatrical cultures to humanity. The immortal poet Shakespeare has built the ideals of humanism with his vast humanistic drama; the genius Stanislavski founded the theatrical art as a "system"; the rebel Mayakovsky, like Prometheus, ignited a fire—he established "organic shaping and constructivism," laying a brilliant modern theatrical thought—theatricality in stage performance; and Brecht was the singer of epic theater—he skillfully applied the "distancing effect" to narrative drama, creating the splendid brilliance of epic theater; Artaud, obsessed with rituals, immersed himself in sacred sacrifice—he dedicated himself to brutal theater, bringing people the solemn experience of "sacrifice on the fire pillars" in life! There are also Cocteau's stylized and expressive theater in the "Old Dovecote," Brook's exploration of the "empty space," Grotowski's return to the "poverty of" in poor theater, and so on. It is precisely they, generation after generation, who have created the historical and cultural heritage of theater! To study the art of directorship in contemporary Chinese theater, Dr. Liu Liexiong began planning an academically valuable project in 2001: a panoramic interview-based study of director artists. This book elaborates on the artistic work and creative systems of the ten master director artists throughout the entire theatrical production from the unique perspectives of four theater scholars. On one hand, the book pays great attention to rationally analyzing and organizing the creative experience and artistic legacy preserved by the director artists in their artistic creation, providing us with valuable references and inspiration; on the other hand, the book places greater emphasis on a complete description of modern working methods and modern theatrical creative thoughts in the process of theatrical creation (especially in rehearsals and performances).