5 June 2014
This year is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Traditional Opera School attached to the Shanghai Theatre Academy (formerly known as the Shanghai Chinese Traditional Opera School) (“the school”). Throughout its 60-year history, the school has cultivated a galaxy of high profile talents in Chinese traditional opera who are active in the major Chinese traditional opera companies across China as the main force in the performance and promotion of Chinese traditional opera. In order to celebrate the glorious achievements over the past 60 years, the school will hold a series of demonstration performances.
1. Performances in conjunction with the Shanghai Huju Opera Company and Shanghai Yueju Company. There will be a performance at the Taicang Grand Theatre, Taicang City, Jiangsu Province on 30 May 2014. There will be another performance at the Shanghai Tianchan Yifu Theatre on 4 June, which is the special performance of Yueju opera in celebration of the school’s 60th anniversary. The actors and actresses on these two occasions are all graduates of the school, whose performances will showcase the great achievements of the school in the teaching of different types of Chinese traditional opera.
2. Performances in conjunction with the Chinese Traditional Opera College of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. There will be two performances at the Shanghai Tianchan Yifu Theatre on 30 May, which are the reporting performances of the 2014 graduating students from the Peking opera class and Kunju opera class of the school. As the graduates of the school and successors of the Peking opera and Kunju opera arts, they will report their learning results to the audience on the occasion of the school’s 60th anniversary and take that opportunity to present a meaningful birthday gift to their Alma Mater.
3. Young teacher Yang Shuwen’s special performance of Peking opera. The glorious achievements of the school have attributed greatly to its strong teaching staff. Inviting famous teachers and masters of Chinese traditional opera to teach the students has been a tradition of the school throughout its 60-year history, which has also helped cultivate a group of well-qualified young teachers who are good at both teaching and acting. Yang Shuwen’s special performance of Peking opera on the occasion of the school’s 60th anniversary will demonstrate to the society the strong capacity of the young teachers of the school and provide a platform for learning and practice to the young teachers.
It is worth mentioning that Mr Ye Peng and Mr Zhu Bingqian, who are Yang Shuwen’s teachers and famous performing artists of Peking opera, will come to Yang Shuwen’s performance, bringing their congratulations to the school’s 60th anniversary and their student’s special performance. Some of the other young teachers as well as Yang Shuwen’s students will also sing some selected sections from their repertoire during this special performance as a token of congratulation.
60 years have passed witnessing such glorious achievements of the school. As Prof Guo Yu, the school’s principle said in his preclude for these celebrative performances, “History is a mirror to see the past, present and future. The 60th anniversary is a new starting point. We are confident that with the concerted efforts of all involved in Chinese traditional opera, the school and Chinese traditional opera will have an even more prosperous future.”
Stage photo of “The Marriage of Dragon and Phoenix”
Stage photo of “Over the Wall”
Stage photo of Yang Shuwen’s special performance of Peking opera
