The graduation ceremony of the China Theatre Association’s China Young Stage Designer Advanced Studies Program was held at the New Space Theatre of the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA), which marked the successful conclusion of the first round of teaching plans of the five-year advanced studies initiative for high end talents of China’s theatrical circles comprising the five major disciplines of playwriting, directing, music of Chinese traditional opera, theatrical criticism and stage design, which was jointly launched by the China Theatre Association, STA and other partner organizations.
On the morning of 23 May, co-sponsored by the China Theatre Association and Publicity Department of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, the first National Youth Drama Creation Conference was held at STA. At the same time, the first-ever National Exhibition of Creative Works by Young Theatre Talents was also held at STA.
The national advanced studies initiative for high end young talents in theatre creation was designed to cultivate excellent young talents in theatre creation and promote the overall development of China’s theatre undertaking. Since 2012, five specialized programs of advances studies have been held in succession in the areas of playwriting, directing, music of Chinese traditional opera, theatrical criticism and stage design, with a total of 300 students coming from 30 provinces and municipalities across China including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, who were aged below 45 years old and were the main force from the front line of theatre creation.
With five years of persistent teaching incubation and practical enhancement, a large number of excellent talents in the areas of theatrical creation and criticism have merged from the advanced studies programs. The advanced studies programs have received the strong support and full sponsorship of the Publicity Department of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation. . Each time, the program was held during the Shanghai International Arts Festival or Shanghai Spring Music Festival to increase the students’ exposure and broaden their horizons.
The National Youth Theatre Creation Conference was the first one of its kind since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It aimed to review the nationwide status of young talents of theatrical creation, promote the development of modern theatrical arts and provide the assurance of high-end human talents for the development and prosperity of Chinese theatre in the next 10 to 20 years or even longer term in the future.
