11 February 2018
On 8 February, co-produced by the National Theatre Company of China (NTCC), Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) and Jing'an Modern Theatre Valley and directed by Ms Tian Qinxin, "Hurricane" was staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts as one of the showcase repertoire of the National Centre for the Performing Arts' New Year Performance Season 2018. The three-floor theatre was a full house and the premiere was a great success.
Following the hot scene last year when it was hard to get a ticket and extra dates were added once and again, the youth version of "Hurricane” made a strong landing in Beijing. 17 years ago, the young actors just graduated from the Central Academy of Drama performed "Hurricane" at NTCC. Today, 17 years later, the full-time students of STA brought "Hurricane" onto the stage of the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
It is worth mentioning that as STA’s graduation production for public performance, the youth version of "Hurricane" which was re-produced in commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Chinese drama has been liked and recognized by the audiences since its debut.
The youth version of “Hurricane” was born at STA because of the profound connection between Mr Tian Han and STA. At STA’s graduation ceremony each year, each and every one of the students will sing the "National Anthem of the People's Republic of China" and "Song of Graduation" as well as the "School Anthem of the Shanghai Theatre Academy" which were all written by Mr Tian Han. And, making "Hurricane" the graduation production for public performance of STA’s Acting Department was in itself a brand new and successful exploration in STA's talent cultivation model.
Mr He Yan, Dean of STA’s Acting Department, and Ms Xiao Ying, Deputy Dean of STA's Acting Department, made a special trip to Beijing to visit the crew of the production and watched the first performance. Mr He Yan said that the in-depth cooperation between STA and Ms Tian Qinxin in the "Hurricane" project was part of STA's comprehensive reform in education and teaching and "Hurricane" was the first project since the education and teaching reform began in 2015, and that Ms Tian Qinxin is a special-term professor at STA whose works are liked and admired by our students and it has a great influence on the students to be able to cooperate with Ms Tian Qinxin in such a classic production during their university time.
