"Gesangluobu and Zhuomaciren" is the practicum production of the Tibet Acting Class 2017, which is directed by Yang Jia, the head teacher of the class. The rehearsal of the play took only three weeks, and the ten performances staged recently in the Duanjun Theater of Shanghai Theatre Academy were well received.
This is a Tibetan version of the story of "Romeo and Juliet". It integrates the style of Shakespeare’s drama into Tibetan culture and uses new techniques in the adaptation, so that the audience can get a new experience of Shakespeare's drama, so as to maximize the dramatic effect. The story background of "Romeo and Juliet" is transplanted to a tribe in Tibet in the old days. The original intention of this production is to test the students' improvisation ability with the framework of classic plays. As the leader of the production, Yang Jia has worked together with the students in the creation and exploration. This production is the artistic crystallization of the collective creation by all members of the Tibet Acting Class 2017.
Before the formal performance of the play, on 29 October, in the East Rehearsal Hall of the Red Building, Pu Cunxin, the famous performing artist and a visiting teacher of the Tibet Acting Class 2017, was still guiding the students to make further improvement for "Gesangluobu and Zhuomaciren" which had been in shape basically. Pu Cunxin also personally stepped onto the stage to demonstrate to the students how to better reflect the state of the characters in the play. The performance of the Tibet Class was up to the expectations. Many audiences commented that the rhythm of the play was well controlled, and the whole play was humorous and moving.
Tibet Acting Class 2017 is the first Tibet acting class that has been enrolled by the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 10 years’ time and is also the first Tibet acting class with undergraduate system, so it is of great significance. During the period when the performances were staged, Huang Changyong, President of Shanghai Theatre Academy, Zhang Weiling and Yang Yang, vice presidents of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, all came to watch and observed and unanimously gave full recognition to this production.
President Huang Changyong fully acknowledged the painstaking efforts of Yang Jia who is the director of the play. Under her leadership, "Gesangluobu and Zhuomaciren" has shown a unique national style, and nearly two hours of performance has attracted him from the beginning to the end, despite the short rehearsal time and relatively simple stage settings due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Huang recalled that each and every Tibet class has brought good surprises to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Tibet and theatre industry of the whole country. Therefore, he hopes that the students in this class will continue their efforts on the basis of the two practicum productions, and he expects that the graduation production "Hamlet" to be staged in March next year will be equally wonderful.
Students of the Tibet Acting Class 2017 are now gearing up for new challenges. Three years ago, the Shanghai Theatre Academy brought them to Shanghai from the remote plateau. From then on, they became associated with drama and accompanied with the stage. It is believed that their next work will be able to go from the Shanghai Theatre Academy Experimental Theatre to Shanghai, Beijing, and then return to Tibet with glory, and start a colorful artistic career.
