19 June 2018
On the morning of 16 June 2018, the International Symposium on Contemporary Theatre Directing and Theatre Director Education opened in the Sydney Room of the Merry Hotel Shanghai.
At the opening ceremony, Professor Huang Changyong, President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, delivered the opening speech, and Mr Tobias Biancone, Director-General of the International Theatre Institute, Mr Wang Xiaoying, former Vice President of the National Theatre of China, Professor Lu Ang, Dean of the Directing Department of the Shanghai Theater Academy and Professor Zhang Zhongnian, former Vice President of the Shanghai Theater Academy, gave wonderful keynote speeches. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Yang Yang, Vice President of the Shanghai Theater Academy.
(Mr Tobias Biancone, Director-General of International Theatre Institute, giving a speech)
(Professor Yang Yang, Vice President of Shanghai Theatre Academy, presiding over the symposium)
(Professor Huang Changyong, President of Shanghai Theatre Academy, giving a speech)
The three-day symposium coincided with the 10th anniversary of the International Master Class on Directing project successfully held by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and was attended by 130 guests of honor and delegates from 10 countries. Famous directing artists, directing theorists and directing educators from the UK, the USA, France, Germany, Russia, Iran, Switzerland, Sweden, Egypt and China carried out academic studies, experience sharing and opinion exchange on the development of contemporary theatre directing in the world, the theatre director education in various countries and regions in the new era and other related topics.
(Mr Wang Xiaoying, former Vice President of National Theatre of China, giving a speech)
(Professor Lu Ang givning a speech)
(Professor Zhang Zhongnian giving a speech)
The symposium brought together experts and scholars from well-known arts colleges and universities from home and abroad, famous performing artists from well-known art troupes from across China, and experts and editors from professional associations and academic periodicals including the International Theatre Institute and China Theatre Association etc.
During the symposium, an experimental Peking Opera “King Oedipus” co-performed by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Zhejiang Provincial Peking Opera Troupe was specially organized on the evening of 16 and 17 June at the Duanjun Theatre of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. “King Oedipus” echoes the core topics of the symposium, i.e. “Tradition and Modern” and “The Fusion of Chinese and World Directing Art” and is a successful practice of director's artistic creation in a cross-times and multicultural setting which has opened up a perspective of Chinese-Western integrated art practice for the symposium.
