After strict review by experts from the National Arts Fund and approval by the National Arts Fund Council, the "List of Funding Projects for the National Arts Fund (General Projects) in 2024" has been publicly announced.

The following projects from the Shanghai Theatre Academy have been included in the public announcement list.

Small Plays (Programs) and Works Creation Project

"The Chameleon" – Small Puppet Play

Directed and mentored by Qin Feng, a professional puppet performance teacher from the Traditional Chinese Opera School of Shanghai Theatre Academy.

This play is adapted from the short story of the same name by Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Based on the original work, localization has been carried out, injecting Chinese charm into a world classic. It includes more elements suitable for Chinese audiences, especially young people, allowing them to experience the charm of intangible cultural heritage up close through delightful and enjoyable artistic experiences.

The play premiered at the Shanghai Changjiang Theater in December 2021 and participated in the Huaxia Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival in Shenzhen in May 2023, receiving positive feedback.

Young Artistic Creation Talents Project

Huang Jingfeng - Literary Criticism

Young teacher Huang Jingfeng has long been dedicated to the research of the academic history of 20th-century Chinese theatre and the history of Chinese opera since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. He has published more than 40 theoretical and critical articles in journals and newspapers such as "Literature and Art Studies," "Studies in Literature and Art Theory," "Guangming Daily," and "Liberation Daily." He has led a number of national and provincial/ministerial-level research projects and edited or annotated four scholarly works. Among the accolades received are the Second Prize for Outstanding Papers in the 16th Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Excellence Awards, the First Prize in the 8th "Wang Guowei Traditional Chinese Opera Papers Award," the First Prize in the 36th "Tian Han Drama Awards - Theory Award," and the "Chinese Drama Journal Award for Papers by Outstanding Young Scholars," among others.

For his proposed project in literary criticism for young artistic creation talents, Huang Jingfeng aims to provide reasonable and feasible suggestions for improving the creation of modern Chinese operas with revolutionary themes drawn from the "Four Histories" from various perspectives such as concepts, aesthetics, techniques, marketing and communication. This is aimed at propelling such works towards the pinnacle of realism.

Chen Yinuo – Playwright for Theatre

Chen is a doctoral student in playwriting from the 2022 intake, who is mentored by Professor Xu Yu.

Chen has created TV dramas such as "Hi, Joanne" (aired on Zhejiang TV and CCTV-8), "Delicious Romance" (aired on Hunan TV), "My Maid Handbook", a web drama customized for Youku, and "Under the Same Roof", a reality TV show produced by Youku. The TV drama script "G60 Youth Apartment" won the "Shanghai Root Element" Excellent Film and Television Story Award. The drama "A Word is Worth Ten Thousand Words" won the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo Alice Experimental Theater Festival in Japan and was selected as one of the invited works for showcase during R.A.W! Land at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. The drama "The Mystery of Lake Baikal" received funding from the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation's Young Playwrights Project and was selected for the Shanghai Drama Association's New Play Script Reading Showcase Performance. Chen was commissioned by the China Welfare Institute Children's Art Theater to create "Wandering Adventures of Xiaobalazi," which won the Best Production Award at the Shanghai International Children's Drama Festival. He was also commissioned by the Zhaotong City Cultural and Art Theater to create the musical "When the Red Army Came to Zhashi," which received funding for excellent literary and artistic creation from the Department of Publicity of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee for literary and artistic creations and was staged for public performance.

Zou Yan – Playwright for Theatre

Zhou is a current MFA student in playwriting for theatre, film and TV from the 2022 intake, who is mentored by Associate Professor Li Shitao.

Zhou has created the play script "Magical Cook Smoke," which was published in the”Film and Television Edition” of "Chinese Writers" magazine, issue No. 01 of the year 2024. Her small-theater Yueju Opera "Picnic by the Lake" was selected for the First Chinese Youth Screenwriter Conference and the Second Shenzhen Bay Youth Drama Festival. Her children's Peking Opera "Wen Wu Shuang Quan" was selected for the semifinals of the "Original Script and Stage Creation" track of the "Wanquan Cup" 2023 Haidian Cultural and Creative Industry Innovation Competition. Her animated film script "Pocket on the Skirt" was selected for the long script category of the 6th Golden Pigeon Youth Film Festival and Original Film Festival.

Zhou has created the drama script "Magical Cooking Smoke," which was published in the "Film and Television Edition" of "Chinese Writers" magazine, issue No. 01 of the year 2024. Her small theater Yue Opera "Picnic by the Lake" was shortlisted for the inaugural Chinese Youth Playwright Conference and the second Shenzhen Bay Area Youth Drama Season. Her children's Peking Opera "Versatile in Both Civil and Military Skills" reached the semi-finals in the "Original Scripts and Stage Creation" category of the "Wanquan Cup" 2023 Haidian Cultural and Creative Competition. Her animated film "Pockets on the Skirt" was shortlisted for the long-form screenplay category at the 6th Golden Dove Youth Film Festival and Original Cinema Competition.