On 3 June 2023, the Shanghai University League’s International Forum for Young Scholars (Director Art), which was hosted by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the International Theatre Institute Shanghai Representative Office and organized by the Directing Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, was successfully held. The forum was strongly supported by the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working Committee for Education and Health, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the Shanghai Theatre Association, the China Theatre Association Theatre Directing Committee and the Chinese Xiqu Directors Association. The forum brought together top domestic and foreign experts and scholars in theatre directing art and focused on the development of contemporary theater directing art, aiming to further stimulate the inherent vitality of Chinese theater directing art and better integrate into the development trend of the world theater directing art.
On the morning of 3 June, the 2023 Shanghai University League’s Forum for International Young Scholars (Directing Art) officially opened. Xie Wei, Party Secretary of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Professor Tobias Biancone, Director-General of the International Theatre Institute and President of the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts, Gu Haohao, Chairman of the Shanghai Theatre Association, and Zhao Jing, Deputy Chief of the Talents Work Office of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working Committee for Education and Health, delivered speeches. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Huang Changyong, Deputy Party Secretary President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The keynote speech session of the forum was chaired by Professor Yang Yang, Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Keynote speakers included: Professor Hao Rong, President of the Central Academy of Drama; Wang Xiaoying, Director (National Grade 1), Director of the Theatre Directing Committee, China Theatre Association; Professor Ran Changjian, President of the Chinese Xiqu Directors Association, Vice President of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts; Professor Vladimir Baicher, Former Dean of the Directing Department at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, Head of the Mikhail Chekhov Center in Moscow; Professor Lu Ang, Head of the Directing Department, Shanghai Theater Academy.
On the afternoon of 3 June, the forum invited a distinguished group of domestic and foreign experts to engage in the discussion on frontier topics facing the development of contemporary theatre directing art from the perspectives of their respective artistic experiences and in the different cultural contexts. These included: Professor Nicholas Barter, Former Director of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts; Juis Valenzuela, Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company and the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Distinguished Professor of the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television; Professor Lai Shengchuan, Famous Director from Taiwan, China; Professor Brian Kite, President of the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television; Professor Zhang Zhongnian, Former Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Professor Roy Szeto, Acting Dean of the Directing Department at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; Professor Sun Huizhu, Former Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy; Lei Guohua, Famous Director at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. The first and second halves of the forum for experts were respectively hosted by Professor Lu Ang, Head of the Directing Department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Professor Zhang Xiao’ou, Head of the Teaching and Research Office for the Directing Major.
In addition, the forum also invited and had the participation of master teachers and young scholars in directing from Xiamen University, City University of New York, Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Shanghai Theatre Academy College of Traditional Chinese Opera, Jilin University of Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Nanjing University of the Arts, Sichuan Film and Television University, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Communication University of Zhejiang, Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris III, Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, Shandong University of Arts and King’s College of London, as well as representatives or independent directors from youth theatre companies and troupes from around the world. Domestic and foreign theatre directing artists and scholars extensively explored the present and future of Chinese theatre directing art and world theatre directing art, focusing on the new creations, new technologies and new ideas in works of directing art, as well as the new challenges faced. The first and second halves of the forum for international young scholars were respectively hosted by Professor Gong Baorong from the Shanghai Theatre Academy and Associate Professors Zhang Wenying and He Hao from the Directing Department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
In the evening, the play for showcase at this forum, i.e. Ibsen's "Peer Gynt," was staged, which was created and performed by the students of Undergraduate Class 2019 of the Directing Department, and received unanimous praise from expert reviewers of the Magnolia Award, experts attending the forum and general audience.
As the organizer of this forum, the Directing Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy, has always adhered to the teaching philosophy that goes the teaching philosophy which goes "take root in the indigenous, look out to the world, integrate the Chinese and the West, be courageous to innovate", vigorously developed the educational characteristics and expertise featuring the "creative integration of internationalization and nationalization", and been persistent on establishing the discourse system, academic system and disciplinary system with Chinese characteristics. All this is consistent with the theme of this forum. At the same time, the smooth convening of this forum has fully demonstrated the characteristics and strength of the theatre, film and television directing discipline at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and reflected the STA's positive contributions to the education, creation and research of the Chinese and even international theatre directing art.
