The Shanghai Theatre Academy, in collaboration with the International Theatre Institute, celebrated the grand opening of the 2024 International Master Class on Directing (Michael Chekhov Technique) on 6 May 2024, which marked the beginning of a month-long Russian theatrical education exchange program. The program is jointly hosted by the International Theatre Institute and Shanghai Theatre Academy, with the Shanghai Academy's Department of Directing, the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s Collaborative Innovation Centre for International Directing Art, and the Michael Chekhov Centre of Russia taking on the detailed organization. The opening ceremony was chaired by Liu Qing, the vice president of Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Liu Qing warmly welcomed all the attending leaders, guests, and trainees from across the country, and highly commended the efforts and contributions of both the Shanghai Theatre Academy's Department of Directing and Collaborative Innovation Centre for International Directing Art in this international master class project.
Professor Lu Ang, head of the Department of Directing and director of the Collaborative Innovation Centre for International Directing Art, delivered an impassioned speech at the opening ceremony of the master class.
Professor Baycher, the lead instructor of the master class, gave a speech expressing his gratitude for the Shanghai Theatre Academy's continuous attention to and study of Russian directing and performance techniques. He outlined the upcoming intensive, fast-paced, and rich teaching plan designed to challenge and enhance the students' abilities in theater creation and performance. He looked forward to exploring the depth and breadth of the theatrical arts with the trainees of the master class and collaboratively advancing the exchange and development of Chinese and Russian theatre cultures.
He Yun, Deputy secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, who is also a Plum Blossom Award recipient and a national first-class actor, spoke on behalf of the master class trainees. Hu Zhenhao also spoke as a representative of the graduate student trainees from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Mr Tobias Biancone, Director-General of the International Theatre Institute, addressed the audience wishing all trainees to gain valuable experience and achieve personal and professional growth during the master class.
In his closing remarks, Xie Wei, Party Secretary of Shanghai Theatre Academy, highlighted the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia in 2024, noting the long history and fruitful results of cooperation between the Department of Directing and the Russian theatrical community. He commented on the success of last year's performance of "Brothers Karamazov" in Russia by the Department of Directing, which garnered significant attention and praise from the local media. This, he noted, not only deepened Sino-Russian understanding in the theatrical field but also provided a valuable learning and growth opportunity for students and teachers of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Fronting the onset of the era of intelligence, Party Secretary Xie emphasized the importance of integrating art creation and education with AI technology, proposing that the academy will actively explore the application of AI in theater education to advance the innovative development of art education with the power of technology. He also emphasized the central role of the teaching and discipline building of directing and acting in the future development of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, looking forward to the master class injecting new vitality into the discipline building and cultivating more outstanding directors with international perspectives and innovative spirits. He expressed the hope to further promote, through the platform of the master class, the internationalization of theater education at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and cultivate more excellent directors for Chinese and global theatre arts.
The successful conclusion of the opening ceremony of the 2024 International Master Class on Directing (Michael Chekhov Technique) signified the official start of four weeks of in-depth learning and cultural exchange. Over the next month, five directors and teachers from the Michael Chekhov Centre of Russia will share their expertise and practical experience with the trainees. From 6 May to 2 June, a rigorous and full schedule of classes is arranged for weekdays, with open-class presentations every Friday evening giving teachers and students of the entire university the opportunity to understand the teaching outcomes of the master class and weekly Saturday summary discussion classes offering trainees a chance to reflect on their learning and exchange insights. The dedication to conducting 15 iterations of the International Master Class on Directing demonstrates the firm commitment of Shanghai Theatre Academy's Department of Directing to training directors with a global perspective.
At the end of the opening ceremony, all guests and trainees took a group photo to commemorate this important moment. Over the next month, the master class will serve as a platform for trainees' learning and growth, injecting new vitality into theater arts in China and beyond.
