The list of recipients for the "2023 Shanghai Youth May Fourth Medal" was officially released recently. The "Light of Drama" Youth Drama Care Public Service Team" from the Shanghai Theatre Academy's Department of Dramatic Literature has been awarded the title of "Shanghai Youth May Fourth Medal Collective".
The "Light of Drama" team, under the guidance of the university's Youth League Committee and the Party Branch of the Department of Dramatic Literature, adheres to the philosophy of "art illuminating the lives of those in need". The team is dedicated to enriching the cultural experiences of people with disabilities and other needy groups through drama, lighting up their life dreams and meeting their cultural expectations.
The original intention of "Light of Drama" was to deeply engage in the field of drama care, using drama as the main intervention method. It integrates the advantages of multiple disciplines such as psychology, sociology and anthropology to serve needy groups in society. The team designs various drama-based cultural activities for different groups, including people with disabilities, offenders and the elderly, helping to empower them and enrich their spiritual and cultural lives, thereby realizing their cultural value.
The "Light of Drama" team collaborates closely with organizations such as the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation, Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai "Voice of Light and Sound" Assessible Film and Television Culture Development Centre, Punan Cultural Centre in Pudong New Area, Changsha Yizhi Home, and the Women's Compulsory Isolation Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Inner Mongolia. They have built a drama art practice platform to provide accessible theater experiences for people with disabilities and drama-based cultural support for those in need.
The team has developed a comprehensive management and operation system, providing a volunteer service platform for students from various departments of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Leveraging their professional advantages based on team cooperation, they use various online and offline forms to bring art activities out of the ivory tower, connect with major universities and social resources, and promote the integration of people with and without disabilities and the use of drama to meet needs.
Interpersonal Communication Empowerment Workshop
The interpersonal communication empowerment workshop helps special individuals build self-worth affirmation, enhance social interaction and integration abilities, and meet their needs for safety and respect. To date, they have carried out more than ten projects targeting blind individuals (Shanghai "Voice of Light and Sound" Accessible Film and Television Culture Development Centre), patients with mental and intellectual disabilities (Changsha Yizhi Home), elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, and children with autism (Shanghai Mental Health Centre).
In September 2022, the team visited Yizhi Home in Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, to create the "Forest Dance Workshop" tailored for individuals with mental and intellectual disabilities. Using elements such as hand puppets and light and shadow, they created a poetic dreamscape to help them enhance their language expression abilities and gain energy as a team.
Starting from the spring of 2023, the team began collaborating with the Shanghai Mental Health Centre to launch the "Dove Cart and Bamboo Horse" themed workshops for Alzheimer's patients, schizophrenia patients, and children with autism. These workshops aim to explore the fairy tale worlds that are forgotten or are hidden in cherished memories.
In May 2023, the team, together with Ms. Han Ying from the Shanghai "Voice of Light and Shadow" Accessible Film and Television Culture Development Centre, held a drama care-themed event at the Shanghai Theatre Academy for visually impaired individuals, at which they listened to drama audiobooks, conducted training on writing accessible drama descriptions, and participated in inclusive drama workshops.
In July 2023, the team partnered with the Shanghai Grand Theatre and "Voice of Light and Shadow" to conduct inclusive workshops. They used Orff music to create sound games, and they also fully engaged the tactile advantages of visually impaired individuals to explore modeling art with the combination of music and clay.
In December 2023, the team participated in the Shanghai Jiaotong University "Seagull Plan" sharing session in the form of a "One Person One Story Theatre” in support of female entrepreneurs, which attracted 70,000 live viewers.
The event mainly took the form of drama game workshops, with the team designing targeted support content, ranging from physical expansion to self-expression and team integration. Comparisons of audience acceptance and feedback before and after the event showed that the activities provided varying degrees of support and assistance for the self-care abilities, interpersonal skills and social integration capabilities of special individuals.
Humanistic Care Stage Plays
Stage plays are an art of time and space, capable of fully integrating the past, present and future during the creation process of writing, directing and acting. The team leverages its academic strengths to create stage plays that closely focus on participants' life experiences, intangible cultural heritage and regional humanistic features.
In 2023, the team developed an accessible version of the educational demonstration play "Strong Child." In 2024, they provided audio description services for the plays "The Ideal of Life is to Live an Ideal Life" and "Where is the Nearest Accessible Toilet?" with audio describers offering real-time descriptions of stage visual elements, bringing an immersive stage experience to visually impaired individuals.
In August 2023, the team visited the Women's Compulsory Isolation Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to co-create the mythological play "Wu Gang Chops the Laurel" with the inmates, using drama to aid in corrective work. This project has now entered the application phase of the theoretical research projects on judicial administration drug rehabilitation work.
Online Drama Audiobooks
Recording audiobooks is the process of transforming theatrical scripts from "readable to "listenable" formats. Adapted scripts are more accessible for people with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments, allowing them to experience the charm of theater without leaving their homes. From writing the narration to reviewing, editing, recording and finally uploading to audiobook platforms (such as Ximalaya), the collaboration between people with disabilities and our students ensures the effectiveness of the content.
The team has currently obtained copyright authorization from Haoxi Culture Media Co Ltd for the musicals "Flowers for Algernon" and "Apollonia," enabling the completion of the recording and uploading of the first domestic musical audiobooks. Through cooperation with the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation, more than ten people with disabilities have deeply participated in the recording of these audiobooks. The recordings and uploads of the plays "Under the Eaves of Shanghai" and "Crossing the River in the Same Boat" have also been completed, receiving unanimous praise from people with disabilities.
In October 2023, at a seminar hosted by the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Cultural and Sports Promotion Centre, representatives of the Shanghai Theatre Academy's "Light of Drama" Drama Care Public Service Team shared their experiences with a presentation entitled "The First Accessible Theatre Description at STA’s Theatre " The event focused on the production of accessible films, promoting the development of the Sunshine Cinema project, and providing more cultural experience opportunities for people with disabilities.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, the interpersonal communication empowerment workshop and the humanistic care stage play will become key areas of focus for "Light of Drama". Through continuous creation and optimization, the team aims to help individuals enhance their self-expression and collective integration abilities, build platforms for showcasing personalities, and create more culture-related employment opportunities for those in need. In the field of theatrical audiobooks, the team will continue to innovate, and launching more online and offline accessible art works, allowing people with disabilities to easily integrate into cultural activities and enjoy a diverse artistic feast, thereby promoting social attention and understanding of people with disabilities.
The Shanghai Theatre Academy's "Light of Drama" Drama Care Public Service Team will keep going, and the Department of Dramatic Literature will contribute to the cultural construction of the new era with youth and enthusiasm.
Awards and Honors
- Silver Award at the 13th "Challenge Cup" Shanghai College Student Entrepreneurship Competition, 2022
- Excellence Award in the Red Journey Track at the 8th Shanghai "Internet+" College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, 2022
- Silver Award at the 3rd Shanghai Youth Volunteer Service Project Competition "Dedication Cup", 2022
- Silver Award at the 6th China Youth Volunteer Service Competition, 2022
- Bronze Award in the Red Journey Track at the 9th Shanghai "Internet+" College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, 2023
- Third Prize at the 18th "Challenge Cup" Shanghai College Student Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, 2023
- Second Prize in the Red Journey Track at the Shanghai Theatre Academy Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, 2023
- Shanghai Theatre Academy Xingzheng Global Responsibility Award (Collective), 2023
- Shanghai University Benchmarking Dynamic Student Organization, 2023
