At 10 am n 20 June, the 2nd Shanghai Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp, an official event of the 29th Shanghai TV Festival, officially opened at the Duanjun Theatre on the Huashan Road campus of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Attendees included Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy Nie Wei, Dean and Deputy Dean of the Department of Dramatic Literature Chen Jun and Li Shitao, as well as leaders and officials from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television and the Jing'an District Administration of Culture and Tourism, and representatives from the co-organizing enterprises, attended the opening ceremony.
This year's Outstand Young Playwright Starting Camp, guided by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television, is hosted by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and organized by its Department of Dramatic Literature, with co-organization from related enterprises in Beijing and Shanghai and support from the Jing'an District Cultural Centre. The event attracted 20 outstanding creators from across the country, including several young playwrights with broadcasted works. Additionally, many graduate students from the Department of Dramatic Literature at the Shanghai Theatre Academy participated actively, seeking knowledge and learning with a serious attitude. The meeting was presided over by Li Shitao, Deputy Dean of the Department of Dramatic Literature.
During the opening ceremony, Luo Yi, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and Professor Nie Wei, Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, delivered speeches. On the basis of integrating multi-party resources, this year's Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp aims to further enrich its content design, enhance the invitation of guest speakers, and promote continuous creation, thus providing a platform and opportunities for the growth of young film and television practitioners. It also aims to attract the attention of outstanding creators from across the country to focus on Shanghai elements, create Shanghai stories and spread warm voices, thus becoming better storytellers of contemporary Chinese narratives. As the main organizer, the Shanghai Theatre Academy strives to cultivate young creators with broad knowledge, rich experience, deep thinking, strong emotions and high aesthetic standards, thus contributing the STA effort to the development of Shanghai's film and television industry. It is expected that the participants of the Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp from across the country would create more works that reflect Shanghai elements, tell Shanghai stories, and showcase Shanghai's style.
Following the opening ceremony, Professor Chen Jun, Dean of the Department of Dramatic Literature, introduced the specific course schedule, which includes expert lectures, artistic exploration, on-site observations, and script creation workshops. The course arrangement combines theory with practice and integrates classroom learning with social experience. It is hoped that during this week-long journey of inspirational exchange, young creators would be able to tell compelling Chinese stories and showcase the unique charm of Shanghai.
Wang Wei, a student from the MFA Playwriting for Theatre, Film and Television 2023 at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, delivered a speech as a representative of the participants. She emphasized that young playwrights should deeply recognize the importance of excellent traditional culture and realist themes in film and television creation. In the context of the main themes of this year's Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp, which are "audiovisual expression of excellent traditional culture" and "innovative expression of realist themes", they should explore the essence of traditional culture while focusing on social realities, and use innovative forms of expression to tell stories around them. Using the Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp as a starting point, they strive to enhance their creative abilities and market potential, explore Shanghai elements and stories in their works, and contribute to the development of Shanghai's film, television and culture industries.
Finally, various leaders and guests of honor went onto stage and jointly launched the opening of the Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp. As the scroll of the Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp gradually unfolded, it marked the official commencement of this year's Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp.
According to reports, this year’s Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp aims to build a multi-dimensional platform for script learning, exchange, training and incubation for young playwrights nationwide.
The activities of the 2nd Outstanding Young Playwright Starting Camp will continue from 20 to 28 June. During the nine-day event, participants will have the opportunity to receive concentrated lectures and special guidance from outstanding playwrights from across the country and excellent teachers from STA’s Department of Dramatic Literature. As a group, they will also visit and explore important memorial halls and cultural and tourist sites in Shanghai, gaining a deeper understanding of Shanghai's culture and spirit.
The outstanding topics and works that emerge from this year's event will be developed by film and television institutions in Shanghai under the guidance of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television. These institutions will follow up on the development of selected topics, sign intentional cooperation agreements with the playwrights, and simultaneously follow up on the playwright cultivation program.
