This Play from Shanghai Theatre Academy is Well-suited for the Midsummer Ambiance of Avignon
This year marks the 78th Avignon Theatre Festival, with over twenty productions from China (including Taiwan) featured, one of which is the physical theatre piece "White Snake," jointly performed by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and France's Black Oak Theatre, with 12 performances scheduled during the festival.
"White Snake" employs innovative artistic techniques, blending traditional Chinese opera, martial arts, and modern dance. Through highly abstract, expressive, and dynamic physical performance, it conjures vivid scenes and portrays a poignant love story, showcasing a fusion of tradition and modernity, with both national charm and international appeal, leaving audiences worldwide in awe.
This year coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France. The Sino-French collaborative physical theatre "White Snake," directed by Xiao Ying, head of the Acting Department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, integrates the academy's top resources, with joint creation by the Acting Department, Stage Design Department, and College of Creative Studies. It has also received funding from the 2023 Shanghai "Chinese Culture Going Global" Special Support fund.
After a month and a half of intensive rehearsals, the play brings the classic Chinese love story to the stage in a novel way, incorporating "digital particle" elements seamlessly into the actors' performances, greatly enhancing visual impact and artistic expression.
Dong Guangli, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Marseille, the representative of the Mayor of Avignon, the President of the Vaucluse Chamber of Commerce, theatre festival officials from Armenia and other countries, and representatives of the Chinese community in southern France attended the performance of "White Snake" and highly praised the play.
The Avignon City Government and the Avignon Theatre Festival conferred the award of "Special Contribution to Sino-French Cultural Exchange" to the "White Snake" production team, recognizing the Shanghai Theatre Academy's active contribution to Sino-French cultural exchange.
The performance and award information were also simultaneously published on the official websites of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Consulate-General in Marseille, further demonstrating the Shanghai Theatre Academy's role in promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning through theatre.
