Jointly organized by the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts, the Silk Road Traditional Performing Arts Festival, which is the first of its kind in the country, was held from 10 to 16 November. The 12th Shanghai International Experimental Theatre Festival was also included as an important part of the event.
The entire event was rooted in Chinese tradition and Western classics, exploring the future and adapting to contemporary expressions. It aimed to establish STA's own brand of art festivals and create an artistic exchange platform for a community with a shared future for mankind through the international language of theatre.
This event revolved around the theme of "Human Destiny," bringing together artistic masterpieces from around the world. It featured 12 performances, a traditional performing arts symposium, and an academic seminar themed "The Promotion and Imagination of Traditional Performing Arts".
Artists and scholars from home and abroad gathered to discuss and practice the promotion, development, innovation and imagination of traditional performing arts in contemporary society, providing more ideas and directions for the contemporary expression and future exploration of traditional performing arts.
The participating teams came from China, Georgia, Armenia, Germany, Brazil and Russia, covering the rich and diverse cultural elements of Europe, Asia and South America. This injected fresh and diverse vitality into the festival, while the platform of the festival showcased the spirit of Shanghai: inclusiveness, pursuit of excellence, openness and wisdom, magnanimity and modesty.
Meanwhile, the Central Academy of Drama and Yunnan Arts University also actively responded to and enthusiastically participated in this cultural event, bringing performances such as "Forging the Swords", adapted from Lu Xun's short story, and "Qiu Hu Flirts with His Wife ·The Most Familiar Stranger", performed in Kunqu, Dianju and Yuju opera styles.
The host, Shanghai Theatre Academy, meticulously prepared several works: "Lady White Snake", a physical theatre play created by the Acting Department and awarded the "Special Contribution to Sino-French Cultural Exchange" at this year's Avignon Theatre Festival; the original play "On the White Deer Plain" by the Directing Department; and the MR (Mixed Reality) immersive traditional Chinese opera "Daiyu Burying Flowers" by the College of Creative Studies, which combines digital technology with traditional Chinese opera. These works deeply analyze elements of traditional Chinese art while embodying the innovative spirit of the new era. Additionally, the play "Our Hears Are with the Trees", a participating work in the 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival, served as the opening performance of this art festival, telling a "Chinese story" of three generations guarding green mountains and clear waters for over forty years.
Xie Wei, Party Secretary of Shanghai Theatre Academy, stated that the hosting of the Silk Road Traditional Performing Arts Festival is not only an active practice by the Shanghai Theatre Academy in response to the "Belt and Road" initiative and in service of building a culturally strong nation, but also a vivid demonstration of promoting cultural integration and mutual learning among civilizations. Moreover, it is a concrete action by the Shanghai Theatre Academy to actively undertake its responsibilities and fully advance as a model university for the best practices of Xi Jinping's cultural thought.
PERFORMANCE
"Lady White Snake" by Shanghai Theatre Academy and Théâtre du Chêne Noir, France
"On the White Deer Plain" by the Directing Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy
"A Hero's Journey" by Cia Atores da Fábrica / Fábrica dos Atores e Recursos Artísticos, Brazil
Immersive Chinese Traditional Opera "Daiyu Burying Flowers" by the College of Creative Studies, Shanghai Theatre Academy
Opening Performance "Our Hearts Are with the Trees" by Shanghai Theatre Academy/Tongji University
"Forging the Swords" by the Fledgling Artists Troupe of the Central Academy of Drama
"The Waste Land" by Meta Theatre Munich, Germany
Small Theatre Experimental Chinese Traditional Opera
"Qiu Hu Flirts with His Wife·The Most Familiar Stranger" by Yunnan Arts University
Puppet Show "Othello" by Nodar Dumbadze State Youth Theatre, Georgia
"Columbine" by The State Theatre of Musical Comedy after Hakob Paronyan, Armenia
"Sirens" by German Artist Llewellyn Reichman
"Hamlet" by Russian Institute of Theatre Arts
EXHIBITION
Exhibition of Traditional Arab Performing Arts
SYMPOSIUM
International Symposium themed on "The Promotion and Imagination of Traditional Performing Arts"
