Tian Qinxin, chief director of "Red Starting Point": What do you think of bringing the study of party history to the stage?

2021 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The years have remained firm and the faith has been firm. Organized by the National Theater of China, the Propaganda Department of the Shanghai Songjiang District Federation of the Communist Party of China, and Shanghai Songjiang District The stage play "Red Starting Point" is jointly produced by the Culture, Art and Cultural Relics Bureau and Shanghai China Theater Co., Ltd., jointly performed by the China National Theater and the Shanghai Theater Youth Theater, and directed by Tian Qinxin, the president of the China National Theater. One of the repertoires of the National Theater of China’s “Red Performance Season” to celebrate the nearly 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, it will be performed for 10 consecutive performances at the National Theater of China starting from June 30.

This play is based on Mr. Ye Yonglie's novel "Red Starting Point: A Record of the Birth of the Communist Party of China". The director adjusted the original work based on faithful reference to historical materials. The linear scene scheduling of the novel selects the turbulent three-year "big events" of 1919, 1920, and 1921 to present the entire historical process of the birth of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai. In December 2020, "Red Starting Point" successfully toured at the China Grand Theater in Shanghai. In the first half of 2020, it completed its first round of tours in different provinces and received five-star praise from the audience.

On June 30, the day the stage play "Red Starting Point" was performed in Beijing, President Tian Qinxin of the National Theater of China stated that the stage play "Red Starting Point" is scheduled to be released on July 1st. Use the method of dramatic performance to present the epoch-making history of the Communist Party of China. “Invite the study of party history to the stage, closely integrate it with literary and artistic creation, and give full play to the unique cultural, educational and aesthetic advantages of literary and artistic creation. I would like to extend my artistic wishes to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.”

Yu Haihong, member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Luwan District Committee, sent a video to congratulate. She expressed her special thanks to the National Theater of China for allowing the stage play "Red Starting Point" to be released to the audience on July 1st. Songjiang District, Shanghai is the birthplace of the Party. China’s first grassroots party organization was founded in Songjiang District a hundred years ago. The National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Songjiang District. Songjiang District is also the origin of the Youth League Committee. The ideal place for singing "March", the rich red accumulation and the rich and colorful performance resources provide unparalleled standards for the creation and arrangement of "Red Starting Point". "We must make good use of red resources, keep the red blood fresh over time, and bring the red spirit to life." The work pioneered by the seniors continues to lead the way forward."

In order to better bring the content of Ye Yonglie's original novel Forty-Six RMB to life on the stage, the stage play "Red Starting Point" was created. The creative team refers to a large number of precious historical data and historical content, adopts recording techniques that closely combine history with reality, integrates a large number of precious historical data and historical content, and combines the use of poetry, historical time, real records, multimedia systems, etc. Various forms of expression present the entire historical process of the birth of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai.

The work is directed by Tian Qinxin. It uses contemporary aesthetic concepts to reflect historical facts and pays attention to the creation of historical characters. It not only pays attention to the dynamic reform aura, but also pays attention to the historical distinction and poetic history of Pangu. layout. In addition, the creative team also brings together many young art masters. The young director Ou Fan has several works, and this collaboration with director Tian Qinxin is particularly attentive. Stage art designer Shen Li, lighting designers Wang Qi and Wen Xiaonan, multimedia designer Hu Tianji, musician Sun Dawei, fashion designer Wei Wei, product styling designer Jiang Heping, body design Xu Yewen, etc., rely on current writing concepts and artistic aesthetics Watch, and together we will show this red-themed track a vibrant sense of the times.

The stage play "Red Starting Point" has the unique theatrical performance style of the new forces. The stage art design does not pursue the perfect restoration of the real scene, but only divides the stage space with tables, chairs and benches, and vividly reflects the simple freehand painting style design.

More than a dozen multimedia electronic display rings form the main visual elements on the stage. They sometimes present historical scenes, sometimes set off the emotions of the drama, and bring novel visual experiences to the audience. The yellowed visual material is like a long historical memory, and the artists in action seem to be traveling through history. The stage elements with beveled lines symbolize the firm belief of the revolutionaries. The stage with red and black as the dominant colors represents the bright path opened up by the party's original intention of using red in the dark environment.

As reporters from The Paper.com watched it on the spot, "Red Starting Point" can be said to be hot and dynamic, tight and mellow, very contemporary and very Chinese. The large LED screen depicts the situation in the world, the life in the concession market, and even the Yangliu Yiyi and Yu Xue Feifei of romance novels. A table and N tables and chairs are basically all the props on the stage, which are quite inspired by China. The moral of traditional opera can be said so-called: "Three or four people can make millions of soldiers, and six or seven steps can lead to thousands of mountains and rivers."

In the stage play "Red Starting Point", one artist performs multiple roles, jumping into Jumping out to perform or show actual scenes, the artists use different placement positions of tables and chairs, stand up and sit down or stand up or sit down neatly, narrating and recreating this magnificent red history for the audience in a blazing way. Allusions, they often switch between the roles of historical commentators and historical celebrities, helping the audience understand the history of the founding period of the Communist Party of China, just like the commentators of the Party's history museum, A lifelike "History Lesson of the Party's Development" was presented to everyone. The audience was moved by the immersive experience and burst into enthusiastic cheers several times at key historical moments of the performance.

The energetic artists wear contemporary suits with new Chinese design, showing the youthful and idealized appearance of historical celebrities. Background music containing elements such as pop music makes the work full of layers. "Looks Like," a guitar ballad, ends with a heartfelt twist that will make you cry. The stage play "Red Starting Point" is a dialogue between contemporary young people and the historical time of nearly a hundred years ago. A wave of hands and a sincere heart-to-heart meeting. As Dong Chang, a young actor from the National Theater of China, said, "As an artist, I feel honored to be able to star in this drama in such a dignified life as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. I look forward to this When a play is performed, the audience can feel the war-torn youth of 1921.” Previously, Tian Qinxin, president of the National Theater of China and director of “Red Starting Point,” was interviewed by a reporter from The Paper.

The Paper: Could you please introduce in detail which sect you came across the documentary "Red Starting Point"?

Tian Qinxin: In 2017, I was hospitalized due to illness. During the treatment period, I listened to the radio and heard the Central People's Broadcasting Station broadcast the novel documentary "The Starting Point of Red" written by Mr. Ye Yonglie, which attracted me , listened to it all the time, and entrusted friends to buy this book. During the rest period, I kept this book in hand. Later, after a friend introduced me, I met Mr. Ye Yonglie in Shanghai and promised to turn this book into a stage play. Unfortunately, Mr. Ye passed away last year...

Tian Qinxin: The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people through a history of nearly a hundred years of development. The bloodshed and sacrifice, perseverance, hardships and twists, and tenacious struggle are indeed worthy of praise. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Party's birth, as theater performers, we must use our own writing to show the historical period of the founding of the Party on the stage. This is our cultural and artistic responsibility, and it is also our original intention of theater performances to contribute to Red original intention.

Tian Qinxin: The National Congress of the Communist Party of China is located in Hongkou District, Shanghai. Section Chief Yu Haihong of the Songjiang District Propaganda Department devoted a lot of energy to this play and provided everyone with historical data support and specific assistance.

In addition, the National Theater’s southern base is located in the Shanghai Theater Youth Drama Troupe. Many of the young actors in this play are from here - as I just introduced, this play is related to Shanghai, so we put the whole country The local tour was arranged in Shanghai. At the end of last year, the tour continued in coastal areas. On July 1, 2020, during the celebration of the nearly centenary of the Communist Party of China, he returned to Beijing to launch a tour performance at the National Theater of China and meet the audience in the capital of Beijing.

Tian Qinxin: Do you use old dramatic performance procedures to reflect this period of history? I think it is necessary to innovate. The past reflects this period of history, whether it is theater performances or other art genres such as film and television production, which have gone through a lot. As art workers in the new era, we must dare to respond to the research of the era and capture innovative design inspiration, so as to ensure "portraits of the era, biographies of the era, and enlightenment for the era." Therefore, in this "Red Starting Point" I At that time, we considered creating a non-linear narrative, a directing structure that closely combines political culture and character narration, and then corresponding innovations in stage presentation. Our two directors and directing team worked together. I wrote ten drafts in one day, and I continued to revise and revise them during the period.

Tian Qinxin: When writing, you need to consider it from the starting point, return to the scene, and talk to the playwright with your understanding. I have always thought that in the wet and rainy July of 1921, a group of outstanding young people gathered together in the name of the conference and with faith to find the direction of China's development, and did something unprecedented. Since then, China's reform has taken on a completely new look. Under the party's organizational construction, the Chinese people have found their own path to liberation, prosperity and strength, and a strong military. When I was writing this play, I would think of the revolutionary ancestors of the past, whether it was "South Chen Beili (Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao)" or Chairman Mao, who was only 27 years old, including China's first * Communist Yang Mingzhai, this kind of role is fresh in my heart. Nineteen-year-old Liu Renjing is the youngest among the first representatives. The age structure of all the first representatives is only in their twenties. They are all a group of vigorous young people. Therefore, this time we are looking for young actors to use "youth and youth" to interpret the century-old glory and infinite youth.

Tian Qinxin: We all hope that young actors will use their aura, spirit, and heart to interpret and create a representative of the Communist Party of that era, rather than solely based on appearance and clothing. Come up and restore that period. I hope that in today's new era, through our performance, more young people today can watch a lifelike and vivid history lesson of the Party's development on the stage.

These young actors not only represent one or a certain character in the character's story in the play, but also represent the Chinese people at that time who were unwilling to be oppressed and unwilling to be bullied. , represents a group of people who are passionate, hard-working and motivated to save the country and the people. At the last moment, they seem to have become themselves again and become a group of people with an age group of no more than 20 on the stage. Five-year-old college students who have just graduated from college have become young people of the new era who learn from and devote themselves to the reform elders.

Tian Qinxin: That’s what I thought when I started writing the script. For example, my understanding of Shakespeare’s scripts, theater directors around the world have different understandings of Shakespeare’s texts. Explain and express, so I think it is important to understand and express. To make Chinese stories look good and to make keynote works look good, there should be more than one way. Today's China is so advanced in technology and the digital age has arrived. Keeping pace with the times and shocking the people, China, China The founding of the Communist Party of China, an unprecedented initiative, must be written with today's sense of drama and presented on today's stage. It is not only ingenuity, but most importantly, it must express the spiritual essence.

One of the wisdoms of Chinese oriental aesthetics is that it should not only be close in appearance, but also similar.

In the past, some of my plays were realistic, but mostly freehand paintings. This time, I mainly wanted to dedicate the group of young people on stage to the hot-blooded men of China in 1921, and let them interact with each other for nearly a hundred years. Wave your hands and hit your heart. At the same time, today's young actors are also used to convey the spirit of the Chinese nation in 1921 that they understood and comprehended to today's young audiences, so that everyone can have a deep understanding when looking back on that period of history. To experience the process of the advanced elements of that generation of young people looking for a way out in old China