Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre

Author: Jin Fu

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-03-09

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0521186668

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Chinese opera has a history of over 800 years. However, since the early twentieth century, following increased contact with the West, drama without music has also become popular in China. The development and prosperity of modern drama has created a new landscape for Chinese theater, which, as a whole, has become more diverse.


A History of Chinese Theatre in the 20th Century III

A History of Chinese Theatre in the 20th Century III

Author: Fu Jin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-07-19

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 100038442X

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The twentieth century was a dynamic period for the theatrical arts in China. Booming urban theatres, the interaction between commercial practice and theatre, dramas staged during the War of Resistance against Japan and a healthy dialogue between Western and Eastern theatres all contributed to the momentousness of this period. The four volumes of A History of Chinese Theatre in the 20th Century display the developmental trajectories of Chinese theatre over those hundred years. This volume examines national policies developed for the culture industry and practice of Chinese theatre from 1949 to the period of "the Great Leap Forward". The author highlights the tension between the new nation’s principle of "letting one hundred flowers bloom" and the theatrical industry as a tool for ideological propaganda. He argues that the transition from war-time conditions to the new social structure of peace time was far from thorough and stable. Scholars and students in the history of the arts, especially the history of Chinese theatre, will find this book to be an essential guide.


Chinese Theatre and the Actor in Performance

Chinese Theatre and the Actor in Performance

Author: Jo Riley

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-06-13

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780521570909

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This work gives an 'inside' view of Chinese theatre and the actor in performance for the first time. It challenges western theatre artists such as Brecht, Grotowski, Barba and Schechner, who have extracted from Chinese theatre elements which might enrich their own theatres. It is based on personal observations of and dialogue with Chinese actors, experiences which were impossible before 1980. Riley's study is well illustrated with photographs and diagrams and is accessible to anyone interested in theatre, even those with no knowledge of Chinese or Chinese theatre.


Chinese Theater

Chinese Theater

Author: Colin Mackerras

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 1988-09-01

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9780824812201

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This volume is the first concise introduction to the splendid variety of the Chinese theatrical tradition. It presents a rounded perspective on the development of Chinese theater by considering all of its major aspects—history and social context, performance, costume, makeup, actors, playwrights, and theaters—and by discussing all the major forms of Chinese theater, including the Beijing opera, which arose in the eighteenth century, and the spoken play, an entirely twentieth-century form. Its contributors are uniquely qualified to write about the Chinese theater. They have enjoyed an intimate relationship with their subject, both as academics and as theater workers, and they have combined a deep knowledge of Chinese theater with a high regard for its long tradition and continuing vitality. The book is intended for general as well as more specialized readers. Those with an interest in theater as a worldwide phenomenon and those wanting a new light on Chinese culture and society will find it equally useful. To those with a particular interest in Chinese theater, it will be a rich and important resource.


The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama

Author: Xiaomei Chen

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2014-03-25

Total Pages: 655

ISBN-13: 0231535546

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This condensed anthology reproduces close to a dozen plays from Xiaomei Chen's well-received original collection, The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama, along with her critical introduction to the historical, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of twentieth-century Chinese spoken drama. Comprising representative works from the Republican era to postsocialist China, the book encapsulates the revolutionary rethinking of Chinese theater and performance that began in the late Qing dynasty and vividly portrays the uncertainty and anxiety brought on by modernism, socialism, political conflict, and war. Chosen works from 1919 to 1990 also highlight the formation of national and gender identities during a period of tremendous social, cultural, and political change in China and the genesis of contemporary attitudes toward the West. PRC theater tracks the rise of communism, juxtaposing ideals of Chinese socialism against the sacrifices made for a new society. Post-Mao drama addresses the nation's socialist legacy, its attempt to reexamine its cultural roots, and postsocialist reflections on critical issues such as nation, class, gender, and collective memories. An essential, portable guide for easy reference and classroom use, this abridgment provides a concise yet well-rounded survey of China's theatricality and representation of political life. The original work not only established a canon of modern Chinese drama in the West but also made it available for the first time in English in a single volume.


Contemporary Chinese Theatre

Contemporary Chinese Theatre

Author: Roger Howard

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-05-17

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1000583090

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Chinese theatre underwent a great experiment under the cultural revolution. Using the reformed Beijing operas as models, the whole range of theatre arts, from straight plays to acrobatics and from ballet to ballads saw a profound transformation. Alongside the professional theatre, an upsurge of workers’ and peasants’ amateur theatre stimulated new developments. This book, first published in 1978, sketches the historical background to these changes and offers a factual survey of the main forms and characteristics of Chinese theatre at the time. It traces the rise of the new drama since 1949 and explores the political principles underlying the reforms. It examines the new amateur theatre and describes typical plays and operas staged in China.


Chinese Traditional Theatre and Male Dan

Chinese Traditional Theatre and Male Dan

Author: Guo Chao

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-01-31

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1000538966

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This book examines male dan, a male actor who performs female roles in Chinese theatre. Through the rise, fall and tenuous survival of male dan in Chinese history, Guo Chao reflects the transformations in the social zeitgeist in China, especially the politics of gender and sexuality. The breadth of this study reflects a diversified set of sources, ranging from classical to contemporary texts (texts of jingju plays, memoirs, collections of notation books) and other commentaries and critical evaluations of dan actors (in both English and Chinese languages) to video and audio materials, films and personal interviews. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of East Asian/Chinese studies across the fields of theatre, history, culture and literature.


Staging for the Emperors

Staging for the Emperors

Author: Liana Chen (Assistant professor)

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9781621965480

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"Theatrical performance occupied a central place in the emotional and political life of the Qing dynasty imperial household. For over two centuries, the Qing court poured a tremendous amount of human and material resources into institutionalizing the theatrical arts for the purposes of entertainment and edification. The emperors and empresses were ardent patrons and key players in establishing an artistic form that the court theatre called its own. They went to great lengths to cultivate a discerning taste in theatre and oversaw the artistic and managerial aspects of court theatrical activities. In the imperial theatrical spaces within and outside the Forbidden City, which were designed and built with the capacity to produce stunning visual effects, theatrical productions were staged to entertain imperial family members and to impress obeisance-paying guests from near and afar. Treating Qing dynasty court theatre as a unique site in which to examine important but uncharted realms of Chinese theatrical experience, Staging for the Emperor examines two distinct and interlocking dimensions of the Qing court theatre-the vicissitudes of the palace troupe and the multifaceted functions of court-commissioned ceremonial dramas-to highlight the diverse array of views held by individual rulers as they used theatrical means to promote their personal and political agendas. Drawing on recently discovered materials from a variety of court administrative bureaus, memoirs, diaries, and play scripts written for court ceremonial occasions, this study places the history of Qing court theatre in the broader context of Qing cultural and political history. Staging for the Emperors would appeal to readers interested in China studies and performance studies. It would also appeal to those outside the field of China studies who are interested in developing a cross-cultural perspective on the interplay between state rituals, power, identity formation, and theatrical experiences"--