Since the Yue Opera "New Dragon Inn" became popular online two years ago, young Yue Opera actor Chen Lijun has also quickly "broken the circle". She is not only the top star in the Yue Opera circle, but also shows the charm of Yue Opera through major stages such as "Ride the Wind" and CCTV Spring Festival Gala, attracting more and more young audiences to appreciate Yue Opera. This year, the Yue Opera "My Grand View Garden" led by her has attracted much attention since its premiere in Hangzhou, and tickets are hard to come by.
Yue Opera, an ancient opera, needs more young artists like Chen Lijun to rejuvenate it. A program called "Yuedong Youth" is preparing to let more new Yue Opera stars appear on stage.
32 contestants covering multiple schools and roles of Yue Opera
Yue Opera, which originated among the green mountains and clear waters of Shengzhou, Zhejiang, carries the gentleness and elegance of the Jiangnan water towns. It originated and grew in Shanghai, Shanghai. It has been passed down and performed for hundreds of years. It is an important representative of Jiangnan culture and has deep roots in the city of Shanghai.
On April 2, the launch conference of the large-scale Yue Opera cultural promotion competition program "Yuedong Youth" was held at the Shanghai World Performing Arts Center. The program team said that in order to carry forward the Yue Opera cultural tradition and strive to discover and cultivate new Yue Opera talents, "Yuedong Youth" will connect young Yue Opera inheritors across the country with classic songs, hoping that these new voices of the times can complete their transformation here.
Poster of "Youth in Motion"
It is understood that the "Yuedong Youth" program team went deep into various Yue Opera troupes and after layers of screening, 32 Chinese Yue Opera new stars are about to shine on this stage. These 32 contestants cover multiple schools and professions of Yue Opera, with an average age of about 30 years old, and the youngest contestant is only 18 years old.
The program is based on a professional competition among 32 contestants. The competition system uses keywords such as "paying tribute to classics" and "innovation and integration" as propositions, requiring contestants to strictly follow the classic performance norms of Yue Opera during the competition, and to be brave enough to break through the constraints of tradition and boldly innovate the performance form and content. At the same time, the program also deeply explores the real life of the actors off the stage, so that the audience can fully understand the growth process and the efforts behind the young Yue Opera actors.
At the press conference that day, Shi Jianing, deputy general manager of Shanghai Oriental Entertainment Media Group Co., Ltd. and chief producer of the program "Yuedong Youth", said: "We hope that this program can sow a seed in the hearts of many young audiences who don't know much about Yue Opera, so that everyone can go from understanding to liking it, and finally go to the theater to feel the real charm of Yue Opera."
Three seniors generously gave us advice
Afterwards, 24 contestants from the program "Yuedong Youth" also took the stage one by one, sharing their touching stories of being connected with Yue Opera, expressing their love for Yue Opera art and their expectations of participating in the program. After the contestants appeared, three heavyweight Yue Opera masters and program mentors - Zhao Zhigang, an outstanding expert from the Ministry of Culture and a successor of the Yin School, Fang Yafen, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage (Yue Opera) project and a successor of the Yuan School, and Wu Fenghua, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage (Yue Opera) project and a successor of the Fan School, took the stage in their best attire. The three famous teachers will use their decades of stage experience and artistic attainments to guide the contestants and help them grow in the program.
Three heavyweight Yue Opera masters and program instructors: (from left) Wu Fenghua, the successor of Fan School, Zhao Zhigang, the successor of Yin School, Fang Yafen, the successor of Yuan School, and the host of the press conference
Zhao Zhigang said: "Male actors have always been less valued on the Yue Opera stage. This program gives us such an opportunity to let male and female actors of Yue Opera perform on the same stage. So I want to tell the male actors that male actors of Yue Opera are very precious. You should cherish such an opportunity and strive to become the little princes of Yue Opera in the future."
"This program is not only a positive promotion for new Yue Opera talents, but also a positive promotion for Shanghai Yue Opera. With such strong support, I believe Shanghai Yue Opera will get better and better." Fang Yafen said in an interview, "Our old predecessors have laid such a good foundation for us. Many people of our generation are about to retire, so we still hope that more young people will contribute to our Yue Opera."
When asked about what kind of new Yue Opera performers she wants to select, Wu Fenghua said: "The opera needs inheritance and development, it needs talent pools, it needs platforms and competitions, so the competition platform of Yuedong Youth allows more young people to devote themselves to the stage and compete with each other. This gives young people the passion and impulse of the Yuedong Youth stage. So as a member of a grassroots troupe and an inheritor of the Yue Opera Fan School, I have no choice but to come."
The program is produced by Shanghai Radio and Television Oriental Entertainment Media Group Co., Ltd. At the same time, it has also received strong support from Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation, Huangpu Cultural Tourism Group and Shanghai World Expo. It is reported that the program is scheduled to be broadcast on Dragon TV in the near future.
