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Stealing Shanghai's 'Yueju Prince'
August 5, 2010, Thursday
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THE cultural city of Hangzhou has scored a major coup in its efforts to attract talent from around the country. It has lured the "Prince of Yueju Opera" from Shanghai. Nie Xin reports.
The "Prince of Yueju Opera," Zhao Zhigang, is leaving the Shanghai Yueju Opera House and opening an independent studio in Hangzhou.
Zhao, an important innovator of traditional theater, already runs an independent studio in Modern Drama Valley in Shanghai's Jing'an District, which will continue. He is expected to travel between both cities but base himself in Hangzhou, in much larger space.
Zhao takes with him his fiancee, actress Chen Shi.
Zhao has been vice director of the Shanghai Yueju Opera House since 2008, artistic director of the troupe and the leading actor. His departure leaves a void and has raised some concerns about the development of the local Yueju Opera house.
However, young talented artists are now expected to have more opportunities to perform.
At the end of July, Zhao announced he would shift his career base to Hangzhou, which is known as a city of beauty and culture.
"We will have two new projects in Hangzhou at the end of this year," said Zhao in an early interview. "We will also participate in the new autumn-winter season in the Drama Valley in Shanghai."
Hangzhou is trying to attract top talent from around China and the world and offers attractive incentives.
The Hangzhou Literature and Art Association is said to provide Zhao a residential apartment of around 160 square meters and a studio of 300 square meters, for very low rent.
The city is expected to provide financial and other support to Zhao's art projects.
Zhao revealed that he made the decision to leave the Shanghai Yueju Opera House and found a studio in Hangzhou while he was rehearsing the play-within-a-play 'Peach Blossom Land.
Yueju Opera, also known as Shaoxing Opera, is around 100 years old and popular in the region south of the Yangtze River. It is known for its pleasing melodies.
Born in 1962 in Shanghai's Jiading District, Zhao started to learn Yueju Opera at the Shanghai Yueju Opera House in 1974 at the age of 12. Zhao became popular as a young Yue Opera TV actor 24 years ago and starred in the TV opera series "Desert Prince" a few years later.
He starred in a series of original traditional operas and won a considerable following among fans of the opera in which many male roles are played by females.
But Zhao won acceptance and carved out his own niche in this form of theater.
He experiments and creates new Yueju Opera plays. In recent years, he organized the new Yueju Opera "Zhao Shi Gu Er" ("Orphan of the Zhaos") and created the opera "The Eternal Wave" in Shanghai's Modern Drama Valley.
Zhao's version of "A Dream of Red Mansions" has been praised by both critics and the audience, including young people who usually are not interested in traditional operas.
His departure with Chen is expected to have a major impact on the Shanghai Yueju Opera House, which still has talented young actors such as Xu Biaoxin and Qi Chunlei.
The leading actress Fang Yafeng is recovering from knee surgery and cannot perform for a while.
But Li Li, director of Shanghai Yueju Opera House, doesn't think Zhao's departure means the troupe will be "a dragon without a head."
"The young actors will have more space to develop," says Li. "But the troupe will definitely face big changes."
The Shanghai Yueju Opera House currently has two troupes - one led by Zhao, the other, the Red Chamber troupe, of around 80 actresses led by Qian Huili. It includes well-known performers such as Qian and Shan Yangping.
"Compared with Zhao's troupe, the Red Chamber has many talented artists who haven't had many chances to stage," says Li.
The new plan in Shanghai is to focus on young artists.
The "Prince of Yueju Opera," Zhao Zhigang, is leaving the Shanghai Yueju Opera House and opening an independent studio in Hangzhou.
Zhao, an important innovator of traditional theater, already runs an independent studio in Modern Drama Valley in Shanghai's Jing'an District, which will continue. He is expected to travel between both cities but base himself in Hangzhou, in much larger space.
Zhao takes with him his fiancee, actress Chen Shi.
Zhao has been vice director of the Shanghai Yueju Opera House since 2008, artistic director of the troupe and the leading actor. His departure leaves a void and has raised some concerns about the development of the local Yueju Opera house.
However, young talented artists are now expected to have more opportunities to perform.
At the end of July, Zhao announced he would shift his career base to Hangzhou, which is known as a city of beauty and culture.
"We will have two new projects in Hangzhou at the end of this year," said Zhao in an early interview. "We will also participate in the new autumn-winter season in the Drama Valley in Shanghai."
Hangzhou is trying to attract top talent from around China and the world and offers attractive incentives.
The Hangzhou Literature and Art Association is said to provide Zhao a residential apartment of around 160 square meters and a studio of 300 square meters, for very low rent.
The city is expected to provide financial and other support to Zhao's art projects.
Zhao revealed that he made the decision to leave the Shanghai Yueju Opera House and found a studio in Hangzhou while he was rehearsing the play-within-a-play 'Peach Blossom Land.
Yueju Opera, also known as Shaoxing Opera, is around 100 years old and popular in the region south of the Yangtze River. It is known for its pleasing melodies.
Born in 1962 in Shanghai's Jiading District, Zhao started to learn Yueju Opera at the Shanghai Yueju Opera House in 1974 at the age of 12. Zhao became popular as a young Yue Opera TV actor 24 years ago and starred in the TV opera series "Desert Prince" a few years later.
He starred in a series of original traditional operas and won a considerable following among fans of the opera in which many male roles are played by females.
But Zhao won acceptance and carved out his own niche in this form of theater.
He experiments and creates new Yueju Opera plays. In recent years, he organized the new Yueju Opera "Zhao Shi Gu Er" ("Orphan of the Zhaos") and created the opera "The Eternal Wave" in Shanghai's Modern Drama Valley.
Zhao's version of "A Dream of Red Mansions" has been praised by both critics and the audience, including young people who usually are not interested in traditional operas.
His departure with Chen is expected to have a major impact on the Shanghai Yueju Opera House, which still has talented young actors such as Xu Biaoxin and Qi Chunlei.
The leading actress Fang Yafeng is recovering from knee surgery and cannot perform for a while.
But Li Li, director of Shanghai Yueju Opera House, doesn't think Zhao's departure means the troupe will be "a dragon without a head."
"The young actors will have more space to develop," says Li. "But the troupe will definitely face big changes."
The Shanghai Yueju Opera House currently has two troupes - one led by Zhao, the other, the Red Chamber troupe, of around 80 actresses led by Qian Huili. It includes well-known performers such as Qian and Shan Yangping.
"Compared with Zhao's troupe, the Red Chamber has many talented artists who haven't had many chances to stage," says Li.
The new plan in Shanghai is to focus on young artists.
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