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Fighting tooth and claw for a break in musicals
By Zhang Qian |
August 3, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
JUMP high and crouch down quickly; walk on tiptoes for hours; dance while singing; and, oh yes, remember that you're a cat - not a human.
This has been the daily rehearsal routine over the past four months for the 35 performers in the Chinese version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash-hit musical "Cats," which will be staged in Shanghai later this month.
Chen Qin, a 30-year-old musical major postgraduate, who graduated last year, is one of the performers, playing Griddlebone, a feline with a talent for singing.
Though exhausted every day after the first few weeks of rehearsals, Chen is thrilled to have a part in the show, as she believes that it will help her get closer to her dream of being a professional performer in musicals and prove that her persistence in trying to carve a career in musicals has been worthwhile.
More local graduates who majored in musicals are now getting their chance to perform, thanks to the growth of the market. A succession of overseas musicals staged in Shanghai in recent years have cultivated an audience, and the production of Chinese versions of musicals is also creating more opportunities for city talents.
More than half the performers selected for this Chinese version "Cats" are musical students and graduates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Theater Academy and Beijing Dance Academy, says Li Te of United Asia Live Entertainment, one of the companies producing Chinese "Cats."
And it was a similar case with the Chinese "Mamma Mia!" that wowed Shanghai last year.
Among the first music major graduates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Chen faced a difficult time upon graduation in 2006, as the Chinese musical market was still undeveloped.
With few job prospects in musicals, most of her classmates sought work in fields such as TV or went abroad. But Chen chose to stay, continuing to study as a postgraduate and firmly believing that her day would eventually come.
Though musicals were not her first choice when applying for a place at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2002, she quickly fell in love with it.
"I wanted to continue learning bel canto in the conservatory and considered musicals lowbrow, but surprisingly, I found musicals much more inspiring, as they involve not only singing, but also dancing and acting that helps create a character more vivid and real," says Chen. "I like releasing myself in that way on stage."
Chen admits that during her lean years, it was only securing the occasional role in a musical that kept her spirits up. "It was torture, but once I got on stage, even if it was just a school play, I felt strong again. I knew it was what I wanted to do," Chen says.
Her first role in a professional production was in the Chinese production of "Mamma Mia!" last year, which she has now followed up with Griddlebone in "Cats."
"'Mamma Mia!' was a big challenge, as I was unsure of my dancing ability," says Chen. "But the director told me that since I could already sing well, if I could manage the dancing part, I could be confident about playing any character in musicals."
Offering courses and qualifications in musicals was a risk in the past, says Chen Guang, dean of the musical major at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
The Central Drama Academy in Beijing set up the first musical class in China in 1995, while the Shanghai school followed the suit in 2002.
And even with the market developing, competition is still fierce. Only a comparatively small number of original musicals find success and many overseas productions bring their own performers.
"It is said that there are more than 100 original musical productions presented in China, but very few can be named by an ordinary audience," says Chen. "It will still take time for the market and the musicals to mature in China. But of course, things are getting better."
As a sign of this, younger students like 21-year-old Wang Qiong and 19-year-old Nai Bao Tu Ga of Shanghai Theater Academy are finding more opportunities than earlier students did.
They performed in "Ultimate Broadway" - the opening show of Shanghai Culture Square last year - even though still juniors, and both landed roles in "Cats."
Wang plays Rumpleteazer - a cat thief - while Nai Bao Tu Ga is small male cat George.
The young performers are also excited about working with oversea performers and production staff. "It is much more demanding here than rehearsals for school plays," says Wang. "I've found that I've improved a lot during rehearsals."
Although the popularity of musicals - and thus the number of roles - is set to grow in the coming years, Chen Guang, the major dean, still suggests musical students don't limit themselves to this area. With skills in singing, dancing and acting, they have versatile talents, says Chen. "I tell students to aim for roles in musicals by all means, but don't hesitate to try other fields when chances come along," he says.
This has been the daily rehearsal routine over the past four months for the 35 performers in the Chinese version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash-hit musical "Cats," which will be staged in Shanghai later this month.
Chen Qin, a 30-year-old musical major postgraduate, who graduated last year, is one of the performers, playing Griddlebone, a feline with a talent for singing.
Though exhausted every day after the first few weeks of rehearsals, Chen is thrilled to have a part in the show, as she believes that it will help her get closer to her dream of being a professional performer in musicals and prove that her persistence in trying to carve a career in musicals has been worthwhile.
More local graduates who majored in musicals are now getting their chance to perform, thanks to the growth of the market. A succession of overseas musicals staged in Shanghai in recent years have cultivated an audience, and the production of Chinese versions of musicals is also creating more opportunities for city talents.
More than half the performers selected for this Chinese version "Cats" are musical students and graduates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Theater Academy and Beijing Dance Academy, says Li Te of United Asia Live Entertainment, one of the companies producing Chinese "Cats."
And it was a similar case with the Chinese "Mamma Mia!" that wowed Shanghai last year.
Among the first music major graduates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Chen faced a difficult time upon graduation in 2006, as the Chinese musical market was still undeveloped.
With few job prospects in musicals, most of her classmates sought work in fields such as TV or went abroad. But Chen chose to stay, continuing to study as a postgraduate and firmly believing that her day would eventually come.
Though musicals were not her first choice when applying for a place at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2002, she quickly fell in love with it.
"I wanted to continue learning bel canto in the conservatory and considered musicals lowbrow, but surprisingly, I found musicals much more inspiring, as they involve not only singing, but also dancing and acting that helps create a character more vivid and real," says Chen. "I like releasing myself in that way on stage."
Chen admits that during her lean years, it was only securing the occasional role in a musical that kept her spirits up. "It was torture, but once I got on stage, even if it was just a school play, I felt strong again. I knew it was what I wanted to do," Chen says.
Her first role in a professional production was in the Chinese production of "Mamma Mia!" last year, which she has now followed up with Griddlebone in "Cats."
"'Mamma Mia!' was a big challenge, as I was unsure of my dancing ability," says Chen. "But the director told me that since I could already sing well, if I could manage the dancing part, I could be confident about playing any character in musicals."
Offering courses and qualifications in musicals was a risk in the past, says Chen Guang, dean of the musical major at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
The Central Drama Academy in Beijing set up the first musical class in China in 1995, while the Shanghai school followed the suit in 2002.
And even with the market developing, competition is still fierce. Only a comparatively small number of original musicals find success and many overseas productions bring their own performers.
"It is said that there are more than 100 original musical productions presented in China, but very few can be named by an ordinary audience," says Chen. "It will still take time for the market and the musicals to mature in China. But of course, things are getting better."
As a sign of this, younger students like 21-year-old Wang Qiong and 19-year-old Nai Bao Tu Ga of Shanghai Theater Academy are finding more opportunities than earlier students did.
They performed in "Ultimate Broadway" - the opening show of Shanghai Culture Square last year - even though still juniors, and both landed roles in "Cats."
Wang plays Rumpleteazer - a cat thief - while Nai Bao Tu Ga is small male cat George.
The young performers are also excited about working with oversea performers and production staff. "It is much more demanding here than rehearsals for school plays," says Wang. "I've found that I've improved a lot during rehearsals."
Although the popularity of musicals - and thus the number of roles - is set to grow in the coming years, Chen Guang, the major dean, still suggests musical students don't limit themselves to this area. With skills in singing, dancing and acting, they have versatile talents, says Chen. "I tell students to aim for roles in musicals by all means, but don't hesitate to try other fields when chances come along," he says.
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