“Chinese Theater in the Present Age” Workshop

Modern Chinese theater is a product of the encounters and dialogues among diverse artistic forms from different eras and cultures. The origins of Chinese theatre trace back over a thousand years to the bustling markets of the Song and Yuan dynasties. From the early nanxi Southern Dramas to the chuanqilong plays of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and from the zaju dramas of the Yuan capital to the various regional operatic of our current world, Chinese opera embodies an enduring cultural legacy within Chinese literature and has become a timeless artistic tradition on stage.

In the present age, where economic and cultural exchanges are increasingly global and theatrical arts flourish worldwide, how can Chinese opera make itself anew while preserving its traditional aesthetics to tell unique modern stories? When the “theater” as we know it becomes a phenomenon that transcends cultural, national, and even linguistic boundaries, how will Chinese theatre negotiate with and avail itself of its cultural heritage?

The "Chinese Theater in the Present Age" workshop, organized by the Global Youth Alliance for Chinese Drama (GYACD), invites experts, scholars, practitioners, teachers, and student representatives from around the world to explore the conventions and innovations, the developments and heritages, and the present and future of Chinese theatre. The panelists’ talks will be organized chronologically, exploring the various forms of Chinese theatrical traditions from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the present day.

Professor Chenlin Wei will begin by introducing the aesthetic characteristics of classical Xiqu (Chinese Opera). Yiwen Wu will then examine the cultural exchanges on Chinese and Euro-American stages in the 20th century. Dr. Yunqi Zhang, drawing on her extensive experience as a practitioner of Chinese opera, will discuss the heritage and reformation of Kunqu opera since 1949. Following this, Senior Teacher Cunfu Lin will explore the importance of theatre in liberal arts education for high school students. GYACD’s high school student representative Annie Wu will serve as the respondent and engage in further discussions with our four panelists from a high school student’s perspective.

At the event’s conclusion, undergraduate representative and GYACD’s U.S. coordinator, Nico Yu, will announce the launch of our annual "Global Youth Sinophone Theater Creative Initiative." This initiative invites the “younger generation” in the early stages of their academic, artistic, or professional journeys to submit 10-15 page play scripts or excerpts (with an estimated performance time of 10-15 minutes) in Chinese and/or English this summer. In the fall, three academic mentors will select ten winning works across four categories and award prizes accordingly. All shortlisted works will be showcased on the GYACD website and published in a special volume. Additionally, selected scripts may be produced and performed in collaboration with theatre organizations affiliated with universities and professional troupes worldwide. Theatre groups and troupes are also welcome to participate in this initiative and apply for our fellowship funding through a competitive process. Detailed information will be available on the GYACD website, gyacd.org, after the workshop.

This bilingual event will primarily feature English among GYACD members and Chinese among the main speakers, with real-time subtitles provided in both languages. The workshop will be live-streamed online via Zoom Webinar, Bilibili, and YouTube. Only Zoom Webinar participants can engage in the Q&A session.

· To join via Zoom Webinar, please scan the QR code on the poster or use this link https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_moiC7FIHR9i4DMQ3OhmSRQ.

· To watch on Bilibili, follow our official account, GYACD.

· To watch on YouTube, subscribe to our official channel, GYACD.

* The Global Youth Alliance for Chinese Drama (GYACD) is a non-profit organization that aspires to connect, support, and give a platform to junior scholars/students, budding practitioners, and young enthusiasts of the various traditional and modern Chinese theatrical arts.

Panelist Bios and Talk Titles:

Professor Chenlin Wei (Xi'an Jiaotong University, Associate Professor): “The Aesthetics of Classical Xiqu(Chinese Opera)” [In Chinese]

Associate Professor at the School of Humanities, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Assistant Director of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature; Secretary of the “A Community For The Chinese Nation” Base of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. She earned her bachelor's degree from the School of Humanities at Xiamen University, her master's degree from the School of Humanities at Renmin University of China, and her Ph.D. from the School of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong. She serves as a correspondent reviewer for Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, the only humanities and social sciences sub-journal under Nature, and is a guest editor for the Journal of Chinese Studies at the University of Hong Kong.

Yiwen Wu (University of Chicago, PhD Student): “All the World’s a Stage: The Power of Transcultural Theater” [In English]

Doctoral student at the University of Chicago focusing on East Asian premodern theater and cross-cultural performance. She is also a professional theater practitioner. She has worked as a dramaturg at seven different theaters in the Chicago area. Her puppet plays have been performed at local theaters and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

Dr. Yunqi Zhang (Peking University, PhD): “What is Tradition: The Heritage and Reformation of Kunqu Repertoire Since 1949” [In Chinese]

Ph.D. in Philosophy from Peking University and a Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera practitioner. From a young age, she studied Kunqu Opera under the renowned Shi Hongmei of the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre, focusing on “Guimen Dan” (young female roles), and Peking Opera, focusing on “Huashan” (virtuosic female roles). She also studied under various teachers from the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre and Beijing Kunqu Research Institute. She won the gold medal in the 3rd CCTV National Peking Opera Amateur Competition and the gold medal in the 12th National Chinese Opera Students Competition. She played the lead role in the Peking University production of The Peony Pavilion, which toured nationwide. Since 2017, she has been teaching Peking and Kunqu Opera performance courses at the Peking University Peking and Kunqu Opera Society.

Cunfu Lin (Hangzhou Foreign Languages School, Senior Teacher): “Drama in Education: Applications and Reflections for Humanities Pedagogy in Secondary Education” [In Chinese]

Degree in Master of Arts. Senior Chinese Language and Drama Teacher at Hangzhou Foreign Languages School, Deputy Director of the Education Research and Development Department, and a member of the Zhejiang Theater Association. In 2022, he was recognized as an Advanced Individual in Educational Research in Zhejiang Province. He is the advisor for the Feiyang Drama Club at Hangzhou Foreign Languages School. Since 2011, he has offered various drama elective courses and received multiple honors such as the school's Outstanding Elective Course and Provincial Excellent Course awards. The student works that he supervised have won several awards in drama competitions at the provincial and city levels, including the Provincial Arts Festival for primary and secondary schools. He has led several province-level research projects and published over ten papers in core journals. From 2014 to 2023, he organized more than ten training sessions on drama education for primary and secondary school teachers in Zhejiang Province.

Student Representatives:

Annie Wu (GYACD High School Student Representative), Nanjing Foreign Language School

Sophomore student at Nanjing Foreign Language School and a lifelong enthusiast of Kunqu Opera and drama. She has won the Special Prize in Foreign Language Drama in Jiangsu Province. She is one of the high school student founders of GYACD, and the organizer of the Drama in Schools events of the alliance.

Nico Yu (GYACD Undergraduate Representative & U.S. Coordinator), New York University Tisch School of the Arts

Born and raised in Shenzhen, China, costume and character designer, Nico Yu, pushes herself into creating both visually stunning and rich-in-storytelling designs that bring characters to life. Nico has recently received her degrees in the Production and Design studio, NYU Tisch School of Arts. With a deep belief in the importance of costume design in world-building, Nico's design aims to capture the complex emotions and relationships of the characters. Recent credits include Moonshine Requiem (artistic director/costume designer); Waning Crescent (costume designer); Bonefruit (costume designer); and The Insanity (costume designer).

Moderator and Event Co-Sponsor:

Aaron Huang (Moderator), University of Chicago

Aaron recently received his Bachelor of Arts honors degree in Music and East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, graduating summa cum laude. He is one of the founders of the University of Chicago Chinese Opera Society.

University of Chicago Chinese Opera Society (Co-Sponsor)

University of Chicago Chinese Opera Society is the only student-led Chinese opera organization in the Great Chicago area. In 2023, it received official recognition as a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) by the University of Chicago. Aiming to promote China's rich traditional culture in the Midwest, the University of Chicago Chinese Opera Society is dedicated to studying and performing Peking Opera, Kunqu, and other regional styles of Chinese opera. We have invited renowned Chinese opera practitioners and scholars from both China and abroad to visit the University of Chicago and have successfully organized a series of performances, lectures, and workshops. Through our efforts, we hope to serve as a bridge fostering cultural exchange between China and the United States while encouraging interactions between the academic and artistic communities.