"My heart is full of hope, but there is still a long way to go." "For my dream, go ahead!" These are the lyrics of the musical "In the Distance" that I sang. We sang and danced, showing the tenacity and optimism of the strugglers in emerging industries on the stage of the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
The protagonist of the musical "In the Distance" is a courier brother - a courier is a familiar figure around us, and it is also an active new professional group in contemporary society. It's exciting for me to be on this show, but also a great responsibility. In order to create a good image of the courier boy, I carried a courier bag and rode a tricycle to go deep into life. When I first started, I struggled to find the house number, and I was nervous and flustered when I called customers. Under the guidance of experienced couriers, I gradually found a way. In the days when I was with the courier guys, I noticed that in order to save time, they mostly stood by the motorcycle and took a quick bite. In order not to miss the phone call or delay the delivery, their clothes pockets were often full— - There are several mobile phone charging treasures there... These details touch me deeply. With the fresh breath from life, I tried my best to vividly display the image of the courier with simplicity and loftiness on the stage of "In the Distance" through my performance. I believe that where the people are, is the foundation of creation; where life is, is the source of inspiration.
As an art form that integrates singing, dancing and dramatic performances, musicals have very rich means of artistic expression. To attract more audiences into the theater and meet people's artistic expectations, creators must constantly release new works with a sense of the times. Over the years, I have focused on creating realistic-themed musicals. Besides "In the Distance", I also acted in the musical "My Bucket List". This drama focuses on the topics of parent-child relationship and family education that people are generally concerned about. Through the "small but beautiful" artistic presentation and emotional narration, it arouses the emotional resonance of the audience and becomes a long-run drama that is welcomed by the market. At the same time, I consciously leverage multiple media to amplify the volume of good voices. For example, participating in the variety show "Sound into the Heart", showing the classic excerpts of operas and musicals in a youthful and fashionable way, so that more people can feel the beauty of vocal music and the charm of musicals.
Today, Chinese musicals have a clearer direction and broader prospects. 10 years ago, I was still a junior in the Musical Theatre Department of Beijing Dance Academy, and started my career by starring in the leading role of the musical "Overpass". There weren't many musical audiences back then. In recent years, musicals have shown a booming trend in my country, and some popular works are hard to come by. This is inseparable from the hard work of musical theatre practitioners in the industry and the pursuit of excellence in artistic creation. It also shows the vigorous vitality of the current cultural market from one side. In the past two years, on the one hand, I have participated in the production and performance of the Chinese version of foreign classic musicals, and on the other hand, I have tried to show the charm of Chinese culture through original works. I drew inspiration from Chinese classics, and based on Tang Xianzu's "Four Dreams of Linchuan" as the creative background, I released a music album with an oriental drama style. We expect that in the future, Chinese musicals will become a bright business card, showing a credible, lovely and respectable image of China, so that audiences around the world can increase their understanding of China through musicals.
As a young literary and art worker who has grown up in the new era, I have been honored to participate in major theatrical performances many times. In celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the large-scale music and dance epic "Struggle, Chinese Children", I sang "The Cloud of Hometown"; , everyone and I will sing affectionately for the party's centennial birthday in the form of a musical.
The new era provides an unprecedented broad stage for the prosperity and development of literature and art. I will definitely work harder to create more excellent works that demonstrate the Chinese spirit and Chinese power.
(The author is a musical actor, head of the musical troupe of Beijing Opera and Dance Theater, interviewed by reporter Zhang Ye)