Festive curtain poised to rise on shows with a difference

Emotional touch

Ji Fuji, 82, former director of Yisushe Theater, said that as Spring Festival is about family reunions and returning home, people in Shaanxi who move away to work in different parts of the country consider Qinqiang Opera as a way of staying in emotional touch with home.

In 2021, a street in the Drum Tower area, or Gulou area, of downtown Xi'an was turned into a cultural hub for Yisushe Theater to celebrate Qinqiang Opera. The area was renamed Yisu Theater Cultural District, and its theaters, restaurants and museums, which include The Museum of Yisushe, are popular with locals and tourists.

Ji, who first performed as a Qinqiang Opera actor when he was 9 and was director of Yisushe Theater from 1985 to 2005, said: "Tourists usually visit Xi'an for its historical landmarks, including the Bell Tower, Drum Tower and the ancient city walls. Now, many people come to the Yisushe Theater Cultural District, a new tourist destination, to celebrate Lunar New Year."

Although he has retired, Ji still regularly trains the theater's young performers and writes scripts for new Qinqiang Opera pieces.

"Last year, I worked with the theater's young performers during the Spring Festival holiday. We had a hectic schedule and were away from our families, but we were happy and satisfied. It reminded me of my younger days as a Qinqiang Opera actor, when I expected to be at my busiest during Spring Festival, traveling and performing each day," Ji said.

A report examining tourism consumption in China's performing arts market last year, which was released by the China Association of Performing Arts, said Xi'an, the capital for 13 dynasties in Chinese history, was among the nation's most popular tour destinations in 2023.Revenue from the city's performing arts market exceeded the level in 2019, before the onset of the pandemic.

Nearly 10,000 live performances were staged nationwide during Spring Festival last year, a rise of about 22.5 percent compared with the same period in 2019.Total ticket revenue from such performances during the 2023 Spring Festival holiday was about 378 million yuan ($52.54 million) — about 80 percent of the level in 2019.

With the performing arts market in China experiencing a robust recovery last year, more people are expected to visit theaters during Spring Festival this year.

The report also said that with the performing arts market booming in 2023, theatrical production companies have introduced new works to bring fresh ideas to Chinese theaters, in particular to appeal to young audiences. Performances staged in nontraditional spaces have become a new trend, the report added.

Director Zhang Xiao said: "Picture a theater without walls and a stage without curtains. Audiences are part of shows and performers move shows forward by constantly interacting with audiences. Nontraditional theater pushes the boundaries of traditional theater and offers a unique, exciting experience for performers and audiences."

Zhang's work, Miss Julie, a Chinese stage adaptation of August Strindberg's renowned eponymous play, which was published in 1888 and first performed in 1889, has witnessed 36 sold-out shows since it premiered on Nov 17.

The first nontraditional theatrical production by Star Theaters, which is home to five small auditoriums, Miss Julie attracts theatergoers by removing traditional spatial boundaries between performers and the audience.

Zhang, 31, who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, said that when he was approached by Star Theaters to create a show for nontraditional theater, he was intrigued by the idea and decided to adapt Miss Julie, which he read for the first time as a university student.

The production has just three roles: Julie; the Count, who is Julie's father; and Jean, an attractive and educated valet who works for the Count.

The auditorium, which usually seats 200, has been turned into a basement kitchen at Julie's home, with only 60 seats available in different parts of the set.

"Since my student days, I have enjoyed the idea of presenting theatrical productions in spaces other than traditional theaters. It's like a game that I design for audiences," said Zhang, who has created productions in a narrow hutong, or alleyway, in downtown Beijing, and also in a coffee shop and a swimming pool.