"www.com," an English-language drama produced by Chinese artists on
stage at Shanghai Drama Arts Center through January 26, has aroused
heated discussion about this brand new genre.
Is
there a big enough audience for a play performed by Chinese, but in
English? Can native English speakers understand it?
"I
think it is quite weird for non-native speakers to act in English,"
said Li Jian, a senior student of Shanghai International Studies
University.
Some theatre lovers believe the market for English drama has not
yet matured.
But others hold that acting is not confined to a single language
and regard the subject of "www.com" as universal, as it depicts
love over the Internet.
Its director and producer are confident about its market
potential.
"www.com" was originally written, under the same title, in Chinese
by Yu Rongjun, a playwright at the center. The Chinese version of
the play premiered in 2000 and ran for 42 performances straight,
returning unprecedented box office earnings. In 2001, after another
eight shows in both Shanghai and Beijing, the play won the National
Dramatic Cao Yu Award, the top award for drama in China.
"The play discusses the relations between love, marriage and
communications, aiming to reveal the loneliness of people in modern
society," said Yu Rongjun.
Zhu Dakun, producer of the play, said: "The subject deals with the
issues almost every person faces in a fast-changing world.
Therefore, it can appeal to audiences from other parts of the
world."
Annouk Ruffo Leduc, public diplomacy officer of the Canadian
Consulate-general in Shanghai, said: "The subject is relevant to
urban life, just like life in Canada."
Keith Andony, a Canadian freelance writer in Shanghai, thinks the
play is close to the reality of contemporary China, letting
foreigners know what is actually happening in the country.
"The play is a brave attempt to change the impression left by Zhang
Yimou's films like 'Raise the Red Lantern' and 'Hero' in our mind,"
he said.
Market Potential
Zhu believes the market for English dramas is maturing.
He
said audiences first became aware of English drama when Othello was
staged in 1997.
Since then, a series of good quality English dramas like "Red
Shoes," "Merchant of Venice" and "Three Dark Tales" have won over a
large number of young fans.
"The number of English drama fans is growing. Over 90 per cent of
the seats were occupied when these English plays were staged," Zhu
added.
David W. Jiang, director of the English version of "www.com" and
the dean of drama at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts,
thought the local Shanghai audience was even more enthusiastic
about English drama than Hong Kong and Taiwan audiences.
"Though people's average English skills in Hong Kong and Taiwan may
be better than those of Shanghai, the audiences in these two places
are mainly enclosed in small expatriate and English-speaking
communities," said Jiang.
Besides, Jiang's previous success in directing the English version
of Dario Fo's "An Ordinary Day," which was staged at the Shanghai
Drama Arts Centre in 2002, also strengthened Jiang's
confidence.
There were 13 performances of "An Ordinary Day" in total, and five
of them were presented in English.
Jiang said: "The reaction of the audience was positive during our
discussions with them after the show. Many of them went to see the
English version after they saw the Chinese one."
The audience for English drama in Shanghai usually includes
expatriates, university students, and clerks with foreign-funded
companies, Jiang noted.
Language Barriers
In
spite of their confidence in the market, Zhu and Jiang still
encountered great challenges in the production process.
Unlike "An Ordinary Day," which featured American actress Charlotte
MacInnis, "www.com" was to use all Chinese actors and
actresses.
"Our biggest problem was to find the right people to cast in the
roles," Zhu said. "They should not only be able to act but have a
good command of English."
After searching for months, Jiang decided to invite Tamara Guo, who
was born in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region but grew
up and was educated in Australia, to play the wife, who has the
biggest speaking part.
Jiang thought Guo would be competent at both spoken English and
acting because she had won numerous awards for her singing and
acting and been cast in leading roles in Broadway musicals.
However, it was the first time Guo had been cast in an English
drama.
"I
used to spend at least two months for one rehearsal," Guo said.
"For this play, we only had one month. But we worked intensively
every day. To be the first makes me feel great, and I work even
harder."
TV
anchor Liu Bing from Life Channel of Shanghai Television Station
and TV hostess You Jia from "New Shanghai Holiday," a Shanghai
Broadcasting Network programme, will play the husband and the
mistress respectively.
Zhu said: "The reason we chose them is because they both have
acting experience, they often host English TV programmes, and they
are very popular with the audience."
Experienced actor Fu Chong will take the role of the
Chinese-American.
Two language tutors, one from the United States and the other from
Canada, were invited to improve the actors' pronunciation.
Their performance was thought to be convincing. Canadian Leduc
thought the actors and actresses spoke English smoothly and would
touch the audience with their words.
However, many jokes and some popular excerpts from the Internet
which appear in the original Chinese version cannot be translated
into English.
Jiang said, "A change of style is inevitable. The Chinese version
is funnier, while the English version is more subtle in describing
emotions."
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Drama Company is presenting the play's
Cantonese version. A Japanese version of the play has also been
published in Japan. And a Canadian theatrical company is also
planning to produce an English version.
"All the facts indicate the play touches the hearts of people who
are living in different places," said Zhu.
(China Daily January 22, 2003)