กก
Art Q&A > Modern > links
Advanced Search
E-Mail This Article Print Friendly Format
General introduction

General introduction

The Little Theater Movement is a movement that began around the turn of last century in Europe and which spread throughout the world, even to this day. "Little theater" refers to more intimate, community-oriented theater as opposed to the large, more commercially oriented fare of establishments such as Broadway. The plays of this movement are experimental and often avant-garde in nature.

For historical reasons, the Little Theater Movement did not hit China until 1982, which saw the opening of the play Absolute Signal, directed jointly by Gao Xingjian and Liu Huiyuan. Performed in an original way, the play attracted much attention within the theater circle.

In April 1989, during the First Chinese Little Theater Drama Festival held in Nanjing of East China's Jiangsu Province, a total 15 plays were performed, including Absolute Signal, You Should Not Bully Children and Old Men, Owl in the House, God of Fire, and Girl of Autumn. A discussion was also held over the aesthetic features and meaning of little theater drama. This festival had great significance in the Chinese drama scene, as it represented the drama artists' hard fight for the survival of Chinese drama.

In 1993, the Chinese Academy of Art and Society for the Research of Modern Chinese Drama jointly hosted the "1993 Chinese Little Theater Drama Exhibition" and the "International Academic Symposium" in Beijing. Plays staged during the event included An Exercise of Feeling A Lady at Home, Soul-Chilling Terror and A Phone Call Across the Pacific Ocean. Via the event, the academy promoted the development and research of the Little Theater Movement in China.

This year marks the 23rd year of the Chinese Little Theater Movement. During these 23 years, little theater has swept over China's modern drama scene. Especially in 1995, after the finish of the mini-theater in the Beijing People's Art Theater, the little theater developed energetically, and even greatly influenced the mainstream culture.

Presently, some worry the current little theater is too humorous and has stopped pursuing high artistic values for the sake of mere public entertainment. However, based on the high booking rate in some big cities, the little theater has already performed and continues to perform an important role in China's modern drama market.

Author: Ivana

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.