HEBEI BANG ZI CHINESE OPERA

director’s foreword
“Traditional Chinese Drama has existed for 800 years; it is based on singing, dialogue, body movements and acrobatic action and it is characterized by stylized acting; its formal style shares many aspects of Greek tragedy. This work combines traditional Greek tragedy, which utilizes chorus, and the performance of the traditional Chinese drama in order to synthesize an interesting artistic creation. I hope that this work can further promote cultural exchange between East and West.

The synthetic form of performance is the first characteristic of the art of Chinese Traditional Opera. The second is its unreality, which is the basic way for this dramatic form to depict life. In dealing with the relationship between art and life, it pursues similarity in spirit but not in appearance. The third characteristic is its stylization, a must-form for the Chinese Traditional Opera to reflect real life and to create a certain distance from real life, thus establishing the unique aesthetic values of Chinese Traditional Opera.

Among the 317 different types of the Chinese Traditional Opera I have chosen the Hebei Bang Zi because it has spread in the northern part of China (Hebei Province) and is a very important type of the Chinese Traditional Opera.

The Hebei Bang Zi Opera is famous for its high pitch, great strength, bold character and fierce excitement, thus being the most suitable for expressing the tragic enthusiasm of Greek tragedy. On an empty stage, bordered only by a black drop, the role of Medea is played by Ms. Peng Hui Heng, who is considered one of the great performing artists in our country. She has already performed in many theatres abroad, among which the Opera House in Rome. “

An introduction to Hebei Clapper Opera

Clapper Opera is a general term for operas from the provinces of Shanxi, Shenxi, Henan, Hebei and Shandong in China.

Hebei clapper opera came into being in the early 19th century and at its most popular, was performed on the same stage with Peking Opera, thus adopting also the repertoire of Peking Opera apart from the more traditional Shanxi and Shenxi Clapper Operas repertoire.

The classification of roles is more or less similar to that of the Peking Opera, only that Hebei Clapper Opera requires the actor to incorporate the art and skill of the role of “jing”, the role symbolizing strength and power in fighting, thinking or scheming, and “sbeng”, the role of scholar, statesman and the like.
 

PRODUCTION DATES
Milan, Italy, Teatro Nazionale
19 – 24 Jabuary 1993
Paris, France, Théâtre du Rond Point
26 – 31 January 1993
Modena, Italy, Teatro Comunale
2 February 1993
San Marino, Teatro Nuova Dogana
3 February 1993
Jesi, Italy, Teatro Pergolesi
4 November 1993
Merida, Spain, Teatro Antiguo, Festival de Teatro Clasico
20 July 2002
Las Palmas, Spain, Festival Teatro y Danza, 23 - 24 July 2002
 

Credits
Images
Index

Home