At the beginning of last year 1 1, Guangdong Cantonese Opera Academy participated in the Shanghai International Theatre Festival with the modern Cantonese opera "The Wind and Cloud in the Mountain Country", and organized a seminar after the performance. A group of famous dramatists in Shanghai attended, and Mr. Luo Huaizhen was the first to speak. He first praised the play as a successful and excellent play, and then said a very intriguing sentence: "However, The Wind and Cloud of the Mountain Country was written more than 40 years ago after all, and I hope that Guangdong Cantonese Opera will bring us more surprises when it comes to Shanghai next time ..." If the stills of Cantonese Opera performances allow us to laugh at ourselves, I think we can be a little more bitter about it. Shame, for more than 40 years, there are only a few Cantonese operas that can be a facade. Luo Huaizhen's bang was really shocking. But this is a fact that many of us don't even want to face! It is an indisputable fact that Cantonese opera needs saving. However, what can I do to save you? First, have we tried? Since the mid-to-late 1980s, the argument of Cantonese opera crisis has been endless, and the situation of Cantonese opera audience fault and talent withering has repeatedly become a topic of concern to adults. But today, after all, there is still an audience. In terms of quantity, it is actually not much different. The main reasons are as follows: First, the sustained economic growth in China has brought about an increase in people's demand for cultural life. Secondly, the objective regularity between the development of Cantonese opera itself and the natural circulation of the audience plays a regulatory role. Third, for decades, people's governments at all levels and Cantonese opera workers have made various efforts to revitalize Cantonese opera. The first two can be said to be objective reasons, and the third is our subjective motivation to promote the development of Cantonese opera. These efforts should be said to be quite effective. First of all, it is reflected in the training of Cantonese opera actors, and a group of outstanding young actors stand out. They have beautiful images, good voices and great kung fu! They are all very good young people who can do everything independently. For example, Wen Wusheng, Ou, Peng Qinghua, Huang, Liang Zhaoming,,,, Xia Qiong, Zeng, Li Shuqin and Cui Yumei are in Hua Dan. What is more gratifying is that behind them, a group of new forces are rising and growing sturdily. Through their stage performances, it is easy to find their potential and broad development prospects. Secondly, under the background of developing market economy, as various artistic undertakings in the cultural field, the gap between art and the public is gradually reduced or even eliminated, seeking the integration with the psychological needs of the public culture and marketization. The development of Cantonese opera market and the research of audience psychology are paid more and more attention by Cantonese opera performance groups. A series of commercial marketing models, such as marketing planning, publicity, packaging and promotion, have been widely used in the cultural field, and have been continuously improved in combination with their own characteristics. For example, in recent years, artists and leaders of major art groups are trying to find the development and expression of Cantonese opera. The animated film Princess Tiaoman, led by Cantonese opera artist Xian Nihong, is of extraordinary exploration value for opening up the spread space of Cantonese opera and expanding the audience level of Cantonese opera. The successful rehearsal of Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe's beautiful Cantonese opera "Flower Moon Shadow" and the activities of college students entering the theater for one yuan all reflect the efforts of Cantonese Opera groups to win audiences and expand the market. The modern Cantonese opera "Wedding on the Execution Ground" staged by Guangzhou Hongdu Cantonese Opera Troupe has made an excellent answer in excavating the local theme of Cantonese opera. The success of their dramas, such as Loyalty and Righteousness, Ding's Princess Huanzhu by Zhanjiang Cantonese Opera Troupe, and Zhong Kui's Married Sister by Zhaoqing Cantonese Opera Troupe, also reflects everyone's attention to traditional operas and their aesthetic pursuit of trying to combine tradition with the times. According to incomplete statistics, in the past decade, major theatrical troupes have created and restored more than 100 traditional plays. These dramas have different themes and styles, and * * * is a colorful cloud of hope for the prosperity of Cantonese opera. In addition, local governments' support and investment in culture has increased year by year. Revitalizing the cultural industry has always been the economic growth point advocated by the central and local governments at all levels, so the investment of governments at all levels in culture is also increasing year by year. Reflected in the support of Cantonese opera, the most obvious is the increase of large-scale production in various places. In the past ten years, the repertoires that have invested millions of yuan in creation include: Flag of Camel Brother by Shenzhen Cantonese Opera Troupe, Flower Moon Shadow by Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe, Sanjiaxiang, Wedding on the Execution Ground by Guangzhou Hongdu Cantonese Opera Troupe, Butterfly Princess by Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe, Little Weekend, Princess Qingqing by Guangdong Cantonese Opera Troupe, Dongpo and Chaoyun, and so on. Many of these large-scale productions have played a positive role in improving the artistic taste of Cantonese opera, enriching its means of expression and expanding its influence. It is true that we can also cite the fact that many parties have spared no effort for the development of Cantonese opera, such as the enthusiastic attention of all sectors of society, the various investments of provincial and municipal Cantonese opera foundations, the strong support of many well-known enterprises and entrepreneurs, and the full cooperation of mainstream media. The combined efforts of the above forces have indeed played a positive role in promoting and stimulating the development of Cantonese opera. However, behind the prosperity, some bubble spaces full of imagination are gradually forming. Forces from all walks of life are like doctors with different qualities. Both of them are taking the pulse of Cantonese opera, enthusiastically offering their own secret recipes and bravely participating in the rescue process. However, without an absolutely authoritative leader to command all prescriptions, the more prescriptions, the more difficult it is to reconcile, and the result can be imagined. Second, have we tried our best? Due to the limitation of subjective and objective factors, "doctor" is like a blind man touching an image and peeping at a leopard in a tube, and it is inevitable to generalize. From the perspective of personal preference, from the perspective of realizing the interests of individuals or small groups, the so-called reform phenomenon also exists for a long time. The lack of comprehensive research on the current situation of Cantonese opera means the lack of unified understanding, long-term planning, rational deployment and scientific scheduling of the development of Cantonese opera. Therefore, the resulting contradiction is inevitable. For example, the imbalance in the development of Cantonese opera artistic talents is very obvious. As mentioned above, a group of young actors in Cantonese opera have taken over the burden, getting better and better, but only limited to actors. As a comprehensive art, the talents we need should also be comprehensive, not just limited to actors. Screenplay, director, music and dance beauty ... are all indispensable complexes for creating stage art, but at present, our talents in these areas are really pitiful, and some positions have even been completely broken (such as screenplay). Other aspects, such as director, music, dance beauty, etc. Are rare, truly creative and recognized by the audience. Some leaders are eager for success, lack of consideration for the actual ability of the parties, and boldly use young people as directors, music designers and dance designers, but often encouraging others can only lead to a ridiculous ending. The connotation of drama, the language of music and the laws of art cannot be mastered overnight, let alone copied and pasted by the will of the Chief Executive. On the other hand, the development of a large number of Cantonese opera actors who can be regarded as newcomers is obviously unbalanced, mainly in their careers. For a long time, a student-centered performance system has been formed, which makes opera lovers flock to industries such as Wen Wusheng and Hua Dan, while other industries such as Wu Sheng, Hualien, Ugly Students, Lao Dan and Wu Dan are left out in the cold because of their limited outlets. In fact, these problems have become commonplace. Many predecessors not only pointed out its disadvantages, but even gave prescriptions. Unfortunately, they have not received fundamental attention, let alone a thorough solution. For another example, the drawbacks of the troupe system and the various contradictions caused by the influence of the social environment affect all aspects of artistic production and restrict the development of Cantonese opera. I don't know when it started, and the phenomenon of "worrying about art becomes a scholar" began to become common. Although this phenomenon has been criticized and questioned for a long time, it has not stopped and is getting worse. At present, the leaders of major Cantonese opera performance groups in the province are almost all Wen Wusheng or Hua Dan. Although there are many reasons for this phenomenon, its disadvantages are also obvious. First of all, human energy is limited after all. How can they have it both ways? Even if you don't want to, it's easy to get tired, and one carelessness will lead to thankless results. Secondly, the manager and the managed are always a pair of contradictory combinations, and some practical problems are always unavoidable for leaders. If it is not handled well, it will inevitably affect the cooperation on the stage and reduce the artistry. Third, only the stage is the place where the dramatist's life blooms. Whether it is humanistic value or historical value, administrative cadres and artists can never be equated. Once, a troupe was rehearsing a new play. As the leader of the troupe, young Hua Dan forced the actors in the opposite play to speak quickly and sing quickly, regardless of the sad atmosphere of the plot, in order to let the opponents leave the stage quickly and make room for their performances. Such a serious violation of artistic laws is not uncommon in professional groups. This situation often ends with the weak succumbing to the strong, but if you meet an actor with strong artistic personality, the conflict becomes inevitable. Because of poor management, the comprehensive performances of some professional troupes are full of mistakes and omissions, which is terrible. There are also some well-known professionals who, driven by interests, even left the troupe to get out of the hole, ignoring the normal artistic production of the troupe. Some troupe leaders know that the quality of art will be discounted, but they are willing to be crony in important artistic posts when creating plays ... Another common problem is that they can't hear real drama criticism. In recent years, the aphasia of drama criticism has become more and more serious. Regardless of the quality of the new play, it is always full of praise in public. However, many Cantonese opera workers only know that critics' words are sometimes ugly, but seldom understand that real critics should also be one of the creators. Drama creation without criticism is incomplete, and successful artists rarely refuse art critics. Without criticism, it is more difficult to curb the liberalization and randomness in Cantonese opera creation. As a result, we have heard a lot of incredible reform arguments and seen a lot of ways to change against common sense-a music designer designed the whole drama music according to the script copy and asked the crew to rehearse-putting the cart before the horse. In arranging plays, the troupe requires actors to abandon their programs and learn the way of drama performance to perform freely ―― giving up the essentials. One director even said, "No matter what the play is like, give him whatever the audience likes"? ..... As the saying goes, art cannot rely on luck. But today, some of our artists are keen on luck, even at the expense of creating, spreading and breeding luck. Power and a little knowledge rape the laws of science and art; Ignorance and fearlessness become raw materials for cheap "artists"; Some award-winning projects have been deformed and evolved into successful catalysts. In fact, behind all kinds of appearances, there are many complicated and profound problems. We may need to do more than just think deeply. Third, Cantonese opera, where to go? When Korean declared the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List to UNESCO on Dragon Boat Festival, China people exclaimed: We have been eating Dragon Boat Festival Zongzi for thousands of years. Why should South Korea argue with us? However, the protest was ineffective, and South Korea successfully acquired this world intangible cultural heritage. Just like men and women in love, they always feel precious after breaking up, and they always know how to cherish it after losing it. What's left but regret? However, the Dragon Boat Festival in Korea is somewhat different from ours after all, and in all fairness, it is also a traditional festival, and people really do better than us. Fortunately, we still have it! For example, our traditional opera, our Cantonese opera. This is the classic existence of human drama, which belongs to all mankind, but the producer is only us, and it can only be us! This is our values. In various programs of traditional Chinese opera, there are thousands of customs in terms of hands, eyes, body, methods and steps. China is everywhere on the stage, with life, Dan, purity, ugliness, various genres and enduring rhyme. Once upon a time, the beauty of China's operas made generations of actors willing to shed tears for it-wyndell dichinson, and made many rich, poor, virtuous and foolish people clap their hands and admire it. Stanislavski, the father of Soviet modern drama, was impressed by it, and Brecht, the originator of German performance drama, was also inexplicably amazing. Chinese and foreign dramatists have made numerous incisive expositions on the aesthetic value of China's traditional operas, so I won't repeat them here. Therefore, we should not sell ourselves short, but really study our traditions and keep all valuable traditions. This may be called "old school", but some of our traditional things are "old" and must be preserved. Only by maintaining the "old" nature can we maintain ourselves and not be assimilated or alienated. Culture and art, like nature, are characterized by the "law of the jungle". Historically, it is very common for different regions and different kinds of cultures to merge with each other, and there are countless examples of weak cultures being merged with strong cultures. However, as an aesthetic activity, the interaction between the aesthetic subject and the object of drama makes it impossible for us to ignore the needs of the audience and the requirements of the times. Under the background of the "village" of the earth and the trend of increasingly diversified artistic demand in the world, people's aesthetic mode, aesthetic psychology and aesthetic rhythm are changing. If we only rely on mechanical conservatism, Cantonese opera will be submerged by the tide of world popular culture sooner or later. Therefore, we also need to seek development, but the relationship between inheritance and development must be clear, and development can only be discussed after inheritance. This is a simple truth. Many predecessors of Cantonese Opera, such as Xue Juexian, Ma Shiceng and Xian Nvhong. , scientifically expounded this dialectical relationship, and used it to guide their creative practice. For example, they boldly draw lessons from the elements of western drama, learn from the story structure and expression techniques of modern drama and movies, and carry out a series of innovative reforms on traditional art. , have made brilliant artistic achievements, attracted worldwide attention. They have become a generation of pioneers and are really role models for our future generations. They take Cantonese opera as the blueprint and look around the world. Although they used many ways to enrich the means of expression of this kind of drama, they did not rebel and subvert the tradition. The audience felt much better after watching their drama, but they all admitted that it was Cantonese opera. This is because they have properly grasped the relationship between "beginning" and "end". Someone once lamented: In the past, no matter where we performed or what we performed, the audience was packed. But today, there are sometimes more people on the stage than on the stage. It is said that in such a big city as Guangzhou, there are only a few thousand real hardcore Cantonese opera fans. I don't want to study the exact meaning of "real die-hard opera fans" here, but I believe this figure may not be accurate, because the audience who didn't go to the theatre may not be "die-hard". You know, when we think about the reasons why the audience didn't come, the audience is also thinking about the reasons for going. A movie fan once said, "It's not that I don't want to go to the cinema, but what can you show me when I get to the cinema?" As the saying goes: amateurs watch the excitement, while experts watch the doorway. I prefer to believe that those who can "watch the doorway" are the real hardcore opera fans. See what? This is a topic worth discussing. Like other art appreciation, drama aesthetics is also a complex psychological behavior. When the audience enters the theater, they always hope to get a beautiful enjoyment. A drama that lacks aesthetic value is naturally difficult to arouse the interest of the audience. Even if everyone joins in and is bombarded by huge advertisements, it will inevitably be bleak and embarrassing in the end. In the field of art, I prefer to believe the old saying that success is natural! Success is natural, which shows that art needs a process of hard training and hard improvement. Only by grasping the essence of life and gaining insight into human nature can we generalize it in artistic language and have the conditions for artistic creation. Only by relying on real skills can we really solve the problem of "what to see" based on the stage, instead of subjectively thinking that as long as I stand on the stage, I am art, and artists can always conquer the audience by special means. Some people say that audiences in non-Cantonese areas have obstacles and limitations in enjoying Cantonese opera because of language reasons. This is not completely unreasonable, but in fact, in today's advanced technology, language has not become an obstacle to drama appreciation. American pop music superstar Michael? Jackson and Italian tenor Pavarotti both sing their mother tongues, but how many people around the world are fascinated by them? When we watch Hollywood blockbusters today, aren't there many people who don't want to watch the translated version, but prefer to watch subtitles and listen to the original sound? 1957 When Sinuhong's songs ripple in the Kremlin, how many conquered listeners will listen to Cantonese? Real art can cross the boundaries of time and space. Again, work will come naturally. A painting, a poem, a cross talk, a dance, and even a handwritten word, after deep processing by the artist, will often cause us an artistic sound. What's more, our opera is a synthesis of various arts? The charm of traditional Chinese opera art is endless. Even a simple "T-step" actually contains a very rich aesthetic connotation, but we are used to ignoring it.