Workshops by Hong Kong Academy of Performing 09/06/2009

At 9:30 on the morning of June 8, 2009, the workshops by Hong Kong

Academy of Performing Arts and China National Academy of Chinese

Theatre Arts was held at the east rehearsal hall in the Red Building.

Sun Huizhu, Director of UNESCO Chair ITI Asian-Pacific Bureau and Vice

President of STA, Prof. Ba Tu, Vice President of China National Academy

of Chinese Theatre Arts and representatives from Hong Kong, New Zealand

and India watched the performance. As a part of this theatre expo,

workshops aim to enhance the communication between drama schools on

their teaching and training of acting and promote the development of

theatre arts. The performance brought by Hong Kong Academy of

Performing Arts aroused the interest of the audience for its form of

performing and creating. The Peking opera performance “Romance of West

Chamber” by China National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts received

acclaim from the audience. Many of them asked questions about the

performance. Mr. Zhang from China National Academy of Chinese Theatre

Arts answered the questions in details. He first introduced the

features of teaching in China National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts

and explained the unique characteristics of Peking opera.

“Romance of West Chamber” is a well-known classic of traditional

Chinese theatre. It tells the love story of Zhang Junrui, a young

scholar and Cui Yingying, the daughter of a chief minister. Without

parental approval, they fight for the freedom of marriage and finally

married. The performance which was shortened to thirty minutes was

itself an innovation of the original version.

According to Mr. Zhang, the average age of the students in the

performance is 20. Most of them started learning Peking opera when they

were 10.

The workshop by Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts

The workshop by China National Academy of Chinese Theatre Artsa