STA to Hold 2009 UNESCO－ITI Chair APB Drama Schools Theater Expo 06/11/2008

Recently，Shanghai Theatre Academy and the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts have made a detailed plan to co－hold the 2009 UNESCO－ITI Chair Asian－Pacific Bureau Drama Scools Theater Expo from June 7 to 14．It is a decision made in the first conference of headmasters of member schools of UNESCO－ITI Chair Asian－Pacific Bureau in March，2008．From June 7 to 12， 2009， the theatre expo activities will be held in STA．As STA is also planning to hold the Fifth Shanghai International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2009， STA decides to combine these two grand events．

The theatre expo mainly consists of three parts：1）a theatre festival with eight to ten performances 2）three to four classes given by international drama masters 3）theme workshops which is an innovation domestically．

Theme workshops are workshops with given themes．

Theme  1  is  from  a  13th  century  Chinese  play  Story  of  Chalk  Circle   as  well  as  from  Brecht’s  The  Caucasian  Chalk  Circle,  in which a biological mother  and  an  adoptive  mother vie  for  a  child.  Variations  of  the story  can  also  be  found  in  the  Koran  and  the  Bible,  which  proves  its  universality.  Theme  2  is  from  Romeo  and  Juliet,  Story  of  West  Chamber (also  of  13th  century  China)  and  countless  other  plays,  in  which  two  young  persons  fall  in  love  against  the  will  of  an  authority  figure,  be  it  parent, teacher,  or  government.  In  each  case,  the  interpretation  and  setting  of  the  story  line  and  style  of  rendition  are  completely  open.  But  two  conditions  apply: 

1)  Cast  size:  3  performers,  who  can  play  any  number  of  characters;  2)  Time:  no  more  than  30  minutes.

The scale of the 2009 theatre expo surpasses the former four International Experimental Theatre Festivals．Most of the eighteen member schools of the Asian－Pacific Bureau will participate．Besides，professors from the top drama schools of Europe and America such as British Royal Academy of Dramatic Art，Yale School of Drama，Tisch School of the Arts at NYU will attend the expo．

During the theatre expo，internationally influencial drama experts will be invited to hold three to four international drama masters classes．From June 13 to 14，2009，a theatre expo seminar will be held by the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts， which is a member school of the Asian－Pacific Bureau．

Presently STA has sent sincere invitations to all the member scools of UNESCO－ITI Chair Asian－Pacific Bureau．The Organizing Committee is nowing receiving the feedbacks from the member schools．The performances and groups to attend the theatre expo and the theatre festival are expected to be determined at the end of the year．

The theme of the theatre expo is how to add modern multi－cultural elements and promote international cultural and academic exchange while keeping the theatrical tradition of each country．Drama schools in the Asian-Pacific region will cooperate with each other to promote the cultural and educational exchange and also the development of the theatrical arts in the Asian-Pacific region．