World drama and intercultural performance: Western plays on the contemporary Chinese stage

摘要

The circulation of world drama beyond its origin is to a large extent dependent on its intercultural performances, which are often done in unexpected forms for an indefinite body of audiences. In contemporary China, the adaptations and performances of Western plays have played an important role within and without theatre. In those intercultural adaptations, Western plays are translated, appropriated and staged by interweaving Chinese and Western performing cultures. So far, the adaptations of Western plays have brought about transformative effects on both the Western playwrights and Chinese theatre. Compared with the early ones, contemporary adaptations of Western plays have acquired some new characteristics. Firstly, there have appeared some international casts using different languages, as the audiences in the theatre are becoming bilingual or multilingual. Secondly, more and more Western plays are adapted into traditional Chinese theatrical forms, such as jingju, kunju, yueju, chuanju, quju, etc. One of the most obvious differences between traditional Chinese opera and spoken drama is that singing plays the leading role in the former. In some local opera performances, dialects are naturally used. Thirdly, certain individual plays have been frequently adapted and staged in different localities. The adaptations are often closely related to the political and cultural specificities in the local contexts. Despite the complexities in its global circulation and production, world drama gains in the intercultural process of adaptation, staging and viewing.