Tiny theater’s big meaning 小劇場(chǎng)大意義

Stage drama, especially small-scale theater, seems for many to be an esoteric art not everyone can immediately appreciate. However, Hong Kong stage director Edward Lam says learning to love the art form isn’t as hard as it seems.

對(duì)許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，舞臺(tái)劇，尤其是小劇場(chǎng)屬于深?yuàn)W的小眾藝術(shù)，并不是每個(gè)人都能欣賞。然而，香港舞臺(tái)劇導(dǎo)演林奕華認(rèn)為，要愛(ài)上這種藝術(shù)形式，并沒(méi)有想象的那么難。

“Good drama doesn’t directly tell you what it is and offer answers. Instead, it leads you to find out your own answers,” he said.

他說(shuō)：“一部好劇不會(huì)直接告訴你它講了什么，然后給出答案。相反，它會(huì)引導(dǎo)你自己去尋找答案。”

The 2015 Cross-Straits Little Theater Festival, running from April 25 to May 17 in Beijing, brings together 10 stage dramas from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, including Lam’s “Two Men”. It introduces audiences to the charm of small theater, and offers space for lectures from mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwanese theater directors.

2015兩岸小劇場(chǎng)藝術(shù)節(jié)于4月25日至5月17日期間在北京各劇場(chǎng)上演，精選了來(lái)自中國(guó)大陸、臺(tái)灣和香港的10部舞臺(tái)劇，包括林奕華導(dǎo)演的《兩男關(guān)系》。藝術(shù)節(jié)為觀眾介紹了小劇場(chǎng)的魅力，大陸、香港和臺(tái)灣舞臺(tái)劇的導(dǎo)演也借此做了相關(guān)講座。

Originating in Europe in the 19th century, small theater (called Fringe theater or Off-Off Broadway theater in the West) is performed in a tiny space, like an underground garage. The movement came to China in the 1980s, and it’s since become synonymous with experimental theater.

小劇場(chǎng)(西方稱(chēng)為實(shí)驗(yàn)性質(zhì)劇場(chǎng)或者外百老匯劇場(chǎng))起源于19世紀(jì)的歐洲，舉辦場(chǎng)所為面積狹小的空間，比如地下車(chē)庫(kù)。小劇場(chǎng)運(yùn)動(dòng)于二十世紀(jì)八十年傳入中國(guó)，并從那時(shí)起成為實(shí)驗(yàn)劇場(chǎng)的代名詞。

Ren Ming, head of Beijing People’s Art Theatre describes small-scale theater as a “dream studio”. “It offers a platform to showcase directors’ spirit of innovation and exploration. Many experimental dramas occur in these venues. To really know Chinese stage drama, you have to also appreciate small-scale theater,” he told Chinaculture.org.

北京人民藝術(shù)劇院院長(zhǎng)任鳴將小劇場(chǎng)描述為“夢(mèng)工廠(chǎng)”。他對(duì) Chinaculture.org表示，“它為導(dǎo)演提供了展示創(chuàng)新和探索精神的舞臺(tái)。許多實(shí)驗(yàn)劇場(chǎng)都在這樣的場(chǎng)館舉行。若想真正了解中國(guó)的舞臺(tái)劇，就不能不看小劇場(chǎng)。”

Small theater is gaining popularity among college students as well.

小劇場(chǎng)也正越來(lái)越受大學(xué)生的歡迎。

For example, this year’s Beijing college student small theater festival, held in January, received more than 100 entries produced entirely by students, China News Service reported. Ten of the entries won awards and toured universities in Beijing, attracting more than 10,000 viewers. Similar theater festivals have also been held in other cities including Jinan and Guangzhou in recent years.

比如說(shuō)，據(jù)中新社報(bào)道，今年一月份舉辦的北京大學(xué)生小劇場(chǎng)戲劇節(jié)，完全由學(xué)生參與制作的入圍劇目有100多部。其中有10部獲獎(jiǎng)，并在北京高校進(jìn)行了巡演，演出吸引了1萬(wàn)多名觀眾。近年來(lái)，其它城市如濟(jì)南和廣州也舉辦了類(lèi)似的戲劇節(jié)。

What prerequisites must be met in order to appreciate this form of art? Lam says not to worry.

要欣賞這種形式的藝術(shù)需要滿(mǎn)足什么前提條件么?林奕華告訴我們不用擔(dān)心這個(gè)問(wèn)題。

“The only question is whether you are willing to admit the issue that the drama addresses is relevant to you,” he said.

他說(shuō)：“唯一的問(wèn)題就是你是否愿意承認(rèn)，舞臺(tái)劇中講述的問(wèn)題是與你息息相關(guān)的。”

He compares watching a stage drama to appreciating an abstract painting. At first glance, you may feel confused about the image and the meaning. But after you do enough research about the painter’s life experiences and cultural background, you will get some understanding.

他將看舞臺(tái)劇比喻成欣賞抽象畫(huà)。第一眼你可能會(huì)對(duì)畫(huà)作及其要表達(dá)的意思感到困惑。但是，當(dāng)你對(duì)畫(huà)家的人生履歷及文化背景做出一定的研究后，就會(huì)多一些理解。

“Art, no matter what form it takes, always reflects humanity,” he said. “It reflects humans’ desires, hopes and other internal needs.” And that’s something it doesn’t take much effort to grasp at all.

“藝術(shù)，無(wú)論是什么形式的藝術(shù)，都是表達(dá)人性的，”他說(shuō)，“它傳達(dá)了人類(lèi)的欲望、希望和其它內(nèi)在需求。”而這些東西是你不需要花功夫就能領(lǐng)悟的。