The 4th Annual Chinese University Student Drama Festival kicked off in Beijing Friday on August 6. This year's event is the biggest one so far, and over the course of 20 days, nearly 50 college drama performances from 21 Chinese provinces and regions are being staged. The majority of performances will be held in Beijing, with some repeat performances in Shanghai and Guangzhou after the festival. The festival has become more and more popular in recent years, and China's Central Drama Academy and the Shanghai Drama Academy are participating, as well as colleges from Hong Kong and Macao. In addition, ordinary Beijingers are being encouraged to attend some practical lessons on drama and theater along with the student performers.

Initiated by several drama enthusiasts who were eager to popularize dramatic arts on college campuses, the nonprofit activity has now evolved into a great event for campus drama across the country with more and more colleges involved. And for the first time, it is being supported by the government and is co-sponsored by the China Dramatists Association and the Beijing Dramatists Association. Let's follow Manli to take a look.

As an independent and unique drama form that has been developing side by side with the professional drama industry, today's campus drama may still be a small coterie around campus and the social effect of its performances are far less well known than the commercialized professional ones. However, campus performances are as exciting as ever.

University students in general are the most thoughtful and intellectually adventurous group in society, and most likely to think critically about the pressing social questions of the day. And campus drama is increasingly proving one of the most popular platforms for them. The festival is also encouraging student groups around the country as more groups from various provinces become involved.

In general, the students who join campus drama troupes are devoted young people, even if few hope to perform professionally in the future. Yan Juan, an extrovert young girl from Beijing's Institute of Technology, was the former leader of the school's drama society.

"The dramas we do are what we really like since we don't have to worry about the box office. We used to rehearse in a shabby open space in our university. It was tough, but we never cared. Actually everyone in our team really enjoyed being able to act together."

Originality is one of the obvious traits of the festival. This year, the original drama 'Big Dream' created by Beijing Foreign Studies University has been widely praised. It's a fragmented and abstract piece; several people get lost in a dream and fight for their lives and then to protect their country.

The playwright Chen Jianming, was a member of the drama troupe of Beijing Foreign Languages University until he graduated recently, and says his play questions the role of idealism in modern society.

"Actually what I want to discuss here is whether human beings can afford to have an ideal in today's society, especially when the ideal is not really realistic. Should we stick to these ideals?"

In the dream, the actors are transported to ‘Greece', where they fight to save the country from unclear threats.

"In today's society, many compelling forces keep influencing us, and usually they are so strong that we can do nothing but passively accept them. In short, when our ideal contradicts this reality, we are hardly able to confront them, but as long as we bear the dream in mind, there is hope."

While some theatergoers have criticized some of the amateurish acting of campus drama, a rising group of young talent is gaining a reputation for heartfelt experiment. For many young theatergoers, the young actor Gu Lei is a hero. His work as an actor and theater director has earned him a good reputation in Beijing's drama circles. Still a postgraduate student, Gu Lei's passion about drama is immediately apparent.

"I think drama performances should be natural, and actors shouldn't always remind themselves that they're playing someone else's story on stage, as drama is a truthful and spiritual exchange between the performers and the audiences. Drama can give us so many things, first, it tells truth, and criticizes social issues, and at the same time, it criticizes audiences themselves, as they make up society."

With the increasing commercialization of art in China, performances are usually accompanied by large publicity budgets and expensive sets. But some say the inner quality of drama is suffering. While the box office may be a reasonable way to judge the commercial success of a performance, audiences pay the price for productions which are short on artistic talent.

It seems that college dramas are bringing fresh vigor and hope to the drama industry. As the proprietor of China's first private theater, Beijing N-theater, Yuan Hong says he has big hopes for the future of university drama in China.

"I've been watching campus drama over the past years, and have been deeply moved by the natural and original artistic spirit it possesses. And I'm hopeful that campus drama can do well if it carries on undertaking hard work." 

(CRI.com August 10, 2004)