| Performance
as Mirror
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Performance
reflects cultural, sociopolitical, economic background.
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Such reflection
is not necessarily transparent and straightforward—Hollywood craze
about fantastic musicals during the time of depression.
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Art can
serve as an escape and a distorted and distorting mirror.
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Kunqu
Macbeth vs. Beijing Opera Macbeth
《血手記》vs.《慾望城國》
《血手記》
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Very
Chinese—both thematically and formally
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Formally—drawf
figures, acrobatics, long water sleeves, empty stage, alienation effect
(prologue and epilogue).
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Thematically—the
play eliminates Macbeth's moral responsibility by emphasizing divine
ordain, omen, superstition, ghosts and spirits; there is no positive
Duncan.
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Why is it
so Chinese? What is it trying to say?
《慾望城國》
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Shakespearean
or un-Shakespearean? Chinese or un-Chinese?
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In many
ways Chinese—music, stage, character types, acrobatics, choreography,
etc.
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Thematically—like《血手記》,
the play also justifies Macbeth's regicide by (A) making Duncan look
really stupid and suspicious, and in a way deserves to be killed;
(B) making Lady Macbeth dominate; (C) rationalizing murder of Banquo
(for Lady Macbeth is pregnant), making excuses for Macbeth, beautifying
him.
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Philosophically—like《血手記》,
also making this event part of an ongoing human history—history repeats
itself, all men are greedy and ambitious and stupid, etc.
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It is not
a personal tragedy, but a comedy of human folly.
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Chinese
Macbeths—much smaller than Shakespeare's, lacking his sensitivity,
noble sentiments and profound feelings.
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The play
is also very un-Chinese compared to《血手記》.
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Formally—the
mountain spirit wears no water sleeves or unique costumes. She does
not conform to either Western or Chinese aesthetics (a deliberate
artistic choice, not by necessity).
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What is
going on? How do we explain this phenomenon?
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The Mountain Spirit
Macbeth Chasing
Banquo's Ghost
Macbeth |
Historical
Approach:
Chinese
Opera in Early 20th Century
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Late
Qing—over-population, famine and riots plus corrupted bureaucracy,
bad policy, incompetent regime.
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In addition,
Western and Japanese imperialism, �� humiliating contracts and wars.
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The country
encountered enormous turmoil—politically, socially, economically.
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A desperate
urge for change in every aspect ( reform, revolution).
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Drama-wise,
traditional opera gave place to modern-dress drama, "civilized
drama" (wenming xi).
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1919
May Fourth Movement—new literature, colloquial, addressing contemporary
problems.
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Severe
criticism of old drama by reform-minded young intellectuals.
Criticism
of Traditional Chinese Theatre
胡適
文學乃是人類生活狀態的一種記載。人類生活隨時代變遷，故文學也隨時代變遷，故一代有一代的文學。……一種文學的進化，每經過一個時代，往往帶著前一個時代留下的許多無用的紀念品；這種紀念品，在早先的幼稚時代本來是狠有用的，後來漸漸可以用不著他們了，但是因為人類守舊的惰性，故仍舊保存這些過去時代的紀念品。在社會學上，這種紀念品叫做「遺形物」(Survivals
of Rudiments)。如男子的乳房，形式雖存，作用已失；本可廢去，總沒廢去；故叫做「遺形物」。……所以在中國戲劇進化史上，樂曲一部分本來可以漸漸廢去，但他依舊存留，遂成一種「遺形物」。此外如臉譜，嗓子，台步，武把子，……等等，都是這一類的「遺形物」，早就可以不用了，但相沿下來至今不改。西洋的戲劇在古代也曾經過許多幼稚的階段，如「和歌」(Chorus）面具，「過門」，「背躬」（aside），武場，……等。但這種「遺形物」在西洋久已成了歷史上的古蹟，漸漸的都淘汰完了。這些東西淘汰乾淨，方才有純粹戲劇出世。……再看中國戲臺上，跳過桌子便是跳牆；站在桌子上便是登山；四個跑龍套便是一千人馬；轉兩個彎便是行了幾十里路；翻幾個觔斗，做幾件手勢，便是一場大戰。這種粗笨愚蠢，不真不實，自欺欺人的做作，看了真可使人作嘔！
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Sir
Philip Sidney, A Defence of Poesie
[Gorboduc by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton]
is very defectious in the circumstances, which grieves me, because it
might not remain as an exact model of all Tragedies. For it is faulty
both in place and time, the two necessary Companions of all corporal actions.
For where the Stage should always represent but one place, and the uttermost
time presupposed in it, should bee both by Aristotle's precept, and common
reason, but one day; there is both many days and places, inartificially
imagined. But if it bee so in Gorboduc, how much more in all the rest,
where you shall have Asia of the one side, and Africa of the other, and
so many other under Kingdoms, that the Player when he comes in, must ever
begin with telling where he is, or else the tale will not be conceived.
Now you shall have three Ladies walk to gather flowers, and then we must
believe the stage to be a garden. By and by we hear news of shipwreck
in the same place, then we are too blame if we accept it not for a Rock.
Upon the back of that, comes out a hideous monster with fire and smoke,
and then the miserable beholders are bound to take it for a Cave: while
in the mean time two Armies fly in, represented with four swords &
bucklers, and then what hard hart will not receive it for a pitched field.
Now of time, they are much more liberal. For ordinary it is, that two
young Princes fall in love, after many traverses she is got with childe,
delivered of a faire boy: he is lost, grows a man, falls in love, and
is ready to get another child, and all this is in two hours space. . .
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CPC's Cultural Policy
毛澤東：在我們為中國人民解放的鬥爭中，有各種的戰線，就中也可以說有文武這兩個戰線，這就是文化戰線和軍事戰線。我們要戰勝敵人，首先要依靠手裡拿槍的軍隊。但是僅僅有這種軍隊是不夠的，我們還要有文化的軍隊，這是團結自己、戰勝敵人必不可少的一支軍隊。……我們今天開會，就是要使文藝很好地成為整個革命機器的一個組成部分，作為團結人民、教育人民、打擊敵人、消滅敵人的有力的武器，幫助人民同心同德地和敵人作鬥爭。
……在現在世界上，一切文化或文學藝術都是屬於一定的階級，屬於一定的政治路線的。為藝術的藝術，超階級的藝術，和政治並行或互相獨立的藝術，實際上是不存在的。無產階級的文學藝術是無產階級整個革命事業的一部分，如同列寧所說，是整個革命機器中的「齒輪和螺絲釘」。
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Literature
reform—systematic, institutionalized, supported by theory, truly
practiced (before and after Liberation)
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Cultural
Revolution (1966-1976)—"smashing 4 olds—ideas, culture, customs,
habits"
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Smashing
all old literature and drama—banned most plays, charged and persecuted
many theatrical professionals, destroyed many scripts and costumes
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After 1949,
politically marginalized—one China, not us! Taiwan's identity crisis.
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Refusing
to admit defeat, Taiwan emphasizes authenticity and cultural orthodoxy.
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Ex: careful
preservation of ancient treasure, encouragement of traditional arts,
etc.
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Traditional
opera—sponsored by government.
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Traditional
opera—as traditional as can be, no new plays, no changes allowed,
master-disciple training, convention for convention's sake.
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Richard Schechner, "Intercultural Themes"
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Every culture is constantly
changing. It doesn't make sense to stick to or revive a cultural tradition.
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Cf. Hu Shih's "evolution
theory," but Schechner does not say that culture always evolves
for the better.
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Cultural Zoo—purist, bad
taste, patronizing, unhealthy.
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Zoo—totally unnatural,
freak show (lions no longer hunt but sleep all day, panda reproduced
artificially).
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Intercultural?—not to
learn, but to unlearn prejudices.
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Our intercultural life—Thai
food, American movie, Korean soap opera, Japanese music, French perfume,
Italian bag.
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"Use domestic goods"
is a slogan, and it takes conscious efforts; "use foreign goods"
is only natural!
Culture Theory
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On
the one hand, culture is man-made, by definition unnatural—nothing
sacred in it, only contingent.
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On the
other hand, culture is al-powerful—no escape from it.
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What is
"natural"? Wearing 100% cotton, eating organic food? No!
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Truly natural—wearing
nothing, eating raw meat, sleeping in caves! Also, incest, polygamy,
maybe cannibalism too!
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Whether
you like it or not, there is no going back—de-culturation is a myth.
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Universal,
permanent art?—heavenly music? (Mao says no)
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Transcultural
humanity?—maternal love? (Mao says no)
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One world
culture—MacDonald's, Disneyland, Hollywood.
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Capitalist
West mainstream kills minorities (power relation, hierarchy, struggle).
Intercultural
Conscious
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What are
they doing?—Brecht, Artaud, Barba, Brook, Schechner
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Orientalism—forging
differences, imposing meaning on the differences, mystifying the differences.
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Ex: blacks
(or Taiwan indigenous) are good at singing, dancing, sports—because
they are not good enough to study law, medicine, business, etc. ��
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Condescending,
patronizing, cultural racist, neo-colonialist.
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Distorted,
unhealthy, fragmented, misunderstood.
- What are we doing?
- Liao Qiongzhi's training—you
have to walk 2 (not 3) steps and turn right (not left), raising (not
dropping) your hand, pointing your fingers (not holding a fist). . .
.
- What for?
- Wu Hsing-kuo's innovation—you
drop the tune of Peking opera, put on totally untraditional costume,
using Western materials from Greek tragedy to Shakespeare. . . .
- What for?
- What is good? What is our
future? Where are we going?
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