Theatre in Market Economies

Abstract

mentally changed the internal logic, characterization, and role category configuration of the plays. Genre management along the traditional/modern divide, with hybridization (in ganju’s [Jiangxi opera] case) and purification (in huju’s [Shanghai opera] and Cantonese opera’s cases) as the two main strategies, arbitrarily yet fundamentally changed the genres’ foundational repertoire, performance practices, and stage dramaturgy. The decentralization of the performer in theatre creation – the format of creative method – detached regional genres closely associated with popular entertainment (such as pingju [Ping opera]) from its folk roots and eventually diminished theatre of scenario forms (such as huocixi [‘live-line’ drama] troupes in Tianjin and tongsu huaju [popular spoken drama] in Shanghai). Last but not least, the transformation of star-centered troupes to stateowned companies – a formal change in xiqu’s ecosystem – directly led to its separation from market forces and a shift in their function from professional entertainment to bureaucratic organs prioritizing state, diplomatic, and military entertainment missions. A text-based approach has largely continued to dominate theatre studies and theatre history studies, giving priority to scripts, theories, and the researcher’s interpretation of scripts and theories. This is evidenced in the current Chinese theatre history and historiography. Transforming Tradition offers an excellent example of how a study of theatre history can include examinations of both textual products and the practitioner’s voice and body, and how such appraisals can effectively enhance each other. Through detailed performance analysis of song, speech, body language and their interactions with musical accompaniment – in a variety of audio and visual sources – Liu helps the reader gain insights into how a subtle change in vocal registration can help reveal a character’s internal world, how a master performer uses facial expressions and hand gestures to convey the hidden meaning of her lyrics, and how a comparison and contrasting of different versions of stage practices can illustrate the process of transformation during the xiqu reform. As we follow Liu’s meticulous descriptions and analyses of the practitioners’ voices and body languages, we learn not only what to watch and how to listen, but also the aesthetics and joy of appreciating xiqu. Transforming Tradition is a must-read for educators, researchers, students, and general readers who are interested in Chinese theatre history, Chinese cultural studies, theatre historiography, and the interplay between art and politics.