In the land of imagination, cherries give life
Small theater companies in Beijing have had to think outside the box and outside their venues to get by in the days of COVID-19, Chen Nan reports.
Like many people he has suffered the pangs of theater deprivation in recent months. To alleviate the pain he has initiated a script reading group on social media platforms, calling for theater lovers to get together online to share their favorite scripts.
For Li Yangduo, COVID-19 has given her a chance to think deeply about the theater and what it will do when the pandemic is finally behind us.
The determination that helped her in her earlier successes is still evident, and she is intent on ensuring that the theater does much more than just survive. This month she plans to recruit actors and put together a troupe of actors, and the online programs necessitated by current circumstances will become a regular fixture as a way of attracting more people to the theater.
On May 13 an online streaming script-reading event will be held at the theater. In the absence of physically present audiences, actors will perform The Goat, by the Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Albee.
Li Yangduo is also considering collaborating with more companies, organizations and individuals to sell products online, which she regards as a way of serving her audiences outside the theater.
"We've tried various ways of connecting with our audiences. But theaters are about live performances and about face-to-face communication. We really hope this pandemic is over soon and that people will return to theaters soon."
Star Theater is another small Beijing theater grappling with the fallout of COVID 19. Star puts on productions ranging from contemporary plays to traditional Chinese operas. It has three theaters, each with about 200 seats, Star Theater is also home to an annual small theater festival dedicated to the unique phenomenon among Chinese theater lovers.
Since canceling or postponing all of its events since late January it has been connecting with its fans online.
On March 27, World Theatre Day, the theater announced that health workers would be given free tickets to its shows when the epidemic is over, a way of honoring those fighting on the front lines against the coronavirus.
Yang Yun, general manager of Beijing Inside-Out Theatre, in Beijing's west and running since 2013, says:"We'd planned to broadcast six stage productions by working with NT Live in February and March but they had to be canceled.
"We also postponed our annual project for young theater directors and actors as well as workshops at universities in Beijing. The only way we can stay in touch with our audiences is through online events."
Beijing Inside-Out Theatre is known for staging pioneering theatrical productions with two theaters and broadcasting stage productions with its six-venue cinema.
Since its was founded it has staged more than 600 shows, and in 2018 it launched an annual art festival with a theme of combining technology and art.
"There's no doubt that people will return to theaters," Yang says."But it's hard to predict when exactly that will be, which presents great challenges for small theaters like us."
