What does growth mean? On stage, he and she are both searching for answers, a world from youth to adulthood. Youth | Imagination | Stage
The imagination, which was regarded as an astonishing talent in adolescence, is trained to be a "normal person", like a flame weakening, extinguishing, and turning into a wisp of smoke. How to find balance in the mundane life of rushing for family and work after reaching adulthood? On July 21st, "Submarine at Night" and "Amanda's 38th Birthday" explored the meaning of life from different age groups of characters.
On one side of the stage, wrapped in 4.4 meter high transparent bubble wrap, a male actor stepped onto the stage and told the audience a story - an Australian wealthy businessman was moved by Borges's poem "To a Coin" during his voyage, bought and renovated a state-of-the-art submarine at the time, and hired a professional underwater exploration team to search for Borges' coins thrown into the sea. The single act drama "Submarine at Night" premiered at the Shanghai Theatre Art Center on July 21st, with light and shadow changing on transparent bubble paper, embarking on an adventure. The first round of performances will continue until August 13th.
"Submarine at Night" is adapted from the original work of the same name by young writer Chen Chuncheng, telling the story of "me" - Chen Turner, who was once an imaginative young man who voluntarily gave up his imagination in the face of real pressure. Chen Chuncheng portrayed the process of a teenager gradually breaking away from his imagination. The Shanghai Theatre Art Center announced that it will adapt "Submarine at Night" into a play, which has attracted widespread attention. At this year's Shanghai Theatre Art Center's half price ticketing day event, "Submarine at Night" became the first play to sell out performance tickets.
The drama "Submarine at Night" takes Chen Turner as the main storyline, and at the beginning, the story of an Australian wealthy businessman leads to "another explanation of the blue submarine incident" - the only actor in the series tells in the first person about Chen Turner's imagination from childhood in all things, and when he was young, he fantasized about designing, building, and operating a submarine to explore the deep sea in his room, until he realized that his time was thrown into the void of the sea, and his parents were also aging. This imagination gradually faded away from him due to the pressure of reality and is difficult to find again.
The lead actor Bai Zhuoming said, "Whether it's in the real or fantasy world, Chen Turner has always had one thing that requires him to spend all his energy on. Playing a role that contrasts with his own personality is not a small challenge for me." As people grow older and enter society, they more or less abandon some of their teenage selves, such as the theme of "imagination" in the drama. In the eyes of another lead actor Zhang Weilun, "this is not a tragedy, it is an 'ordinary' drama."
The audience of "Submarine at Night" will receive a coin upon entry. On one side of the coin is a submarine, which is a gift prepared by the crew for the audience. Like the coin thrown by Borges, "Submarine at Night" is also a coin thrown into the deep blue sea. After the first performance, the audience expressed that "from the performances and narratives of the actors to the room decorations that are representative of the 90s generation, there is resonance", "short and beautiful works, romantic with a hint of sadness", and "the storytelling, combined with dance, lighting, and sound effects, seems to have had a deep blue dream".
The musical "Amanda's 38th Birthday" was produced by Shangyi Drama Company and ended three performances on July 23rd at the New Box Small Theater of Shanghai Grand Theatre. From July 28th to 30th, it switched to the White Magnolia Theater.
On an ordinary Saturday, Amanda was responsible for picking up and dropping off her little daughter Nini for ballet class. However, she missed her child's end of class due to an important work task she had received at the last minute; Nini is in the ballet classroom, and her heart has already flown to the animation world of Peppa Pig; Chen Chen, the eldest son, wanted to take the IELTS exam, but he didn't want to study abroad and ran away on the way to the exam room; Husband Li Dashan worked at a newspaper for ten years and suddenly encountered unemployment... Amanda's 38th Birthday begins with a disheartening chaos.
During the creative process, the production team specially added the scene of Amanda calling her mother. Director Fan Yuqun said, "The goal is to help each character break away from being labeled and become a true 'person'. Different audiences can find empathy in the characters while watching." In the drama, everyone is struggling with reality, seeking the dreams they truly want to pursue in their hearts.
Producer Zhang Lei said, "Amanda's 38th Birthday is about the imperfections beneath the surface of a perfect family. Amanda's transformation from a chicken blooded mother to a Buddhist mother is a process of accepting her imperfections and reconciling with the world. This kind of mentality of reconciling with the world and self-healing is needed by everyone, and it is also a feeling we hope to bring to the audience."
