The drama is "light" and the emotions are deeper. Interview with "Kunqu Opera Elf" Dan Wen: From Du Liniang to Yunniang's Character | Kunqu Opera | Dan Wen

From July 27th to 29th, the Kunqu opera "Six Records of Floating Life" jointly produced by Shanghai Grand Theatre and Jiangsu Provincial Performing Arts Group began its third round of performances.

Famous Kunqu opera actors and "Plum Blossom Award" winners such as Dan Wen and Shi Xiaming have once again gathered in Shanghai, leading the audience to appreciate the beauty of Chinese classical literature and drama.

Since the first round of performances in 2019, the role of "Yunniang" actress Dan Wen has undergone significant changes in her life. With the accumulation of time, she has also gained new insights into Kunqu art.

Learn techniques from different professions

From above: Yunniang in "The Six Records of Floating Life" is referred to by Mr. Lin Yutang as "the cutest woman in Chinese literature". What is the biggest challenge for you to shape this character on the Kunqu stage?

Dan Wen: To shape a character on the Kunqu stage, you don't have to limit yourself to just one line. In order to create a lively and playful Yunniang, I borrowed performance techniques from different professions based on the foundation of the female actress. Yunniang's eyes are agile and lively, and her recitation should not be too gentle and sluggish. Her body should be more agile and her pace should be faster. Therefore, I drew inspiration from the performance style of some young actresses. And when Yunniang bid farewell to Shen Fu on her deathbed, I used some traditional Chinese tones to express a sense of maturity in terms of age.

On screen: Which scene in the drama moved you the most?

Dan Wen: I think it's the fifth scene of "Weeping Yan Hui". This is a classic piece of Kunqu opera, and there is a famous scene called "Weeping Yan Hui" in "The Palace of Eternal Life". The scene of "Weeping Yan Hui" in "The Six Records of Floating Life" is completely different from "The Palace of Eternal Life". At that time, Yun Niang's listening and speaking with Shen Fu on their deathbed were deeply touching. In addition, the shock that Yun Niang felt when she found out she was just a character in Shen Fu's book also moved me.

From above: The adaptation of classic texts faces the problem of how to resonate with contemporary audiences. This is the third round of the performance of "Six Records of Floating Life". What feedback have the audience received after the past few rounds of performances? Can they understand the fleeting relationship between Shen Fu and Yun Niang?

Dan Wen: The beauty of this drama lies in its contemporary style. Screenwriter Luo Zhou did not use traditional theatrical narrative techniques, but rather approached movies and even had a bit of fantasy: at the moment the curtain opened, Yunniang had already passed away, and Shen Fu was alone in experiencing the pain of mourning. As he continued to write about his past with Yunniang day after day, Yunniang "returned" and, like before her death, she shared poetry and paintings with Shen Fu... From shock, doubt to surprise, Shen Fu realized that his pen could create a living Yunniang, so he closed his door all day and wrote books, gathering with Yunniang in his manuscripts... Shen Fu's real life and the world in the book went hand in hand with the audience, allowing people to step into his heart.

Nowadays, many young people enjoy watching through Yueju opera, as they can quickly capture and understand the uniqueness of this play. More importantly, although our narrative style is modern, our performance has not disrupted the original flavor of Kunqu opera, and we still follow the program of Kunqu opera. And the stage design of this play is also very contemporary, making it easy for the audience to get involved.

Upper view: Many classic Kunqu opera plays are related to love that transcends life and death, such as the familiar "Peony Pavilion". How do you understand the differences between the roles of Yunniang and Du Liniang?

Dan Wen: "The Peony Pavilion" expresses a deep affection and love, and Du Liniang has a pure longing for love. In the Six Records of Floating Life, besides the deepest and most genuine love between Yunniang and Shen Fu, there is also a mutual understanding between them, and they understand each other very well. Yunniang is also a woman who understands life very well, and their daily life together is very interesting.

Yunniang and Du Liniang also have different personalities. Although these two characters are both female actresses, the voice, physique, and gaze I use on stage are different. For example, Yunniang's gaze is more agile, while when portraying Du Liniang, we need to focus on her tenderness and subtlety.

Dan Wen is currently a professor at Nanjing Academy of Arts and a recipient of the 29th China Drama Plum Blossom Award

Leave blank spaces like landscape paintings

Upper view: When your teacher and Kunqu opera master Zhang Jiqing tells you about acting, he often says to act a bit "bland". How to understand this "bland"?

Dan Wen: Teacher Zhang told me that you are not acting on stage, you are the person in the play, you are Du Liniang, you are Yun Niang. You need to integrate your character into your heart, run through your hands, eyes, and body movements, and finally let your emotions express sincerely and naturally, and this is naturally "light". "Dancing" is not something that can be achieved immediately. It depends on the growth of performance skills and stage experience to truly digest this word and reflect it in every move.

Learning to perform starts with imitation. When they first appear on stage, they often unintentionally showcase themselves, do their best, and even exaggerate. Many actors stop at this stage. To take it to the next level, one must slowly "melt" the edges and corners of performance, just like in Chinese landscape painting, learning to leave blank spaces in appropriate places. Teacher Zhang said that the performance should be "light", but I think it should be left blank. Once the performance becomes unnatural, the audience below may feel very tired.

From Du Liniang in "Peony Pavilion", Li Xiangjun in "1699 Peach Blossom Fan", Princess Yaofang in "Dream of Nanke", to Lin Daiyu in "Dream of Red Mansions", and Chen Miaochang in "Jade Hairpin"... The roles you have played have vastly different positions and personalities. How to achieve vivid and emotional expression, and impress the audience?

Dan Wen: The characters I play in Kunqu opera belong to the category of female actresses, but as I mentioned earlier, the formalization of performance does not mean it remains unchanged. In order to shape the characters, I will appropriately draw on the performance characteristics of other professions. For example, I played Princess Yaofang in "Dream of Nanke", with an age range of over 20 years. When she became the mother of several children, I would draw inspiration from the performance style of the traditional Chinese actress, and raise my arms higher in some movements, which would enhance the character's sense of age.

Eyes can also shape characters. My gaze should first light up, slowly light up, or first light up and then retract, depending on the personality of the character. Some characters need to first look at the other person, keep their eyes fixed, and then slowly turn around. When playing the role of a lady from a wealthy family, her eyes should be clean and clear. Whenever she touches the other person, her eyes should be withdrawn and very reserved.

Of course, for Kunqu opera actors, vocal tone is the most crucial. Because the audience sitting in the back row may not be able to see the actor's expression clearly, they mainly feel the character's inner play through their voice. In short, the use of voice, body shape, gaze, breath, and rhythm must be integrated to shape characters with diverse personalities and flesh and blood.

Every performance is full of unknowns

Upper view: You recently published "Bu Bu Jiao: Danwen Talks about Drama and Love", why did you think of writing this book?

Dan Wen: What I write in this book are all female characters that I have portrayed, so I used a Kunqu opera tune name: Bu Bu Jiao. I talked about how I understood these characters and shaped them on stage. This is a popular and easy to understand Kunqu opera book. I hope readers who are interested in or have not seen Kunqu opera and find it very mysterious can learn about this art from it, so as to enter the theater and experience the charm of Kunqu opera firsthand.

Upper view: I heard that you have received many invitations for film and television dramas, but they have all politely declined. Where does your fixation on the Kunqu stage come from?

Dan Wen: When I was in my teens, I received invitations from some film and television crews, but I prefer the stage of traditional Chinese opera. Because I think stage art is unknown, very challenging, and very satisfying. Before the performance, I didn't know what would happen tonight. Maybe I was in good form and performing well today, but it could also be due to physical reasons that my condition was not good. So, I need to use stage experience to make up for my discomfort. These are unpredictable challenges.

The state of the actors who are on the same stage as me is also unknown. If their state is good, I will also be motivated, and there may be new sparks between us on stage. On the contrary, if their condition is not good, then I will try my best to make up for them and give them some inspiration. Of course, the audience's reaction to us off stage is also very important.

So, every performance is full of unknowns and cannot be replicated. In film and television works, actors may be able to repeatedly refine their performances and strive for perfection. But on stage, if there is a place where singing is not perfect, it may become an irreparable regret, and that is where the charm of the stage lies. 1000 performances, I may have 1000 different experiences, and my stage experience will also increase accordingly.

Recent photo of Dan Wen

In 2019, shortly after winning the "Plum Blossom Award", you became a mother. What has this most important role in your life brought to your artistic career?

Dan Wen: In recent years, there have been two important changes in my identity. First, I went from a daughter to a mother, and then from an actor to a teacher. However, I did not leave the Kunqu opera stage because of this. After becoming a mother, my life experience has increased significantly. In the past, when playing some mature, especially mother roles, I was more of an artistic performer. However, with my personal experience, my performance has undergone subtle changes.

In this performance in "Six Memoirs of Floating Life", I will be more meticulous in handling many details. In life, as a mother of children, I feel like I have gained a sense of responsibility and a more delicate understanding of life. I believe this will also be reflected on stage.