Telling the story of rural civilians fighting against donations during the war years, the original Minhang local theme drama "The Road Ahead" staged the story | Red | The Road Ahead
On August 16th, the original play "The Road Ahead" was staged at the Shanghai City Theatre. The play is set against the backdrop of an unprecedented food crisis in the Hongqiao area during the fall of Shanghai in the spring of 1944. It tells the story of kind-hearted villager Chen Jingui, who was beaten to death to protect his fellow villagers. After encountering underground Communist Party member Gong Shuping, he firmly joined the party and led all villagers to successfully resist the donation of "military and police rice".
On that day, the original play "The Road Ahead" was performed twice, and nearly two thousand people felt the perseverance of rural civilians in resisting donations and their determination to fight for victory during the war years.
It is reported that in recent years, a number of excellent plays based on local red themes have emerged in Minhang's drama stage, such as Shanghai Opera "Flying over Bridge 7", drama "Old Street", "Yan Tongyu", immersive interactive drama "The Twelfth Man", Paper Cuttings film "Raiding Humin Road" and so on. In the performance after performance, the audience not only has a deep understanding of Minhang's red cultural stories, but also has a sense of spiritual greatness from one red story after another.
As one of the series of activities of the "Strong Country Revitalization with Me @ Minli Ideological and Political Education" brand project in Minhang District, the immersive party lesson "The Road Ahead" for grassroots party organizations in Hongqiao Town was originally created by Hongqiao Town Chuxin Drama Society in 2021 and adapted from the real story and character prototype of Hong'er Village. Screenwriter Zhou Linjun told reporters that during the creative process, the team reviewed a large amount of materials and visited the descendants of some revolutionaries. After more than two months of selecting the creative direction, they conceived and formed the final script, which took more than six months of writing and polishing.
At the same time as planning, the project also invited teachers from Shanghai Theatre Academy, Donghua University, and Shanghai Drama Art Center to provide technical guidance. With the persistent love and perseverance of the actors, this drama is no less effective in presentation than a professional drama troupe.
It is reported that this year, "The Road Ahead" has further improved its story content, stage design, and lighting on the basis of 2021. It has invited teachers from the Shanghai Opera House to guide it, adding local elements of Shanghai dialect, and striving to restore the "fireworks" of that era in Shanghai.
"When I was a child, I always heard my grandmother say that our Hong'er Village is an underground party village, but I rarely heard the story of my great grandfather. As a descendant of the characters in the drama and one of the actors in" The Road Ahead ", Zhu Weidong sighed," Later, I found out that my great grandfather was an underground party member who sacrificed himself in his job. These two years of rehearsals have given me a deeper understanding of the beliefs of my elders. I am very proud to play the story of Hongqiao myself. "
The 40 cast members who participated in the performance with Zhu Weidong were all members of the Chuxin Drama Society in Hongqiao Town. They are all young people from government agencies, residential areas, "two new organizations", and resident units in Hongqiao Town. They rehearse during off work hours and weekends, and have not had any rest time for the past three months. Sometimes, they line up for a whole day. However, every member of the team loves this stage, encourages and supports each other, and insists on doing their best. "The performance of red dramas brings us increasingly firm ideals and beliefs, as well as stronger willpower, allowing us to overcome all difficulties and move forward courageously," said one member.
It is worth mentioning that there are still 6 young actors in the cast of "The Road Ahead" this time. Yang Yanchi, the actor who played the role of Jin Gui in the drama, said that two years ago he was still very young and didn't know what nervousness and fear were. When performing in a scene where he separated from his mother amidst the sound of bombing, he deeply felt the hardships of that era and understood that this was an unforgettable history. When another young actress, Li Yimeng, first appeared as "Little Sister", she asked "When can I join the group?" Now, as she continues to grow with "The Road Ahead", she has gained more insights on how to inherit the red spirit.
In the eyes of these young actors, vividly reproducing this period of history through their own efforts is the best tribute to the revolutionaries who fought tirelessly for peace. For this reason, during rehearsals, those with weak foundation in Shanghai dialect practice singing repeatedly with other members until they present the best singing effect. At the same time, they often discuss acting skills and methods with their brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, striving for excellence in art.
It is precisely because the members of the Drama Society have always adhered to the pursuit of art, originality, people-oriented, friendly and mutual assistance, that the Drama Society has successfully planned a number of original works such as "Original Heart", "Running Dream Chaser", "Connecting", and "Saving the Heart" in the five years since its establishment. In 2021, it completed the online exhibition of the large-scale drama "The Road Ahead", with an online viewing volume of 30000 people. In the following two years, it has further carried out a series of activities such as "The Road Ahead" entering the community, "The Road Ahead" entering the building, and "The Road Ahead" entering the school, with about 60 immersive learning activities covering various groups of people such as the elderly, middle-aged, and young, and gained a batch of viewers. Fans of TV dramas.
